Pickled Eggs

Not Rocky Mountain Oysters

Since I tend to have an abundance of eggs on a regular basis, the other day I made some pickled eggs for snack-time noshing.

My mother was a bartender throughout my childhood.  Not nice bars, seedy Chinese restaurant bars and skid row bars, you know... the interesting ones that Hemmingway and Bukowski used to hang out in. Although, I don't think they ever hung out in my mom's bars...

Anyways, I always remember there being a giant gallon jar of pickled eggs sitting on the dark cigarette burn stained counter in the dim light of her bar.

These are way better, though.

You can usually fit a dozen boiled eggs into a quart jar. I recently found that if you put about a tablespoon of baking soda in with the eggs when you boil them it makes the peeling a whole lot easier, even when the eggs are very fresh. Fresh eggs don't peel very well. You end up with tears and divots from where the flesh of the egg has pulled away with the shell. It seems that the baking soda changes the pH of the egg and allows the shells to come away a little easier. Otherwise, you can leave the eggs on the counter for a few days to allow the skin on the inside of the shell to pull away.

Anyways, put a dozen eggs in a large sauce pan with about a tablespoon of baking soda and cover with water, then bring to a boil. This method keeps the gasses within the eggs from expanding too quickly and cracking the eggs in the water. Once it comes to a boil turn off the heat, cover the pan and let sit for 10 minutes or so. This should cook the eggs to a hard boil.

Cool the eggs in cold water and peel the shells carefully, they might still stick if they are very fresh so go slowly.

While boiling the eggs use another pot and put the pickling liquor together. I used:

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup Water(or beet juice)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
a small handful peppercorns
8 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 of large onion sliced in slivers
1 thai chili

Bring just to a boil then let cool. Put the peeled eggs into a clean and sterilized quart jar and pour the liquor over them and cover with a tight lid then stick it in the fridge for 7 days.

And , VOILA! You have lovely garlicky pickled eggs. The boyfriend couldn't wait and tucked into one early and said that the flavour was coming along nicely, so hopefully, by the end of the week it should be a lovely jar of pickled eggs.