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Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe

Beans and Sardines
March 29, 2023 by tina oblak in Adriatic Recipe, breakfast, brunch, Canapés, Celebratory dish, Easter, Easter recipes, Easter treats, Easy recipe, foraging, Fresh herbs, Istrian cuisine, Istrian gastronomy, Rustic dish, savory nibbles, simple recipe, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, Small bites, Snacks, Spring recipe, Starters

The tradition and the roots of dyeing the eggs over the Easter Period of celebrations now might be linked by many to modern and commercial aspect of Easter, but as a matter of fact, it takes us back to the history of the celebration of these events. It is believed that the custom of dying or colouring Easter Eggs started with the early Christians in Mesopotamia.

The eggs were dyed in various colours to represent and symbolise different aspects of the Easter story, yellow represents the resurrection, blue represents love and red represents the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the Cross for the sins of the world.

This tradition would spread over time through Catholic and Protestant churches in Europe, even though in pagan cultures eggs were a symbol of rebirth and fertility, and the arrival of Spring. It is another example of the early Church adapting, transforming existing pagan rites, and rituals to the Christian story and its message for the world.

In Slovenian Istra, where I come from, and all the regions of Slovenia, dying eggs during the Easter festivities is a deeply rooted tradition and has passed, luckily, the tests of modern times; Christians and non-Christians can get involved with this fun and family friendly activity. One of the most popular and inexpensive way to colour the eggs is using onion skins.

I am sharing here how the eggs have been decorated with fresh herbs leaves and flowers and dyed with onion skins in my family for generations.

The beautifully decorated and dyed eggs would be put in a wicker basket together with cooked ham, sweet Easter Bread (Pinca) and taken to Mass on Holy Saturday or early on Easter Sunday to be blessed, and only after being blessed, the food was taken from the basket, shared and enjoyed.

Recipe

In this recipe I am using different types of leaves from fresh herbs to decorate the eggs before dying them. If you are short of time however, or not feeling up to the task, you can easily skip the step of decorating the eggs and just colour them, and they will be equally beautiful.

Ingredients

  • 12 eggs at room temperature (white or brown shell eggs or a mixture of both). You can easily change the quantity of the eggs used according to your needs.

  • big mixing bowl full of dry onion skins (from yellow or red onions or a mixture of both), roughly 3-4 handfuls

  • 2 Tbsp white vinegar

  • 1 egg white

  • a selection of fresh herbs and flowers (from the garden or a meadow)

You will also need

  • some old ladies’ nylon tights (quite thin,15 Denier or less)

  • scissors

  • cotton thread or thin string

  • paint brush

  • a big pot

  • vegetable oil

Method

Cut the tights into 10-15cm wide strips (this size of the “pocket” should accommodate nicely the egg)

Lightly brush the inside of the herb leaf or flower with a paint brush dipped in egg white.

Gently place it on the egg, press it lightly to help it stick.

Brush the edges of the herb leaf or flower with the egg white so it adheres better to the egg (preventing the herb or flower moving around). Leave to dry just for a few minutes.

View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 7.jpg
View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 8.jpg

Carry on with the process until you decorate all the eggs with herb leaves or flowers.

Place the decorated egg inside the tights strip, wrap it tightly around the egg, this will allow the decoration to stay in place and not move around (you will need to stretch it a bit and adjust the strip of tights).

Tie the end with a thread or a thin string, or stretch the tights pocket a bit and make a knot.

View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 13.jpg
View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 14.jpg

Put half of the onion skins in the pot.

Place decorated and prepared eggs into a pot on top of the onion skins.

View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 16.jpg
View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 17.jpg

Cover the eggs with the remaining onion skins.

Add cold water so the eggs are completely covered and submerged in water.

Pour two tablespoons of white vinegar.

Bring to boil.

Turn the heat down and gently simmer for about 30 minutes.

View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 18.jpg
View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 19.jpg

Turn the heat off and leave the eggs to cool completely.

Allow the eggs to soak (check the eggs for desired colour).

You can leave the eggs to colour for about 4-6 hours, you can leave them to colour for longer or overnight (I leave mine overnight for practical reasons). The longer you leave them to soak, the darker they will get. You can also remove half of the eggs after a few hours and the rest of the eggs the following day (in this case you will end up with some eggs being lighter in colour compared to the ones that were left to soak for longer).

Remove the eggs form the pot.

Cut off the tights with the scissors, remove decorative herbs with the help of some kitchen paper.

View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 21.jpg
View fullsize Easter Eggs Dyed with Onion Skins Recipe 22.jpg

Dry the eggs with kitchen paper.

If desired, wipe gently the eggs with a bit of vegetable oil. This will give them a beautiful shine.

Display the eggs in the basket.

March 29, 2023 /tina oblak
onion skins, onion peel, natural egg dyes, dyed Easter eggs, fresh eggs, white shell eggs, brown shell eggs, dry onion skins, make ahead, make in advance, family activity, chiled friendly cooking, child friendly cooking, fresh meadow herbs, fresh garden herbs, Easter eggs, Decorating easter eggs, colouring easter eggs, Easter festivity, Easter celebration, Easter traditions
Adriatic Recipe, breakfast, brunch, Canapés, Celebratory dish, Easter, Easter recipes, Easter treats, Easy recipe, foraging, Fresh herbs, Istrian cuisine, Istrian gastronomy, Rustic dish, savory nibbles, simple recipe, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, Small bites, Snacks, Spring recipe, Starters
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Frittata with dry sausage 1.jpg

Frittata with dry sausage (salami) recipe

Beans and Sardines
June 01, 2021 by tina oblak in Adriatic Recipe, Appetizers, breakfast, brunch, Canapés, Central European recipes, entrée course, Finger food, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, main course, main dish, Rustic dish, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, Small bites, Snacks, dinner, supper

Frittata with dry sausage is a quick and easy midweek lunch or dinner and a great weekend breakfast or brunch option. Fantastic eaten hot but often served at room temperature and perfect to make ahead for picnics and larger groups. Serve it with rustic bread or polenta and a salad. Great also as a sandwich filling.

To me, however, this simple dish is more than just a quick meal solution.

Both my grandfathers loved frittatas, and not without a glass of red wine! They would normally have it upon the return back home late morning after working in the allotments or in the olive grove.

My paternal grandfather really liked dry sausage frittata while my maternal grandfather was really keen on wild fresh herbs frittata but both really liked wild asparagus and pancetta (or without) variation. All three typical in the region.

This simple dish, similar to an omelette, is Italian in origin (frittata is an Italian word and roughly translates to “fried”) but due to such a close geographical proximity to Italy, frittata found a huge popularity in a local cuisine and could be referred to as Fritaja s klobasami – Fritata or Frtalja s klobasami and Fritaia con le luganiche in Istrian dialect. All these names come from the Venetian word fritaia.

Amazingly, this simple frittata with dry sausage, is a speciality in Istria and also has a deep meaning in a local folklore. This type of frittata is typically made especially during Carnival period (festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent). In rural areas and particularly in small villages locals dressed up in different Carnival costumes. In groups they would walk from house to house singing traditional folk songs accompanied by sound and the melodies of the accordion, usually played by one member of the group.

As a sign of appreciation for entertaining and lifting the spirits, they received food gifts which consisted of fresh eggs, dry sausages, salami, crostoli, fritole (typical Carnival sweet things) and also wine.

When this simple Carnival procession was over, the participants would gather in somebody's home and frittata with dry sausage was made and other dishes were prepared with everything they received.

All the food was displayed on the table, shared and enjoyed, often ending up in excessive consumption of alcohol and other foods that will be forgone during upcoming Lent. There was a lot of singing and dancing, this is how local people came together and enjoyed each other company, the festive period and the the end of harsh winter.

My nona Nada also shared with me a lovely story, telling me that this festive season also provided the opportunity for young men and women to casually meet and possibly fall in love...

Frittata with dry sausage 2.jpg

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • Italian dry sausage/salami (about 150g), can use French sausage (saucisson), Spanish Chorizo (the important thing is that they are not too dry and hard, when buying should feel a bit soft when squeezing)

  • 6 eggs, beaten or whisked

  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • sea salt, to taste (bear in mind the sausages are dry cured and taste salty already)

  • black pepper, freshly ground (to taste)

Method

Peel the dry sausage, place it on a chopping board, slice it, half it and then cut it into quarters.

View fullsize Frittata with dry sausage 3.jpg
View fullsize Frittata with dry sausage 4.jpg

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

Frittata with dry sausage 5.jpg

Put the oil in a skillet, ideally non stick, and heat it.

Sauté and lightly sear the sausage on a medium high heat stirring frequently.

Frittata with dry sausage 6.jpg

Pour the egg mixture in the skillet over the sausage, turn the heat to fairly low and cover with the lid (glass lid with steam hole works very well, if you have it). Also, using a slightly bigger lid than the skillet will help to keep the frittata “dry”. Lid that fits perfectly on top of the skillet could potentially trap quite a bit of steam and possibly making your frittata a bit wet.

The use of the lid will also help to cook the frittata evenly, avoiding the bottom of frittata being almost burnt and the egg mixture on the top being still raw, runny and unset.

Cook the frittata for about 20 min. The frittata is cooked when the underside is set and the egg mixture on the top no longer runny.

Frittata with dry sausage - Recipe.jpg

Just a thought

In this recipe, I have chosen to cook the frittata on the stove with a lid as my family has always used this method. I have also bear in mind that not everyone has a skillet that can go in the hot oven or under the grill.

However, if you are familiar cooking the frittata in the oven, and that is your preferred method, it is perfectly fine to do so.

Wine suggestion

Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso IGT 2017 by Vigna Petrussa, Venezia Giulia.

June 01, 2021 /tina oblak
Italian salami, dry sausage, chorizo sausage, french sausage, saucisson, fresh eggs, frittata, Istrian frttata, Fritaja s klobasami
Adriatic Recipe, Appetizers, breakfast, brunch, Canapés, Central European recipes, entrée course, Finger food, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, main course, main dish, Rustic dish, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, Small bites, Snacks, dinner, supper
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