Egg Salad With Fresh Dill & Celery

My boys and I were just in Austin, TX for a little visit with our super fun bro- and sis-in-law and my mom and dad-in-law (who are also quite fun.) We sure picked a good weekend to come — the weather was the kind of perfect spring that comes but once a year and all too briefly. Brilliant, cloudless blue skies, warm sun, cool breezes.

Trees were putting out tender little leaves, blades of bright green grass were pushing up everywhere, sour grass (yum!) covered the hillsides and Texas Mountain Laurel (see below) and a bunch of other lovely flowers I don’t know the names of were blooming. In short, spring has sprung. (Muchas gracias to my sis-in-law, Becky for these two lovely iPhone shots of the city as I forgot to bring a camera and still have a “dumb” phone.)

Unfortunately, spring has not sprung in upstate New York. In fact, we headed out on the heels of a two-day snow-sleet-ice-rain storm. Perhaps that is why I was seized by a desire to make egg salad – which I consider to be a sort of culinary harbinger of spring - in the midst of the white stuff falling from the sky a few days ago.

I had some fresh dill and some celery left over from making chicken soup for a friend who’s been sick for what seems like forever, the poor thing. There’s something so incredibly spring-like about fresh dill – the fresh, light flavor, the tender, feathery, green fronds.

And I had some hard-boiled eggs hanging out in the fridge, including one kinda funny-looking one that started out as a failed soft-boiled egg. We’ve been getting these great organic, free-range eggs from our friend, Gideon who’s got a big brood over at his house. Nice golden yolks that stand up – the mark of good eggs from healthy, happy hens.

I’ve been making a lot of Grandpa Joe’s eggs for breakfast lately and sometimes the egg just “cracks up” (pun intended) when it hits the boiling water, even though I coddle it by easing it in with a slotted spoon.  I usually just hard-boil these unfortunate souls which end up looking rather unique.

So I mixed up this simple and dee-li-cious egg salad. It’s a much more classic interpretation than I typically make but it was a hit with me and the husband.

Happy (almost) spring to you all.

Egg Salad With Fresh Dill & Celery
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

* 4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled (use pasture-raised organic, if possible)
* 2-3 stalks celery, leaves and ends removed, finely chopped
* 1 Tbsp finely chopped shallot or onion
* 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
* 2 Tbsp sweet relish
* 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
* 1 tsp mustard
* Sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cut the eggs in half length-wise. Scoop the yolks out into a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mayo, mustard, relish, salt and pepper and mix to combine.

2. Chop the egg whites into cubes/squares and place them in a bowl along with the celery and onions. Add the yolk-mayo-etc., mixture and mix well.

3. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, etc., to taste. Serve on bread, crackers or a bed of lettuce.

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