Eggs are a symbolic and practical choice for Easter

By CLAIRE HOPLEY

Published on March 14, 2008

The traditional foods of Easter vary from region to region and country to country, but one thing common to all, Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox, is eggs.

The egginess of Easter has both religious and practical sources.

For Christians, Easter celebrates human rebirth, the hope of resurrection into a new life. Nothing symbolizes this better than eggs for they shelter a new life that will soon emerge. Their shape is important too because their smooth and perfect curves suggest infinity and eternity.

But while the symbolism of eggs dovetails with the Easter message, one might consider that it would work just as well for Christmas. The reason that eggs play no role in the Christmas pageant, while they appear in many guises at Easter, is a practical one. In the centuries when all foods were seasonal, eggs were hard to come by at Christmas because hens stop laying when the days are short and dark and the weather is cold.

Nowadays, heated and well-lit hen houses keep them on the job throughout the year, so we take eggs for granted. Since they are always available we can have them for breakfast whenever we want, and make cakes and breads and cookies without ever thinking that there might be no eggs to give them substance or richness or to raise them into tenderness. But when people only had the foods in season, the reappearance of eggs when the lighter, warmer days of spring prompted hens to lay again, was in itself a cause for celebration, so using them in the festive foods of the springtime holiday of Easter was, literally, a natural.

The effect of this can be seen in the traditional baked goods of Easter. In England the Easter simnel cake has not only eggs in the cake but in the marzipan that appears on top or in the center. The Russian kulich is a sweet bread made with many eggs and baked in a tall pan so that its height symbolizes the risen Christ. It is served with a sweet mixture of eggs and cream cheese that reminds us that just as hens start laying in spring, so animals start giving milk again.

The combination of eggs and cheese appears also in the Italian torta pasqalina, an Easter pie filled with ricotta, eggs, and spring greens. Italy also has many regional breads. They differ in shape and flavorings, but all call for lots of eggs to make them temptingly yellow and light. Similarly, the babka of Poland and Ukraine and the hot cross buns of Easter are basic breads but enriched for the season with eggs. Greece, too, has Easter breads enriched with eggs, and either braided or made in round twists with whole unshelled eggs dyed deep red baked on top.

The red eggs that decorate Greek Easter bread are only a few of the many that each household prepares. The rest of them are set in baskets so that the many guests that share the Easter meal of barbecued lamb can each take one and crack it against someone else's as they make the Easter greeting.

Poles also use eggs in a traditional greeting. The hostess cuts one hard-boiled egg into many small pieces and presents them on a plate as guests arrive. Each person takes a morsel in this way suggesting the unity of everyone in the Christian community and the Easter feast.

In Poland and other eastern European countries, the omnipresence of eggs in edible form is matched by a myriad of decorative eggs. Some are wood carved and colored with traditional designs. Others are egg shells, their interior removed so that the shell can be delicately painted with Easter emblems such as chicks and lambs and spring flowers.

Chocolate Easter eggs are relatively new on the scene. It was not until the late 19th century that the technology of making chocolate to eat as a candy rather than simply to use as the basis of a drink was developed. Dutch and Swiss chocolate manufacturers pioneered these developments, so it's not surprising that today their Easter eggs are especially luxurious with lovely sheens and elaborate decoration.

In Britain, too, chocolate eggs of many kinds are the thing to have at Easter, far outnumbering chocolate bunnies and lambs. Any child with a normal number of relatives and neighbors is sure to receive one from everyone. Thus, just as Halloween candy is so plentiful and has to be stored for eating in the days and weeks ahead, so Easter eggs are treats that can last for many days after Easter has officially passed.

The colored hard-boiled eggs of Easter tend to linger too. Many get thrown out, but there are lots of ways to use them. And there are lots of Easter breads and other baked goods that can add to something different to the Easter table. Here are some recipes to try this Easter.

MULTI-COLORED STUFFED EGGS

This is an easy recipe to adapt to the number of eggs you have available. A variation on deviled eggs, these look pretty nestled in a bed of lettuce or other greens, and they are festive for Easter or other parties. This recipe was spotted in a Polish women's magazine.

6 hard-boiled eggs

3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon curry powder

few drops Worcestershire sauce (optional)

3 tablespoons canned or frozen peas

Slice the eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolks. Mash the yolks with the mayonnaise and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the mixture into three portions. In the first portion mix the tomato paste. In the second portion mix the curry powder and a drop or two of Worcestershire sauce. To color the third portion green, rub the cooked peas through a sieve to remove their skins, then mix with the remaining third of the egg yolk. Then, either pipe the egg yolk mixture back into the halves or spoon it in and whirl the surface with the tines of a fork. Arrange on a bed of greens.

POTATO AND EGG CASSEROLE

Here's another dish that calls for hard-boiled eggs. Serve it as a vegetarian main dish or a side dish for Easter or for supper on a day following Easter.

11/2 cups sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

pinch cayenne pepper or 2/3 dashes Tabasco

2 tablespoons butter

5 medium all-purpose potatoes, cooked and sliced

4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

3/4 cup chopped onions, softened in oil for 5 minutes

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, herb-flavored if you like

3/4 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the sour cream or yogurt with the garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne or Tabasco.

Use a tablespoon of the butter to grease an 8-inch square pan. Layer in about a third of the potatoes. Cover with a layer of sliced eggs. Use a spatula to spread on about a third of the sour cream mixture. Repeat these three layers.

Scatter on the cooked chopped onions. Repeat the three layers again, ending with sour cream. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top. Cut the rest of the butter into little bits and scatter these on top along with the paprika. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

BABKA

Babka is the traditional Easter bread in Poland and parts of Russia. This recipe is adapted from "The Good Home Cookbook," edited by Richard J. Perry (Collector's Press, 2006). Egg yolks make it temptingly yellow.

3/4 cup milk

1 package active dry yeast

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter at room temperature

3 egg yolks

1 cup raisins

Glaze:

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup water

Bring the milk to just above blood heat in a small pan. Sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup warm water and let stand about 5 minutes or until bubbly.

Mix 11/2 cups of the flour with the sugar, lemon zest, salt and the yeast mixture in a large bowl. Gradually beat in the warm milk until smooth.

Let rest for about 15 minutes to give the yeast time to begin working. Beat in the butter and egg yolks and then the remaining flour. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a draft-free place for an hour or until it has doubled in bulk.

Punch the dough down and then work in the raisins, making sure to distribute them fully. Grease a 9-inch tube pan and place the dough in it. Cover again and let rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan: about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and place a rack in the lower third. Bake the babka for 30-35 minutes until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, combine the lemon juice, confectioners' sugar and water in a small pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to simmering point and stir constantly until syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Carefully turn the babka out of the pan. Turn it right side up (i.e what was the top becomes the bottom). Brush the warm cake with the lemon glaze. Cool completely before slicing for serving.

EASTER NESTS

This recipe combines the traditional Easter symbolism of eggs and nests, with the more modern love of chocolate. It comes from Nigella Lawson's "How to be Domestic Goddess" (Hyperion, 2001). The author writes, "Yes, they are cute; yes they are kitsch, but I love them all the same. Can't say I'm absolutely mad about eating them, but luckily my children are." They are indeed a hit with kids. Fun to make with them, too. Look for bags of pastel-colored eggs made by Cadbury's. They are perfect for this recipe. Jelly beans could work too.

7 ounces milk chocolate

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

About 1/2 cup Shredded Wheat

About 25 multicolored sugar coated little chocolate eggs

Line a cookie sheet with oiled foil. break up the chocolate into small pieces and put it in a glass bowl with the butter. Melt on medium heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes - I give it a minute then look to see how much more it might need - or over hot water. When it's melted, give it a stir, then leave it on one side for a moment or two so it can cool down to a temperature suitable for children's hands.

Crumble the Shredded Wheat into another bowl. Now mix the contents of the two bowls and remove a small handful of the messy mixture to the lined cookie sheet and form it into a round nest shape. Don't worry if you feel it won't stick together. It will as it cools. Leave in a cool place, though not the refrigerator, until set, then remove to a wooden board or plate and fill with eggs - about 5 per nest. Makes 5 nests.