Eggs are versatile, delicious, and nutritious. Check out some recipes below.
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Grandma’s Latvian bacon piragi
From Sara Stiebrs (x’02)
Here, Sara shares a recipe passed down from her husband’s Latvian grandmother, Zelma Stiebrs, who came to Washington state in 1949. Seventy-five years later, her Latvian piragi remain a family favorite.
For the dough
2 packages yeast
½ cup warm water
3½ to 4 cups flour
3-plus tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening or butter, plus more for greasing bowl and baking sheet
½ cup warm milk
2 eggs (1 for dough, 1 beaten for egg wash)
1 tablespoon sour cream
For the filling
1 pound bacon, very finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Make the filling
Once bacon is cooked, but not overly cooked to where the bacon is crunchy, drain and place on paper towel. Add onion to skillet and sauté until soft. Then add bacon back into skillet with the onion. Finish sautéing for another minute or two. Remove onion-bacon mixture and place into a separate bowl.
Make the dough
Place yeast in warm water to soften. Sift flour into large mixing bowl. Add sugar, cardamom, salt, and shortening or butter. Use a steel dough-cutter to cut shortening or butter into flour. Pour milk next to flour, but do not mix yet. Pour in yeast mixture. Mix together. Beat 1 egg into sour cream, and add to flour mixture. Mix dough by hand or use a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Once dough is formed into a ball, place dough in greased bowl to rise for 1 hour.
Assemble and bake piragi
Place dough on floured board. Take a quarter of the dough and roll it into a long sausage-like shape, about ½ to 1-inch thick. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Put pieces on flat side, spread with fingers into a round flat shape. Place filling into the center of dough and fold in half, pinching shut. Form the half-moon shape into a ball by tucking the seam underneath until round.
Place piragi seam-down on a greased baking sheet. Brush on egg wash. Pierce each on top with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let piragi cool on a baking rack and enjoy!
Notes: For better consistency, after cooking, place onion-bacon mixture into food processor and, Sara says, “give it a good blend.” Piragi freeze really well. This is a labor of love, so Sara usually makes a double batch—or sometimes even three batches!
Chef Morgan’s Washington Quiche
From Mat Morgan, executive chef, School of Hospitality Business Management, and director of the Marriott Hospitality Culinary Innovation Center, Carson College of Business, WSU
For the filling
1 cup diced dry-aged country ham
½ cup spinach, coarsely chopped
½ cup baking apple, such as Cosmic Crisp® or Granny Smith
½ cup shredded cheese, such as Cougar Gold, WSU’s Smoky Cheddar, or another sharp white cheddar, divided
¼ cup chopped pecans or hazelnuts
For the crust
1 standard, deep, 9-inch pie crust, par baked until lightly browned
For the custard base
5 large eggs
½ cup cream
¾ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup cheese
For garnish
Parsley or chives, chopped
Mix all filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, then place in par-baked pie crust. In another large mixing bowl, whisk custard ingredients until fully combined. Pour custard mixture over the filling in the par-baked pie crust. Sprinkle ¼ cup cheese over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until set. Let cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or chives.
Notes: Gruyère or other hard white Swiss cheeses lend great flavor along with Cougar Gold or WSU’s Smoky Cheddar.
More about eggs
Chicken eggs (including a recipe for Sara’s breakfast quiche)
Smashing success: The Egg and I, a Washington story
Eggs and food safety (Washington State Department of Health)
Proper egg handling (WSU Extension)
Health benefits of egg protein (NIH)
Protein calculator (Harvard Medicine)