The Devil Comes to Dinner

Deviled Eggs have always been one of my favorite party foods. I'm actually embarrassed to admit how many times I've made a batch, only to have them eaten before any guests arrive (if they are gone before they get here, nobody knows they're missing, right?). Today it occurred to me that waiting for a social occasion to stuff some eggs seemed silly, so with three hard boiled on hand, I decided I'd make them for lunch.

horseradish deviled egg

Eggs for entertaining are easy; arrange them on a platter, avoid eating them before there's a knock at your door and serve with napkins plus a side shaker of salt.   Trying to build a meal around these tasty morsels becomes somewhat of a dilemma. What compliments a stuffed egg, allowing it to evolve it from appetizer to main course? Quite hungry and with few ingredients on hand, I scoured my cupboards for inspiration. My eureka moment came in the form of soup. Dining on Deviled Eggs now made perfect sense.

Quick Tomato Soup with Horseradish Deviled Eggs

quick tomato soup

To make the soup, sauté one diced onion, three cloves garlic and a handful of thinly sliced pancetta in a bit of olive oil. If you don't have pancetta, you could try some cooked bacon or omit it completely, though it adds a subtle smokey flavour that would have been missing without it.

When everything is golden, add a can of peeled tomatoes (chopped), a touch of tomato paste and a small spoonful of brown sugar (it mellows the acidity); then top it off with about 500mL of water plus a vegetable stock cube. Once your pot begins to boil, Reduce the heat and simmer, lifting the lid to stir occasionally and to season with salt, pepper, herbs and spices that satisfy your taste. 

more quick tomato soup

Once your soup is simmering, it's time to do the devils. Slice 3 hard boiled eggs lengthwise, scooping the yolks into a separate bowl. Add a small spoonful of mayonnaise, a few pinches dry mustard, a sprinkle of salt, a dash of white pepper and a touch of horseradish cream; mix well. Carefully fill the hole in each egg white with a scoop of the yolk mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and top with thinly sliced pancetta.

horseradish deviled eggs

Now return to your soup. Remove from the burner and puree with a hand blender until smooth (be careful to not splatter it across your kitchen - using a tall, narrow pot helps). Divide the soup among bowls and garnish with a few drops of cream or a sprinkle of herbs. Serve with Horseradish Deviled Eggs and fresh bread.

quick tomato soup w/ horseradish deviled eggs

We each ended up with 3 (half) eggs and 2 bowls of soup (and wished there were leftovers for tomorrow).  If you are feeding more than two people (or wish for leftovers), you can easily increase the amounts of everything.  The meal took about 30 minutes to prepare. If you don't have hard boiled eggs, add another 15 minutes - I suggest making them first and letting them cool completely. Trying to devil hot eggs can be a little hellish.

Are Deviled Eggs part of your main meal?  What's your favorite recipe?  What do you serve them with?  I'd love to hear about it...
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