After more than 20 years, posts here will now only be occasional ( |
| Huevos a la inglesa (English-style Eggs) |
We've had Arroz a la Cubana (Cuban Rice) the famous Canarian dish that no Cuban seems to have heard of and now, we present Huevos a la inglesa (English-style Eggs). Well, "eggs as cooked by an English girl", would be a more full and accurate translation. If you're an English girl, have you ever heard of this? No, me neither. Curious, isn't it? "English-style eggs take us into history", we are told. And indeed, we do "all know that Francis Drake, Hawkins and Nelson, among others, could not conquer this archipelago of Malvasías wines - so praised by William Shakespeare. In reality, the English always wanted to dominate the Canary Islands, but they failed in their attempt." [Until tourism, perhaps.]
Then we're told that this is "a very typical dish in Santa Cruz de Tenerife." The Los Troncos restaurant apparently have a classic, flagship, recipe. Likewise, in Malela, where they make it with their own variations. This dish consists of hard-boiled eggs stuffed with mayonnaise (tuna optional), accompanied by some fries and topped with a good tomato sauce. Finally, sprinkle with the hard-boiled egg yolk." "Can you imagine Nelson and his mates strolling through the streets of Santa Cruz ordering eggs a la inglesa with beer in hand?" No we can't and there's nothing whatsoever in the history that connects these things, nor explains why the dish became so named. Because it's easy? Because it's basically chips and egg smothered in tomato ketchup? That would be stereotyping on steroids!
The recipe is very simple though.
First, for the stuffed eggs.
- 6 hard-boiled eggs (cooked).
- 150 gms. canned tuna.
- 1 small onion, finely chopped.
- mayonnaise
Cut the eggs in two halves and separate the yolks. Shred the tuna, mix with the onion and add half the egg yolks and mix everything with the mayonnaise to taste. Fill the twelve portions of eggs with the mixture.
Second, for the tomato sauce.
- 1 kilo of ripe tomatoes.
- 1 onion.
- 2 cloves of garlic.
- Salt.
- Sugar.
We start by frying the garlic, chop the onion and put it on to sauté slowly, until it begins to change its color; add the chopped tomatoes and cook very slowly. Add salt and sugar, both to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain the sauce.
Serve the stuffed hard-boiled eggs, accompanied by some fries and covered with the tomato sauce. Finally, sprinkle with the remaining hard-boiled egg yolk.
