Eggcellent Egg Salad Sammies with Tomato Orange Soup!

Ah, eggs. How do I love thee, let me count the ways. Fried, scrambled, boiled, poached, baked, stuffed, and .... made into salad. Egg salad, that is. Plain old, no frills, nummy-yummy egg salad.

Do you like egg salad? There are a multitude of ways to make this creamy goodness. Besides mayo, you could add any combo of onions, capers, olives, celery, mustard, cheese, bacon, dill, vinegar, salt and pepper, white pepper, peppers, hot peppers, pimentos, or even pickles. Man, that’s a lot of ‘P’s”! Me? Well, surprisingly I prefer it on the plain side. Just egg and mayo and a smidgeon of season salt. Plus, there are subtle differences on how to actually chop the eggs. You could mince them with a knife, slice with a gadget slicer, mash with a fork, or pulse in a food processor, to name just a few. Let’s address, too, the vast array of ways to serve the eggsellent spread. There’s the obvious choice to spread it on bread or toast, but there’s also folks who like to stuff tomatoes with it or serve it alongside crackers. To make me really dreamy eyed, serve the egg salad unadorned on toast (preferably rye). Throw in a bowl of tomato orange soup and I’m a happy gal. *Insert blissful expression here*

From what I can tell, there are no true regional or cultural recipes for egg salad. Mostly, folks just kind of make it the way their mothers’ did, occasionally trying something new, but reverting back to what their roots crave. That’s how it is with me. Egg salad in my house is simple fare, nothing fancy, but really tasty nonetheless. I don't dislike the other additions, rather I simply prefer it just like this. Let’s make Eggcellent Egg Salad, shall we?

Ingredients:
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled*
2 heaping Tablespoons good quality mayo
Smidge of Seasoned Salt
Rye Bread – toasted

In a medium sized bowl, chop the eggs into a very fine dice.I usually rough chop/slice it with a knife,and then mash it with the tines of a fork. I’ve used a grated potato masher, and that works well, too. I just don’t like to wash it, so I stick with a fork! Stir in the mayo.
Fold in the season salt. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until cold. Tastes great both ways. Spread egg salad on rye toast slices. It’s your choice as to how thick you want to layer on the egg salad. I prefer a medium thickness, and naked. Meaning, ahem, lettuce or tomato can sit this one out. Egg salad sandwiches go great with fruit, soup, or even chips. Just look at how creamy this is!Not goopy, not dry, just right! I served mine with a yummy, tangy tomato orange soup.YUM!Now that we have our sandwich, let’s make some soup. I make soup every week, cuz, well, I’m souper girl. We souper girls love to have soup for lunch. This tomato orange soup is THE BEST tomato soup EVER! Well, um, at least I thought it was pretty darn tasty. Even with the heavy cream, it’s very light and that citrus flavor really brightens it up. It’s ridiculously easy to make. Seriously. It takes less than 10 minutes, but tastes like something from a fancy café. I found this recipe on the internet. As fate would have it, it’s from Elephant’s Deli in Portland. You won’t believe how good this is!

4 tablespoons butter
½ onion diced fine
2 cans diced tomatoes
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup fresh orange juice (I used Tropicana)
½ cup heavy cream

In a sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced onions, and cook over medium heat until onion is soft but NOT brown. Lower heat if necessary to just soften them. I stirred the onions often, and they were soft in about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add baking soda, thyme and pepper. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or ladle into a food processor or traditional blender. I left a bit of texture in mine. Add the orange juice. Stir in the heavy cream just before serving.Mmmmm. See how pretty it is with just a tad of texture. Sample a bite and make yummy noises! Oh, and the soup is gluten free, all the way, baby!

*How To Make Hard Boiled Eggs

4-6 eggs (older eggs are easier to peel, but gee whiz, how often do you have old eggs?)
Large pot
Lid
½ teaspoon salt (if desired)

Place eggs in large pot and cover with COLD water. Water should be about 1 ½ inches above the eggs. Add salt if desired. Bring to a gentle boil, cover with lid, and remove from burner. Let sit for 12 minutes. Drain immediately, and cover with ice water for at least 10 minutes. Crack shells and peel. If your shells are really stubborn, peel them in a bowl of cool water. Watch your times closely so your yolks will stay a lovely yellow shade!

How do you like your egg salad? Do you like to add any of the items listed above to your mixture of eggy goodness? What about tomato soup? Do you wanna try some tom orange soup and join me in a blissful sigh?