Deviled Eggs, Greek Style

Who remembers that old show, Family Feud? You know, the one with the top five or top ten lists of 100 people surveyed that was hosted by the Englishman, Newkirk, from Hogan's Heroes? So, here we go…of a hundred people surveyed, what are the top five foods that don't last long in your refrigerator?

Ding, ding, ding…Deviled Eggs!

Yes! I'm sure it has to be way up there on the list, right near ice cream, pineapple and watermelon slices, and maybe Thanksgiving Day leftover turkey. And I know for sure, they do not last long at parties, because when we have them at ours, they go quickly. Oh, look! Who put out the empty deviled egg plate? You know, the circular one with all the little pukas (holes) for the eggs halves? Yes, we have one in our pantry. I got it from my mother; my parents used it for their deviled eggs when they entertained back in the seventies. I'm not even sure they sell them anymore. Just another "Unitasker" for the kitchen, as Alton Brown would say.

Well, the problem is not that they are really yummy and easy to eat, it's that they are quite fattening. I mean, really, eggs and mayonnaise? Come on now! And mayonnaise is made from oil and egg yokes!

So, in an effort to try and create a healthier hors d'oeuvre, if you could call it that, I embarked upon deviled eggs without mayonnaise. My wife suggested Greek yogurt as an alternative to mayonnaise since we usually have it on hand.  A quick internet search showed that it's been done before, so we didn't stumble on finding a new element for the periodic table or a new species of fish, but we did find something new to try with something that we already had that worked well.

So I grabbed my 'perfect' Deviled Eggs recipe, made a few adjustments, and here you have them, Deviled Eggs, Greek Style

Okay, big deal, they look like deviled eggs, right? Well, they do, but they also taste quite a bit different since a main ingredient, mayonnaise, was replaced with Greek yogurt. Here are the ingredients for the yolk mixture:

Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, and Tapitio sauce are in my normal deviled egg recipe, but here, with the Greek yogurt, I used a little bit of sugar to cut the tartness of the yogurt. They're still not as sweet and silky smooth as a regular deviled egg, because they're not a regular deviled egg. These have a unique flavor of their own and should stand alone.

So on to the recipe now.

• Hard boil 12 eggs and chill
• To make the perfect hard boiled egg, bring room temperature water with 1 teaspoon of vinegar and eggs to a boil over medium heat. Once the boiling has begun, cover, and remove from heat for 12 minutes. Flush pot with cold water to stop the egg cooking cycle and then refrigerate the eggs
• Peel eggs (The vinegar, which changes the pH of the water, should help with this part as the inside layer won't stick to the egg white)
• Gently cut each egg in half, remove the yolk, and place in a small mixing bowl
• Set the clean and empty egg white halves aside. Maybe you can use that deviled egg platter you dug out of the pantry ;)
• In a separate bowl, combine Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, dijon mustard, Tapitio sauce, paprika, and sugar until smooth
• Combine ½ of the yogurt mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together with a balloon whisk until smooth
• Combine more of the yogurt mixture until desired consistency and taste is achieved
• Chill misture for 15 minutes
• Spoon the chilled mixture into a quart sized plastic bag
• Cut the tip off of one of the corners and use as a piping bag to gently fill each egg half with the chilled yogurt mixture until completely filled and topped
• Sprinkle the top of each deviled egg with paprika
• Chill and serve

Wait, it's more like sit and watch them disappear quickly. You'll be lucky if you get the last one piped if anyone's around. They're kind of like the 'ole Lays Potato Chips where the line was, "No-one can eat just one." Good luck!

So, riddle me this Batman? Do you know why they are called Deviled Eggs? I didn't until I looked it up. What a world we live in with the internet, huh? So here's the story behind the name. 

Does Underwood Deviled Ham ring a bell? That can of 'I don't know what' that is wrapped in white paper and has the red devil on it. Your mom have have mixed it with 'stuffs' and made sandwiches out of it when you were a kid. Mine did. Well, around 1868 on Boston's Russia Wharf, the son's of an Englishman named William Underhill experimented with and developed a product line of seasoned meat products like ham, for example. They called this seasoning process "deviling," and with that the Underwood 'red devil' was born. So many foods, including eggs, are considered "deviled" if they have a kick from something like dijon mustard, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or chopped hot peppers. 

And here you thought you wouldn't learn anything other than a new recipe made with Greek yogurt. And here I thought the name came from the guilt of eating so many of the little buggas when they were served. You know, "The devil made me do it."

On a side note, it's always fun to see who munches down the most deviled eggs at a party. Oh, there's always someone, if not a few, that circle in like a shark when they hit the table. We've seen it and I'm sure you have too. You may even be one of those circling sharks, waiting for the deviled egg platter to be replenished, huh? Oh, we're watching you…

Squirrel!

By the way, do you remember those sandwiches that your mom may have made out of the deviled ham way back when? What ingredient do you think it was it most likely mixed with? Yes, you guessed it, mayonnaise! Ah, yeah, I'm not mixing Greek yogurt with Underwood Deviled Ham, even if they do still sell it. But how about this little jewel?

That's it; you now have a new Deviled Egg recipe for your next party that's sure to be a conversation starter and a little history lesson to go along with it. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you try the recipe or maybe even change it up a little. You can mix a can of that Spam Spread with mayonnaise and put it on crackers next to your Greek style Deviled Eggs at your next party. I'd luv to hear what you think and hear feedback. So far, from just putting this together yesterday, I'm 2 for 2. Well, 3 for 3, if you count Kona Kai, but she's easy and she loves hard boiled eggs….with just about anything.

So, the next time the deviled egg platter is laid out at a party or at dinner, go ahead and grab one, or two, and as you do so, look up to see who's watching you. ;)

Mahalo for Cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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