Mountain Cat
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- 12 Apr 2019
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- Hilltowns of Massachusetts
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Below: the soup is simmering.
Our chickens were unsexed red broilers, and one turned out to be a hen. We discovered an unlaid whole egg with shell and all, and a bundle of unlaid egg yolks held together by membranes, within her. My assistant was eager for me not to toss these treats out with the entrails, and I’d actually heard of this; that people do eat them. So… Yes, I did save and eat them a day later for lunch. This is that meal.
I’ll be kind and post the pic of the unborn eggs closer to the end of this recipe.
(I’ve also heard that people cook and eat rooster wattles and combs – I do believe in eating as much of what an animal gives you as possible, considering these gifts that one should not waste, but in this case… perhaps some other time. It just felt… too personal… to do.)
I was startled that this hen was far enough along that she was about to lay her first egg. (Later, I found out she'd already laid her first egg...)
Anyhow, back to the unlaid eggs: Searching for the Golden Egg is a site that provides interesting information about eyerlekh, a Jewish old-country traditional treat. Unborn, unlaid eggs.
According to that post, they can be cured by salting and sugaring, and held for a long period of time (important in the days of no refrigeration), or they can be poached into a broth. I opted for the latter.
While I was surfing electronically for a good means of consumption, I discovered that these eggs are consumed in curries in India, and eaten in stews in Japan. I am certain many other cultures don’t waste these yolks, either.
I opted to make a soup, more or less a Jewish chicken soup, and poach the eggs in that soup. To this end, I used two chicken backs and one neck. There's always some onion in it. For this, I cooked with a whole large onion, and with one or two stalks of celery. You can add in some carrot if you like. I add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to help draw out the nutritious collagen. I don’t expect you to have the exact same ingredients, but do use a home-made chicken stock if at possible. (If you actually have access to these sorts of unlaid eggs, the homemade stock is probably second-nature to you…) When time to cook for a soup, thaw (if frozen) and add a splash or so of wine, and any herbs and seasonings you prefer - but at least salt and pepper. Taste to adjust.
The unborn egg that was ready to be laid is seen above. Probably would have been laid later that day. If the hen had been laying before this, it was while she was out free-ranging and I’ll never find them (nor want to, at this point…) I didn’t add this egg to the soup, but I could have. EDIT: She did lay an egg prior. I simply didn’t discover it until it was too late to consider as food… (Compost, alas.)
This soup stock was made from the above chicken parts, and included sufficient water for two servings (when completed), a coarsely chopped onion, a stalk of diced celery, a half cup or so of white wine, two teaspoons of allspice, 1/4 teaspoon of fennel seed, salt and pepper to taste. You can add herbs as you feel inspired, of course. Carrots would be colorful. Total volume when finished simmering (after about 3.5 hours, and having periodically to readjust liquids with additional water): about 1.75 cups. At the end, remove bones and save any meat for the soup.
Times below assume you already have your homemade chicken stock.
Prep Time: If you already have the stock – 5-10 minutes. (To make the stock, allow up to four hours all together, using your usual methods.)
Cook Time: Heat up the broth to a good simmer, but less than a boil. Each range will vary. Poaching the eggs: 4 minutes.
Rest Time: None.
Serves: 2
Cuisine: Eastern European/Jewish-inspired.
Leftovers: Possible, but not tested.
Add the unlaid yolks, and poach for about 4 minutes, keeping the liquid at a very gentle simmer, not breaking the yolks.
Serve, and add parsley for garnish.
The large egg to the left is a regularly laid egg. The little one to the top was unlaid, but ready. The batch of yolks were slowly developing, intended to be laid approximately one day at a time. Or maybe every other day.
Close up. Bright yolks, a product of a great diet. (A little orange-r than they were, due to lighting, but they were orange…)
The yolks are light and delicious, and at four minutes of poaching, they’ve gone solid but creamy. Some sources say they taste sweeter than laid yolks, but I didn’t do a taste comparison.
Our chickens were unsexed red broilers, and one turned out to be a hen. We discovered an unlaid whole egg with shell and all, and a bundle of unlaid egg yolks held together by membranes, within her. My assistant was eager for me not to toss these treats out with the entrails, and I’d actually heard of this; that people do eat them. So… Yes, I did save and eat them a day later for lunch. This is that meal.
I’ll be kind and post the pic of the unborn eggs closer to the end of this recipe.
(I’ve also heard that people cook and eat rooster wattles and combs – I do believe in eating as much of what an animal gives you as possible, considering these gifts that one should not waste, but in this case… perhaps some other time. It just felt… too personal… to do.)
I was startled that this hen was far enough along that she was about to lay her first egg. (Later, I found out she'd already laid her first egg...)
Anyhow, back to the unlaid eggs: Searching for the Golden Egg is a site that provides interesting information about eyerlekh, a Jewish old-country traditional treat. Unborn, unlaid eggs.
According to that post, they can be cured by salting and sugaring, and held for a long period of time (important in the days of no refrigeration), or they can be poached into a broth. I opted for the latter.
While I was surfing electronically for a good means of consumption, I discovered that these eggs are consumed in curries in India, and eaten in stews in Japan. I am certain many other cultures don’t waste these yolks, either.
I opted to make a soup, more or less a Jewish chicken soup, and poach the eggs in that soup. To this end, I used two chicken backs and one neck. There's always some onion in it. For this, I cooked with a whole large onion, and with one or two stalks of celery. You can add in some carrot if you like. I add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to help draw out the nutritious collagen. I don’t expect you to have the exact same ingredients, but do use a home-made chicken stock if at possible. (If you actually have access to these sorts of unlaid eggs, the homemade stock is probably second-nature to you…) When time to cook for a soup, thaw (if frozen) and add a splash or so of wine, and any herbs and seasonings you prefer - but at least salt and pepper. Taste to adjust.
The unborn egg that was ready to be laid is seen above. Probably would have been laid later that day. If the hen had been laying before this, it was while she was out free-ranging and I’ll never find them (nor want to, at this point…) I didn’t add this egg to the soup, but I could have. EDIT: She did lay an egg prior. I simply didn’t discover it until it was too late to consider as food… (Compost, alas.)
This soup stock was made from the above chicken parts, and included sufficient water for two servings (when completed), a coarsely chopped onion, a stalk of diced celery, a half cup or so of white wine, two teaspoons of allspice, 1/4 teaspoon of fennel seed, salt and pepper to taste. You can add herbs as you feel inspired, of course. Carrots would be colorful. Total volume when finished simmering (after about 3.5 hours, and having periodically to readjust liquids with additional water): about 1.75 cups. At the end, remove bones and save any meat for the soup.
Times below assume you already have your homemade chicken stock.
Prep Time: If you already have the stock – 5-10 minutes. (To make the stock, allow up to four hours all together, using your usual methods.)
Cook Time: Heat up the broth to a good simmer, but less than a boil. Each range will vary. Poaching the eggs: 4 minutes.
Rest Time: None.
Serves: 2
Cuisine: Eastern European/Jewish-inspired.
Leftovers: Possible, but not tested.
Poached Unlaid Chicken Egg (Eyerlekh) Chicken Soup
- Homemade chicken soup containing bits of chicken, onion and celery; seasoned with wine, herbs and spices as discussed above. In a pinch, you can use boxed low sodium chicken broth, but that’s in a pinch. About 1.75 – 2 cups total with ingredients.
- 1 set of unlaid chicken egg yolks and their membranes. (Failing this, use 4 chicken yolks from laid eggs.) Break the largest yolks off from the membranes (but include them all)
- Fresh parsley sprigs (garnish).
Add the unlaid yolks, and poach for about 4 minutes, keeping the liquid at a very gentle simmer, not breaking the yolks.
Serve, and add parsley for garnish.
The large egg to the left is a regularly laid egg. The little one to the top was unlaid, but ready. The batch of yolks were slowly developing, intended to be laid approximately one day at a time. Or maybe every other day.
Close up. Bright yolks, a product of a great diet. (A little orange-r than they were, due to lighting, but they were orange…)
The yolks are light and delicious, and at four minutes of poaching, they’ve gone solid but creamy. Some sources say they taste sweeter than laid yolks, but I didn’t do a taste comparison.
