What do Spain and Labor Day Have in Common...?

Deviled Eggs! And...another thing they have in common is that they are two of my favorite things! It's hard to believe that our standard BBQ side dish, the beloved Deviled Egg, basically originated in Spain! They are referenced as early as the 13th century, when Spain was Andalusia. These early recipes had the cook mixing the yolks with herbs and spices and stuffing it back into the white. This delicious idea took off and spread across Europe and then on to the good old USA, where we have adopted it as our own staple for BBQ's and picnics.

In addition to being famous for its architecture, and especially the incredible La Sagrada Familia Church, Barcelona and all of Spain is well known for its tapas.

Barcelona was my first foray into tapas, one of which is the deviled egg. I discovered that tapas are eaten as small plates with just a few bites of each unique morsel on the little plate. They serve them with your drinks and the plates just pile up next to you, until you're finshed, then they count the number of plates served and charge you accordingly. Some establishments actually serve these at no charge, if you order a drink. How amazing! When we first arrived in this majestic city, we set out to find an afternoon snack and just happened to stumbled upon a rustic little place that served up some of the most delectable treats, La Flauta Bar.

"Friends"

Naji...server/bartender/late night tour director...

This gem of a place offered so many unique tapas, that we were hard-pressed to decide what to order! Thankfully, we had our new found Spanish friends and jovial bartender/server to help us make these important decisions. The deviled eggs were a hit, along with a tasty Bocadillo con Jamon, a grilled ham and cheese sandwhich with dates. So yummy! There were tapas too numerous to mention, and needless to say, we were stuffed and happy by the time we left La Flauta at midnight (early by Barcelona's standards) to go out and check out the nightlife of the bustling city.

The Spaniards like to add seafood to their deviled eggs, often tuna, and you can find them in most tapa's restaurants in some shape or form. I've added some avocado to mine to add some richness, along with a little avocado mayonaisse, some dijon mustard, lemon juice, fresh herbs, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Throw it all in the food processor and whirl until smooth and creamy. So easy!

Put the creamy concoction into a plastic zip bag and squeeze the mixture down to the bottom corner. Cut the tip off and pipe it into the empty cavity of the egg white. Sprinkle the top with minced herbs and paprika (I love smoked paprika with it's earthy scent, but regular paprika is great and easy to find). Refrigerate these little beauties until you can't resist it and then be ready...they will be devoured quickly! I always sneak one for myself before putting them out...just to taste test!

Herbed Avocado Deviled Eggs

Yield: 24 egg halves Prep time: 15 minutes Total time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Large Omega 3 Eggs | 12 White Vinegar | 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard | 2 teaspoons Avocado Mayonnaise | 3 tablespoons Mashed Avocado | ½ avocado

Worcestershire Sauce | 2 shakes Lemon Juice | 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce | 2 shakes Minced Fresh Herbs | 2 tablespoons Smoked Paprika | for garnish DIRECTIONS

Into a large cooking pot, pour cold water and vinegar so that the water is several inches high, enough to cover eggs by one inch. Bring water to a boil and lower the eggs in carefully with a slotted spoon. Turn down the heat to low and simmer the eggs for 13 minutes. Have a bowl of ice water ready and place the boiled eggs into the ice bath to cool for 5 minutes.

Peel the eggs and cut in half. Put the whites on a tray or dish and the yolks into a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients, except paprika and a few herbs for garnish, to the cooked yolks, and process until smooth and creamy. Remove the egg mixture from the processor to a plastic zip bag and squeeze the mixture into one corner, then seal the bag. Cut a small corner off of the bag and pipe the egg mixture carefully into the cavity where the egg yolk had been. Dust with minced fresh herbs and paprika. Chill until ready to eat. Enjoy!

Special Diet Information

Lectin Free