Shared by Etty Leon
Shared by Etty Leon
Huevos Haminados (Overnight Eggs)
Yield: 12 eggs
Huevos Haminados (Overnight Eggs)
Yield: 12 eggsFamily Journey
Portugal and SpainThessaloniki, Greece
Athens
These creamy eggs that are tinged brown from cooking overnight are a hallmark of Sephardic cooking. They stem from huevos asados, or roasted eggs, which were cooked in sand and ash, according to Gil Marks in the “Encyclopedia of Jewish Food.” Likely after the 13th century, adds Marks, the eggs started to be cooked in pots of the Sephardic Shabbat stew hamin. Prepared this way, the eggs could no longer be served at a dairy meal due to kosher law. So, as early as the 15th century, cooks started to mimic the brown eggs in hamin by simmering them in water with onion skins. Families in Greece, like Etty Leon’s, are known to add coffee or tea leaves to the mix for more flavor and color.
Read more about Etty's family in "Sephardic Recipes Live on at This Grandmother’s Home in Athens" and try her recipes for sfogato de calavasicas (zucchini and feta casserole) and pastel de merengena (smoky eggplant and feta pie).
Ingredients
- 12 eggs (unpeeled)
- 2 yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Greek or Turkish ground coffee
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees fahrenheit.
Step 2
Place the onions into an ovenproof pot and gently place the eggs inside, making sure there are pieces of onions and peels between the eggs. Place enough water to fill the pot with water until it reaches 2 inches from the top edge of the pot. Add the salt, pepper, coffee and oil and gently stir the water.
Step 3
Place the pot over medium high heat and bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to cook the eggs on an active simmer for 5 more minutes. Place a lid on the pot and transfer it into the oven.
Step 4
Cook the eggs in the oven overnight or for at least 8 hours. To make the eggs’ color to have more detail, transfer the pot out of the oven after about 3 hours of cooking and use a spoon to gently make cracks on the eggshells. Place the lid back on the pot and continue cooking for 5 more hours or overnight.
Step 5
Peel the eggs and serve warm.
