Paskalina avga

Red-dyed Easter eggs

By: Tess Mallos
From: The Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook
Makes: 12
Photographer: Alan Benson

Dyeing eggs is a ritual in every Greek and Cypriot Greek Orthodox household on the day before Good Friday. This is performed without great attention to detail by many cooks, and the eggs can end up cracked, rendering them useless for the ritual game on Easter Sunday morning of who can crack whose eggs, a game children delight in. Also, uneven dyeing frequently occurs with the usual method of boiling the eggs in the dye bath, so I suggest hard-boiling them first, then giving them a brief boil in the dye.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
12	eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon	powdered red dye
125ml	white vinegar
	oil, for rubbing

Method

Carefully place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over gentle heat and bring slowly to the boil so the eggs don’t crack. Leave to boil, uncovered, over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the dye in a heatproof bowl. Boil 1 litre water in a saucepan large enough to hold all the eggs in a single layer. Pour 125 ml of the boiling water over the dye and dissolve it, then pour it back into the saucepan. Add the vinegar and allow the dye to boil until the eggs are ready.
Lift the hot eggs into the dye bath using a slotted spoon. Increase the heat and let the eggs boil steadily for 2 minutes, stirring gently now and then so that the dye will take evenly.
Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon and place them on folded paper towels to dry. Allow them to cool a little, then rub the eggs with an oil-soaked cloth to give a pleasant sheen.