Deviled Eggs

 "Deviled eggs," or sometimes simply "Devil eggs," have been around since ancient times, and recipes have varied down through the centuries, as they still do today. "Devil" or "deviled" came from the yolk mixture being "spiced up," although not necessarily to the point of eye-watering heat, as spiced eggs have long been served to party and dinner guests. Out of superstition, some people prefer to call the eggs "stuffed," rather than use the name of that evil caricature with the arrow-shaped tail and the horns projecting from its head. I dare not enter the name, or I might turn into Vladimir Putin.   

 

I like the filling to be a little "mounded" above the egg cavity; so, I boil a dozen eggs, but I only fill 10 eggs, and I add the yolks from the extra two eggs to the other yolks for the filling. You can always vary the amounts of the seasonings; for instance, if you like "heat," add more cayenne pepper, if you like a creamier filling, add a bit more mayonnaise.

 

 

Ingredients (for 10 deviled eggs):

 

12 hard-boiled eggs

5 tablespoons of mayonnaise

3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 pitted green olives, drained and then finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika, for sprinkling on the tops

 

Hard boil the eggs, cool them, and then peel the eggs; cut the eggs in half lengthwise, scoop out the yolks and put them into a bowl; mash the yolks with a fork; and then, add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, finely chopped olives, cayenne pepper, white or black pepper and celery salt. Mix everything together well. Use a fork or a spoon to fill the egg white cavities with the mixture, and sprinkle some paprika over the tops of each egg half. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Part (Party)-This word is related to a large number of words using "part" (sometimes with varied spelling) as a portion of the word; such as: "parcel, apartment, compartment, department, partial, portion, particle" and others. This goes back to Indo European "per," which had variants, but the basic notion was "distributing;" and thus the idea of "dividing" and "portioning" comes out. This gave Latin the offshoot noun "pars" meaning "a piece, a share, a portion," and this passed into Latin-based Old French as "part," and this was borrowed into English, circa 1250, with those general meanings. (Note: Old English had its own word "part," borrowed directly from Latin, and meaning "a piece, a portion," but also, "a segment of speech." It is assumed by some (many?), that the Old English form died out before the borrowing from Old French arrived in England, and that the borrowed form from Old French is the actual ancestor of our modern word "part," but it is possible that this French borrowing combined with, and reinforced, the Old English form.) The Latin noun "pars" produced the verb "partire," which meant "to divide up, apportion, split up," which passed into Latin-based Old French as "partir," meaning "to divide, to apportion, to separate," and its past participle was "parti," which was used as a noun, with the spelling "partie," and literally meant "that which is separated or divided," giving it the meaning "a piece, a part, a segment, a portion." English borrowed the word as "partie" circa 1300 with those meanings, which are now obsolete, but are meanings used for the word's close relative "part." "Party" was also used in legal matters with the expression "party of the first (or second) part," which came along with the judicial system established by the Normans in conquered England, and that expression endures to this day, with frequent usage in legal cases and formal agreements. Use for "political party" is from the idea of "a group (a segment, a part) of people advocating for particular laws and governance or for those who represent those ideas." The meaning "people gathered for some celebration or enjoyment" seems to come from circa 1700 (perhaps a little earlier?). Circa 1920 saw the use of "party" as a verb meaning, "to have a party," and "to have frequent parties," both uses referring to "party" meaning "enjoyment or celebration."