When I was in my twenties, I became a wishy-washy vegetarian. You know the type — won’t eat meat but still wolfs down cheese; won’t touch roast chicken but has no problem with soup made from chicken stock. Unsurprisingly, my mother was outraged. What infuriated her most was my refusal to eat bacon. ‘How can you eat eggs/pancakes/French toast/waffles without bacon? It’s unheard of.’

In retrospect she should have been pleased that I’d kept eggs in my diet. As one of my main sources of protein, they sustained me far better than a few strips of bacon ever would have. And, yes, even back then I knew that they were high in cholesterol; one large egg contained as much as 213 milligrams. However, the amount of protein, percentage of Vitamins B, D and E, and versatility that they provided far outweighed their downside. Plus, when I withheld the yolks, I still ended up with a darned nice omelet.

Regarding eggs, the late author and food historian Alan Davidson said it best: They are ‘. . . the astonishing and unintentional gift from birds to human beings . . ..’ Extremely versatile, they serve a variety of culinary roles. They can be eaten on their own after being baked, boiled, pan-fried, poached or scrambled. They can act as a leavener in baking and a thickener in custards, sauces and dressings. They can dress up pastries. Just think about shiny, golden-topped, fruit studded or braided breads; those beautiful crusts came courtesy of egg washes. They’re also the base of many classic offerings such as eggnog, mayonnaise and souffles.

Eggs have a wealth of flavor affinities. They partner wonderfully with asparagus, basil, pepper, potatoes, spinach and such cheeses as feta, Gruyere, mozzarella and Parmesan. They likewise pair well with cream, creme fraiche, garlic, ham, mushrooms, onions, parsley, smoked salmon, scallions, shallots, sausage, steak, tomatoes, truffles and, my mother’s all-time favorite, bacon.

The beauty of eggs is that they require little preparation and no additional ingredients. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan. Crack an egg and plop it into the heated pan. In a snap dinner is served. Along with pan-frying, I like to poach eggs and serve them over a smoked salmon-topped English muffin. Replace the smoked salmon with sauteed wild mushrooms and I’ve got a light take on eggs Benedict.

Beyond the usual Benedicts, omelets, frittatas and souffles I occasionally use eggs in such savory dishes as pasta and polenta. With that I’ll offer a hearty polenta dish featuring, yep, an egg.

EGG AND PARM POLENTA
Serves 4

2 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons salted butter
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large eggs

In a large saucepan bring the water and chicken stock to a boil. Slowly pour in the cornmeal, stirring with a wooden spoon as you add it. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring for about 30 minutes or until the polenta is extremely thick and the spoon can support itself in the pan.

Five minutes before the polenta has finished cooking, start making your sunny side-up eggs. Heat the olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan on medium. Once the oil has heated, crack an egg and pour it into the pan. Repeat with the remaining three eggs, making sure that no eggs touch. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to fry the eggs in batches.

Fry the eggs on one side until the whites have browned slightly on the edges and the yolks have set slightly. Take the pan off the heat.

At this point you should also remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the butter, Parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper and pine nuts. Spoon equal amounts of polenta onto four plates. Top each mound of polenta with a fried egg and dash of ground black pepper. Serve immediately.