Egg salad speaks to me of old fashioned diners….actually, one step further old-fashioned luncheonettes. I’m betting not that many people under the age of 40 know what the word luncheonette even means anymore. And now that I’m thinking that, it makes me sad, and wanting to do something about that.
I grew up my early childhood in Manhattan, and there was a luncheonette just a few blocks from my apartment which I went to occasionally with my grandmother. It had a long counter with tall stools covered in I think red leather that spun and spun if you kicked hard enough, and booths along the opposite all, also with leather covered banquettes and formica tabletops banded with silver metal.
I cannot remember the name of my kids’ math teachers, but this apparently deserves a permanent spot in the old gray matter.
Sometimes I had grilled cheese, often jello for dessert, and occasionally a half cantaloupe stuffed with cottage cheese because I thought that is what sophisticated ladies who were watching their waistlines ate. I think it was even called something evocative like, “The Dieter’s Plate.” Oh my goodness….
And I definitely remember there was egg salad. And I’m certain it was very classic, probably not much more than eggs, mayo, salt and pepper, maybe a bit of mustard. Served as a scoop, or as a sandwich. This is still what my mom and my sister order often if we are at a diner. A good egg salad sandwich is just hard to pass up.
A modern variation on the luncheonette classic. Heap it on crackers, grab some bread or toast and make a sandwich or eat it out of the bowl.
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Everyone in my family is always up for a variation of egg salad, too. This Simple Orange Basil Egg Salad would have been eyebrow-raising at the luncheonette some 40-*cough* years back, but it sure got eaten this week at my house.
Heap it on crackers, grab some bread or toast and make an egg salad sandwich or eat it straight out of the bowl.
Other Foods That Make Me Nostalgic:
- Great Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Cheesy Beef and Hash Brown Casserole
- One-Skillet Cheesy Beef and Macaroni
- Easy Chocolate Mousse
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Simple Orange Basil Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 6 hard cooked eggs see Note
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
- Coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Peel and chop the eggs as finely or as coarsely as you wish. Place them in a medium-sized bowl and add the mayonnaise, orange zest, basil, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine very well.
Nutrition Information
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I made a batch of this egg salad and a traditional one with our surplus colored eggs after Easter. There was skepticism around the table at first. Guess which was empty meal’s end? My daughter and I have a new favorite.