Side Orders: Dash of hot sauce gives egg salad a kick

Egg salad is either bad or good - there's really no middle ground as far as I'm concerned.
Egg salad is either bad or good - there's really no middle ground as far as I'm concerned.

Egg salad is either bad or good - there's really no middle ground as far as I'm concerned. Recently, though, I came upon a recipe in another one of my old tattered cookbooks.

Its cover is missing and the binding is literally torn apart, so I don't even know the name of the book or where it came from - most likely a church cookbook from the 1960s. But it has some excellent recipes in it, and this one for egg salad was entirely different from ones I'd tried in the past. Never one to give up trying to find the perfect egg salad recipe, I boiled my eggs and set my sights on a delicious egg salad sandwich for lunch.

photo Anne Braly

The recipe intrigued me with its ingredients that go so far beyond the norm. I had to reread it and make sure I wasn't seeing things. Chili sauce, for one - I'd never considered adding that to egg salad. And cream cheese, too. It really is the yin-yang of egg salads, both creamy and crunchy, sweet and savory.

The recipe calls for using a dozen eggs, but that would be enough to feed a flock, so I cut it almost in half with no problem. Also, rather than using green pepper, which I thought would overpower the delicate flavor of the eggs, I opted for a sweeter, somewhat milder, orange bell pepper, which also added nice color to the mix. I added just a hint of pickle relish and hot sauce.

There was one thing I didn't change, though - the white bread. I always try to go for 100-percent wheat bread when I make a sandwich, but some sandwiches need white bread. It's something about the texture. You know how it kind of sticks to the roof of your mouth and gets sort of gummy - in a good way?

I think cold sandwich salads need white bread. Think how much better pimiento cheese and chicken salad taste on white bread. Same goes with egg salad.

I've now given every other egg salad recipe the old heave-ho and replaced it with this one.

Egg Salad

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chili sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon pickle relish, or to taste (optional)

Few dashes hot sauce (optional)

8 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped

1/4 cup chopped sweet bell pepper (red, orange or yellow)

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons chopped chives

2 tablespoons diced pimientos, drained

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

White bread

Lettuce and tomato for garnish, if desired

Beat the cream cheese, mayonnaise, chili sauce, salt, pepper, pickle relish and hot sauce (if using) in a bowl, tasting as you go. You may want to add more chili sauce. Stir chopped eggs into mixture. Gently stir in the bell pepper, celery, chives, pimientos and parsley. This will make enough egg salad for five to six sandwiches.

Food That Rocks

Sandy Springs for a long time was not much more than a bedroom community for Atlanta. Then, back in the 1960s, Atlanta's housing boom took place, turning a once-sleepy town into an active community bustling with business. Growth hasn't stopped, and with that comes a new generation of restaurants.

If you've been to Sandy Springs, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, you might want to take the time on your next trip southward, and June 9 is the perfect time to do so as the third annual Food That Rocks festival happens. It will feature about 20 restaurants, such as Hammocks, il Giallo, Kaiser's Chophouse, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Stockyard, Taqueria Tsunami and Under the Cork Tree, all gathered in Sandy Springs City Green showcasing bits of their menus for you to sample. There will also be plenty to drink - beer, wine, cocktails and more - so designate a driver or opt for Uber of Lyft. The event, which happens from 6:30 to 11 p.m., benefits Sandy Springs-based charities: Community Assistance Center, Drake House and Second Helpings. Tickets are $55 in advance and $65 at the gate. Go to foodthatrocks.org for more information.

If you're not already booked this weekend, Atlanta also has two food events worth checking out. The eighth annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, set for Thursday through Sunday, is filled with more than 150 of the South's best chefs, sommeliers, mixologists and pit masters. The festival is centrally located at Loews Atlanta Hotel, 1065 Peachtree St. NE, but there are also tasting tents at Piedmont Park and elsewhere around the city. Tickets start at $85. The website is www.atlfoodandwinefestival.com.

The Candler Park Music & Food Festival is Friday and Saturday at Candler Park, 1500 McLendon Ave., with tickets starting at $30. Artists include Gov't Mule, Lettuce and Houndmouth, and there will be a food village with restaurant vendors and food trucks, along with adult field games, a craft cocktail bar and an exclusive Terrapin Brew Lounge. Find out more at 222.candlerparkmusicfestival.com.

Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.

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