How to Make Onion-Skin Easter Eggs

It’s Easter egg time at our house. Last year we brought you the story of Huevos Haminados, a Passover tradition of dying eggs with onion skins. This year, I decided to try it with both yellow and red onions, on white and brown eggs. The result was a gentle palate of reds and browns.

My favorites were the chocolaty brown eggs that came from dying brown eggs with red skins.

This is a great, natural way to make subtly beautiful Easter (or Passover) eggs. As to what to do with all those left-over onions? Check out this post we ran last week, asking that same question.

Onion-Skin Easter Eggs
makes one dozen

12 medium eggs at room temperature
12 onions
3 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil, or other edible oil

Clean the eggs so there are no particles sticking to their shells.

Chip or peel away the dry skins from the onions. Reserve onions for another use. In a stainless steel saucepan, boil 4 1/2 cups water, onion skins and vinegar. When it boils, turn heat down to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (I put the pot on my fire escape and it cooled off in about 20 minutes.)

Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into another stainless saucepan, or into a bowl then back into the original pan if that’s all you have. For the dying, it’s best to use a pan with a 9″ diameter, like a Dutch Oven. Remember to use a stainless steel pan to avoid staining. Arrange the room-temperature eggs in the pan in one layer and carefully pour the cooled dye over them.

Bring liquid to an easy boil over medium heat. Then reduce to low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, then start checking for color by gently raising an egg out with a slotted spoon. It may take up to 20 minutes to get the right color. Do not cook for more than 20 minutes. (If, after 20 minutes, the eggs are not a deep enough color, remove pot from heat, cool to room temperature, then place in refrigerator until desired color is reached.)

Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and cool on racks. When cool enough to handle, massage in a little olive oil to each, then polish with a paper towel. Keep in refrigerator until time to eat (or hide.)

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