Curried Egg Salad on Warm Cumin and Garlic-Scented Naan

Farm-fresh eggs, slivered scallions, still-warm-from-the-sun tomatoes, Madras curry and homemade mayonnaise atop cumin and garlic-scented naan..

Curried Egg Salad on Cumin and Garlic-Scented Naan

For the Mayonnaise (adapted from a recipe by Sally Fallon)

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 whole farm-fresh egg at room temperature
1 farm-fresh egg yolk at room temperature
1 teaspoon homemade mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 1 med. lemon)
1 tablespoon whey
3/4 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil or expeller pressed sunflower oil (not canola)
generous pinch of sea salt

“Homemade mayonnaise imparts valuable enzymes, particularly lipase… The addition of whey will help your mayonnaise last longer, adds enzymes and increases nutrient content…”

In your food processor, place egg, egg yolk, mustard, salt, whey and lemon juice and process until well blended, about 30 seconds.  With the motor running, add oil in a very slow, thin stream.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 7 hours before transferring to refrigerator.  The mayonnaise will thicken as it stands.

For the Egg Salad

6 pastured eggs, preferably about 3 days old for ease of peeling
1/4 cup homemade mayonnaise
2-3 scallions, slivered
1 fresh tomato, cored, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground Telicherry pepper
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
a pinch or two of sea salt

Gently place the eggs in a heavy saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Place the pan on a burner and quickly bring to a boil.  Cover the pan and remove from the heat the moment the water boils; allow to stand exactly 9 minutes for medium eggs, 10 minutes for large.  Drain the water and bounce the eggs to crack the shells.  Fill the pan with filtered ice water and allow to stand 20 minutes.

Peel and dice the eggs into a glass bowl.  Add the scallions, tomato, curry, salt, pepper and cilantro and toss lightly with the mayonnaise.

For the Naan (adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey)

8 ounces (by weight) organic all-purpose flour (use sprouted or soaked flour if preferred)
6 cloves garlic, peeled, roasted and mashed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon unrefined sugar
1/3 cup fresh whole milk, hand-hot
1 tablespoon ghee, melted, plus a little extra
1/3 cup plain yogurt, lightly beaten
1 small pastured egg, lightly beaten

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, yeast and sugar in a bowl and pour in the hand-hot milk, ghee, garlic, cumin, yogurt and the beaten egg and mix it all together to form a ball of dough.  Place the dough on to a clean surface and knead it for 10 minutes or more, until smooth.

Pour about 1/4 tsp ghee into a large bowl and roll the ball of dough in it.  Cover the bowl with a towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven and a heavy baking sheet to 500 degrees.

Punch down the dough and knead it again and divide into 9 equal balls.  While working on 1 ball, keep the remaining balls covered. Flatten the ball using your hands (or rolling pin) into a tear-shaped naan, about 6 inches in length and about 4 inches at its widest. Brush the top with melted ghee.

Remove the hot baking tray from the oven, grease it well with ghee and place the naan on to it.

Put the pan into the oven on the top rack for 2-3 minutes. It should puff up and brown slightly. It will go from browned to burnt quickly, so keep an eye on it.

Once puffed up and browned on one side, flip the naan and place back into the oven until browned, about 1 minute.