World of eggs with Hi-Pro

In celebration of World Egg Day on Friday, October 14, Hi-Pro, in collaboration with the Jamaica Egg Farmers' Association, invited customers and sixth-graders of the White Marl Primary and Junior High School to enjoy tasty omelettes and other 'egg-citing' dishes at Hi-Pro Ace Super Centre in White Marl, St Catherine.

Hi-Pro's aim was to highlight the importance of eggs, its nutritional values, and the impact it has on Jamaica's economy and households.

According to Hi-Pro's business development manager Dayne Patterson, Hi-Pro is supporting local farmers while presenting fun and easy ways to prepare eggs. The company also aims to increase egg consumption in the country, starting with the communities closest to them.

"We see where our population is not taking advantage of the health benefits of egg. Our research shows that Jamaicans consume one egg per week, while other Caribbean countries such as Dominica are consuming six eggs per week. What we are hoping to do this World Egg Day is to get Jamaicans to start having at least two eggs per week," Patterson noted.

In an effort to increase egg consumption, Hi-Pro added executive chef Simone Walker-Barrett to its team. She prepared some mouth-watering egg dishes, while giving tips for creating nifty meals at home.

"Egg consumption starts with the children. If parents can get their children to have one egg a day, the nutritional value will be there. For this reason, we invited children to enjoy some yummy, simple egg dishes," shared marketing officer Denise Johnson.

Hoping to capture each patron, Walker-Barrett and her team prepared a number of tasty dishes, including omelettes, croquettes, brioche breakfast sliders and tacos - all with the rich tastes of egg.

"I love eggs. It's my absolute favourite and being a chef, I [am happy] to celebrate World Egg Day. When I was pregnant, all I would have was boiled eggs, and in my 18 years of cooking, eggs are my favourite," said the certified educator and executive chef.

Egg and Cheddar Croquettes

Cooking method: deep frying

INGREDIENTS

12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1tbsp baking powder

2oz cornmeal

2oz flour

2oz Parmesan cheese

2 stalks scallion, minced

1tbsp thyme leaves

1tbsp Scotch bonnet sauce

1 red bell pepper, minced

2 eggs beaten.

1 litre vegetable oil

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix to combine.

2. Heat vegetable oil to 350?F in a skillet.

3. Use a one-ounce portion scoop to drop the croquette batter in the preheated oil. Fry until golden brown.

4. Drain on grease paper before serving.

Scallion Scrambles and Bacon Tacos

Yield: 6

Cooking method: sautÈ

INGREDIENTS

12 six-inch flour tortillas

6 eggs, beaten

2 stalks scallion, chopped

1oz olive oil

Avocado salsa

1 large tomato, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 avocado peel and diced

Chopped parsley

1tbs hot sauce

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup olive oil

1tsp salt

Method

1. Combine salsa ingredients in a glass bowl.

2. Scramble the beaten eggs with chopped scallion in heated olive oil.

3. Divide the scrambled eggs among the flour tortillas and top each with 2tbs salsa.

Serve warm.

Recipes by:

Simone Walker-Barrett CEC/PCIII