Texas Devil Eggs Hecho en Costa Rica

So for years, friends from back home in Texas have asked me for my devil egg recipe and I can remember standing in the kitchen, talking on the land line, giving out the recipe over the phone. 20 years later, I am in Costa Rica and my new friends are asking me for the recipe. I took about 100 to a Tica Baby Shower and they were gone in about 10 minutes. They had no idea what they were, but they gobbled them up anyway and loved them. So, I have decided to post my recipe, although it is a bit different due to available ingredients, they still taste the same. 

In my opinion, it is important that the ingredients are chopped finely and consistently to ensure even distribution. Now, in Texas, you can purchase pimento in a jar at most stores. In Costa Rica, we make our own. Simply rub a touch of olive oil on the skin of a sweet pepper and turn on a grill until completely charred or black, not very pretty, but the next step will explain why this is important. 

After charring, place the pepper inside a Tupperware for exactly 5 minutes with lid closed. After 5 minutes, gently and easily peel the waxy skin off under cold running water, then peel the seeds and stem off and discard. Slice and dice and add to your ingredients. 

It is also hard to find Dill Pickle Relish in Costa Rica; therefore, buy pickles and chop them. My mom prefers sweet relish, I like both and when I am feeling frisky, I will do half and half, but today, we simply chopped 1 large dill pickle. Next, add your eggs to cold water and bring to a boil while stirring occasionally, first clockwise, then counter clockwise to position the yolk in the middle of the egg. After they come to a boil, turn the heat off and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. 

Squeeze about 2 large tablespoons of mayo and mustard into a small bowl. 

Add ingredients and stir. Peel all the eggs, much easier if under cold, running water. Slice and place yolks into a large mixing bowl to be crushed with a fork. 

Add the bowl of ingredients to the egg yolks, mixing well.

Then take the fork and stuff the egg halves carefully.

Sprinkle the top of the eggs with paprika. Garnish with olives, parsley or whatever is laying around. I do not usually add salt or pepper since the mustard is salty enough and my kids love them, so who needs pepper? Sometimes, in Texas, I add a spoon of Dijon mustard to spice things up. Also, chopped dill is a beautiful topper with the paprika. If you do not have pretty platters like me, you can line the bottom of a plate with parsley to keep the eggs from slipping around during transit. Since I usually take mine to parties, I stick toothpicks on each corner before wrapping them and leaving them in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill while I get dressed for whatever occasion it may be.

I never bring any home when I offer these at parties, no matter what country I am in. I hope you like my recipe and, as always, feel free to post comments or questions. Pura Vida!

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