Devil May Care: Cacio e Pepe Deviled Eggs

Though they are commonly identified with the American South, deviled eggs are an ancient Roman concoction. Wealthy Romans lived in opulence and entertained extravagantly. Guests would be summoned to dine with the promise of a meal ranging ab ova usque as mala (from eggs to apples) and a feast would kick off with hard-boiled eggs seasoned with spicy sauces. 

The culinary term “deviled” made its first English language appearance in 1786 in reference to spicy foods. As any mention of the devil is anathema in some denominations of Christianity throughout the South and the Midwest the terms “stuffed eggs”, “salad eggs”, and “dressed eggs” are also common. 

For his interpretation of the popular finger food Alfredo Nogueria, Executive Chef at CureCo., take the dish back to its Roman roots with flavors of roasted garlic and rich Pecorino Romano. 

There are a few ways to shortcut this recipe without sacrificing quality or taste. See the NOTES section at the end for suggestions for making your life easier.

1. Skip the preparation of the roasted garlic and simply grab two roasted cloves from the olive bar at your supermarket. They will work just fine. Just make sure they were not roasted with herbs, which will impact the flavor of the final dish.
2. Skip the labors of hard-boiling the eggs and purchase pre-boiled eggs, which are always perfectly cooked and peeled.
3. Do not cut corners on the Pecorino Romano or try to sneak in a substitution. Go for the good stuff.
4. The eggs may be stuffed in advance, kept refrigerated, then brought to room temperature for serving but the showering of grated room-temperature Pecorino Romano should be piled on just prior to serving.

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Cacio e Pepe Deviled Eggs

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Course: Recipes, Appetizers

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Shared by Alfredo Nogueira, executive chef at CureCo.

Ingredients

• 1 head garlic (see notes)

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 6 large eggs (see notes)

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce, or to taste

• Kosher salt

• Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (see notes)

• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Remove the loose, papery outer layer of the garlic but leave the majority unpeeled. Trim away the top 1/4 inch of the bulb, then drizzle it all over with the olive oil. Wrap tightly in foil and roast until a center clove is completely soft when pierced with a knife, about for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove the garlic from the oven and set aside 2 cloves of garlic for the deviled eggs.  Save the remainder for another use, such as a spread on bread or in place of raw garlic in dressings and condiments. 
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice-water bath. Use a slotted spoon or spider skimmer to place the eggs in the water and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
• Cook the eggs for 11 minutes, then immediately drain and transfer them to the ice-water bath. Once cool, peel the eggs and trim a small slice off the short sides of each egg so that it’s flat on both ends (this will make it easier to plate them). Slice each egg in half crosswise.
• Use a spoon to scoop out the yolks and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, the 2 cloves of roasted garlic, and Tabasco and season with salt. Process until creamy and well blended. Adjust the salt if needed. 
• Transfer the yolk mixture to a pastry bag with a star tip or just transfer it to a standard zip-top bag and snip away one of the corners. Pipe the yolk mixture into the reserved egg whites. Arrange the filled egg halves on a serving plate, sprinkle with the Pecorino Romano and black pepper and serve.