Memories of duck eggs & strange bedfellows

When I moved here from the Coeur d’Alene area in 1980, I bought a great log home on Smith Creek Road off Wrenco Loop. My five-acre property was exactly one mile from Wrenco and boasted a substantial outbuilding which had sheltered the original owners while they built their house. I turned it into a chicken house and with the gift of five chickens began my sojourn as a landowner/crop- grower/wood- choppin’ Earth Mother.

Later, I got a lovely white mama duck from a neighbor. She followed me everywhere and the chickens wouldn’t have anything to do with her, so she bedded and nested on the front porch, laying beautiful big eggs, which I liked better than the chicken eggs.

One winter in the early ‘80s, we had a really deep snowfall coupled with frigid sub-zero weather. Worried about Lucky-Duck, I made an igloo of hay bales in a small fenced enclosure. It was two bales deep, the “floor” covered with a thick bed of straw and included a cozy nest of fleece in a wooden crate. I covered the whole thing with a heavy canvas tarp and propped a heat lamp inside, joined to my house by a heavy 50-foot electrical cord. A foot-wide space between the bales made a door of sorts that she could exit into the tiny “yard” on sunny days.

She thrived nicely and laid her wonderful eggs for me daily. One icy morning I looked out the window and saw Lucky waddle out into her yard accompanied by a huge raven! They were of a size – and walked shoulder-to-shoulder – white and black – like the best of companions. The raven flew off and Lucky went back inside. Fearing that the raven had come to steal her eggs, I went out to check, and there was her daily big, bluish egg, waiting for me. OK, I figured the raven was just trying to keep warm.

Apparently he (or she) was, because at dusk, he flew back, croaking his arrival, and Lucky went out to meet him! Again, side-by-side, they retired to their warm nest. The raven stayed through the entire winter, their routine of parting and meeting taking place daily. I never saw his final departure. Lucky took the desertion with ducky aplomb, and the raven flew often over the property throughout the summer but never came back for any “visits” with his unlikely pal that I know of. (He did acknowledge my friendly waves, however, with a dip of wings and a throaty croak).

That incredible cold winter served to keep my heart warm with love for our wonderful animal companions. Wild or domesticated, they teach us the “right way” to live and constantly amaze us with their intelligence.

In honor of Lucky (and Raven), I’m offering a couple of recipes featuring eggs. You’re welcome to use chicken eggs, of course, but the heavier albumen in duck eggs works to make lighter cakes and better meringues – so if you have fortunate access to any, use them especially for that. Remember, too, that they take a bit longer to hard-boil.

Salmon Herb Salad

1½ cups arugula (or mixed) leaves

¾ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

½ cup EACH fresh cilantro leaves and small fresh basil leaves

1 Tablespoon EACH fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt, divided

½ teaspoon pepper, divided

1 garlic clove, thinly minced

6 6-ounce salmon fillets, skinned

1 cup fresh green beans

6 eggs, hard-cooked, shelled, cooled, cut in half lengthwise

6 lemon wedges

1 Tb capers

3 tsp. mayonnaise

Combine all greens in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate. In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, ¼ teaspoon EACH of salt and pepper, the garlic; whisk together, set aside.

Boil or steam green beans till tender, drain, drench with cold water to cool, drain again and set aside.

Heat a large iron, nonstick or lightly oiled skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle salmon pieces evenly with remaining salt and pepper; add to pan. Cook about 9 minutes or till fish flakes easily with a fork, turning once. Don’t overcook! Remove from heat.

Place beans in the dressing mixture to coat, remove with tongs and place equally on six salad plates. Toss arugula/herb mixture well with dressing. Divide salad equally on each plate with the beans, topping each serving with a warm salmon fillet. Top each egg half with a ½ teaspoon of mayo and a few capers; place on plates with lemon wedges.

This warm/cool combination can enhance an entrée when chilled, or served warm as the main course.

Hot/Cold Stir-Fry

Autumn Salad

4 ears corn*, shucked, kernels cut from cobs

4 hard-cooked eggs, shelled, cooled, cut into halves or fourths

1/3 pound sugar snap or edible pod peas, trimmed, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices

2 bell peppers (any color) cut into 1x1½-inch strips

1 medium yellow crookneck squash, finely diced

3 large shallots, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon, cut into wedges

In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat and sauté peapods and bell peppers; season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir until crisp-tender, about 2 -3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Add diced squash with remaining oil to pan and sauté 2 minutes, then add corn and shallots with salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until just tender, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to another plate to cool.

Toss all cooled ingredients together, taste for seasoning; serve warm if desired or cover and chill. Serve with hard-cooked egg wedges and lemon wedges on side.

* You can use canned whole kernel corn, well-drained; add to skillet just as shallots are finished, stir-frying only enough to heat through.

Tip: If serving warm, consider mounding on a bed of cooked pasta or rice for a main dish.

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688.