Lynne Rossetto Kasper shares recipes for making hard-cooked eggs a standout

Dear Lynne: Do you have any recipes for hard-cooked eggs? And please, nothing deviled; my husband hates that.

— Resigned to the Egg in Tacoma

Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," American Public Media's weekly national show. The program airs at 2 p.m. Sundays on KUOW-FM (94.9). Contact Lynne at www.splendidtable.org.

Recipe: HARD-COOKED EGG WEDGES WITH INSTANT HERB DRIZZLE SAUCE

Makes 4 servings

2 to 3 large handfuls of tart and mild salad greens, washed and dried

4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and each cut into 4 wedges

1/4 cup roasted seeds or nuts (pumpkin, sunflower, almond or pecan)

Instant Herb Drizzle Sauce:

1/4 to 1/3 cup good tasting extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried herbs

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 lemon for squeezing over salad

1. Mound salad greens in the center of a large platter. Tuck egg wedges in here and there. Scatter with the seeds or nuts.

2. In a small glass bowl, combine the oil and herbs. Cover with a paper towel and microwave on high for 1 minute, or until very fragrant.

3. Drizzle the herb oil over the salad, scatter it with coarse salt and generous grindings of pepper and, finally, squeeze the lemon over the greens. Serve now.

Recipe: MEDITERRANEAN BRAISE OF SPRING GREENS AND BEANS WITH HARD-COOKED EGGS

Makes 4 servings

Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, minced

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

Generous pinch hot red-pepper flakes

8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Grated peel from half a lemon

1 teaspoon ground cumin or more, to taste

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

2 generous handfuls curly endive, tiny dandelion greens, baby chard or spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

2 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 can (15-ounces) chickpeas or other good-tasting bean, rinsed and drained

10 pencil-slip asparagus stalks, trimmed of tough ends and cut into 2-inch lengths

4 to 6 hard-cooked eggs, shelled and quartered

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 to 2 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil

1. Film the bottom of a 12-inch skillet with the oil. Warm it over medium high, add the onion, carrots and red pepper, and cook until golden. Stir in the garlic, lemon peel, cumin and paprika, and lower heat. Gently cook garlic until it has softened. Do not brown. Blend should be very fragrant.

2. Stir in the greens and wilt over medium high. Immediately add the vegetable broth, stirring in the tomato paste. Simmer uncovered about 5 minutes, or until greens are starting to get tender. Blend in beans to heat through.

3. Finally, add the asparagus to the pan and warm. To serve, heap the braise into a shallow bowl. Arrange the egg wedges on the braise, sprinkle with the Parmigiano and the 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Taste for seasoning. Serve warm.

From Lynne Rossetto Kasper