Consider using ingredients from your pantry and spice shelf if you’ll be dyeing eggs for Easter this year.

When used with white vinegar to set the colors, onion skins, shredded cabbage, carrot tops and pomegranate juice can result in pretty colored eggs whether you use white eggs or brown ones. Eggs are a versatile food with only about 70 calories and offering 6 grams of protein along with Vitamin K, riboflavin, selenium and iodine.

Food-safety issues and the higher price of eggs have made plastic eggs the choice for many egg hunts this year, but colored eggs are an Easter tradition that can brighten a table and be used in recipes for meals. Today’s recipe is great for any meal and can be put together quickly with hard-cooked eggs.

Hard-cooked, unpeeled eggs can be safely stored in a sealable hard-sided container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Don’t leave them out at room temperature for more than two hours.

To dye eggs with natural ingredients, start setting aside the papery skins from your onions to accumulate several cups of skins — red, brown and yellow. With them, you can make pretty marbled eggs and dye others to nice shades of yellow-brown or red. Also, save lemon and orange skins and carrot tops for yellow eggs, and use fresh or frozen spinach for green eggs. For pink eggs, use cranberry juice in place of water.

Save the egg cartons for drying your eggs and buy white vinegar if none is on hand in your pantry.

Vinegar helps to lower the pH so the dye binds to the eggshells. Even if you use a commercial egg dye, you’ll need to add vinegar or another acid such as lemon juice.

Set aside a couple of hours to cook and dye your eggs as the end of the month approaches. Plan whether you’ll color them while cooking, or start with hard-cooked eggs. You can also use food coloring to dye your eggs.

Hot water will result in more intense colors but may soak through to color the egg white, so consider how you’ll be using the finished eggs.

Natural colors

The amounts that follow will color six eggs in a quart of hot water to which 2 tablespoons of white vinegar have been added.

Orange: 4 tablespoons of paprika

Blue: 4 cups of shredded red cabbage or canned blueberries

Red: 4 cups of red onion skins OR heated pomegranate juice in place of water

Pink: 4 cups of shredded beets OR hot cranberry juice in place of water

Green: 4 cups of spinach, fresh or frozen

Ochre: 4 cups of dry outer onion skins

Pale yellow: 4 cups orange or lemon peels or carrot tops with ground cumin added

Mocha: 1 quart of strongly brewed hot coffee in place of water

Instructions:

Add dye ingredients to a pot with eggs and bring to a boil.

Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

The motion of the eggs in the liquid will assure an even color.

Cold dip method

Combine dye materials, vinegar and water and simmer for 20 minutes, then drain, reserving liquid and cool. Dip hard-cooked eggs in the dye until the desired color is achieved, soaking for 5 minutes to several hours in the refrigerator. Dry on paper towels.

Marbled eggs

Wrap uncooked eggs in onion skins of different colors or spinach leaves. Use string to secure the wrap on the eggs and place them in the toe of an old stocking. Place in simmering water for 20 minutes. Leave the eggs wrapped as they cool.

Perfect hard-cooked eggs

For perfect hard-cooked eggs that peel easily and have tender whites and smooth yellow yolks, prick the large end of each egg with a pin. This provides an escape for the air inside and prevents cracking.

Place eggs in a deep saucepan in a single layer and cover with hot water by 1 inch.

Set the pan over low heat and bring water to a low simmer. Place lid on the pan and remove from heat.

Let the eggs sit for 15 minutes.

Prepare a bowl of ice water with plenty of ice cubes.

Place eggs in the ice water for 4 minutes, then dry them off and place in the refrigerator.

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Recipe

Eggs Gratin with Bechamel Sauce, Ham and Mushrooms

(Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients

5 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup milk

1 large oyster mushroom, stem removed and sliced

2 slices of ham, cut up

¼ cup cream

⅓ cup Gruyere cheese

Chopped chives

Nutmeg

Freshly ground pepper

Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400.

Melt butter over low heat in a saucepan.

Whisk in flour, whisking until cooked.

Slowly add milk and continue whisking until it thickens.

Stir in cream.

Stir in sliced mushroom.

Set aside.

Place sliced eggs in the bottom of a casserole.

Add shredded cheese and chopped ham over the sliced eggs.

Sprinkle mixture with freshly ground pepper and a little nutmeg.

Pour cream sauce over the top.

Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top.

Place in the oven for 10 minutes.

Serve.

— Adapted from a Jacques Pepin recipe