The days are getting longer.

I know this because the pineal gland does not lie. There is less melatonin being released into my hens’ bodies—something that is regulated by the amount of sunlight that penetrates their little skulls. The result of this phenomenon is the signal to start laying eggs again after what was either a complete break, or at least a serious slow down. In other words, it is frittata season.

I also know this because of all the egg photos on Facebook and Instagram. I am one of those people who will be responsible for egg-sploding your feed. But let’s face it, they are beautiful. And they are so perfect—they contain all nine essential amino acids, and apparently they score high on the satiety index. Yes, there is a satiety index.

The Land Connection calendar does not feature eggs until April, and the recipe is not a frittata. But my kitchen is starting to overflow with eggs, and so I give you one my favorite ways to eat an egg—the way my dad made them for me as kid.

Poached Egg on Toast Squares

1 Egg

1 Piece of toast, buttered and cut into squares

1 Pinch of sea salt

Optional

Butter

Herbs

Tomatoes, lightly sautéed

 

Put a few inches of water into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Some people put vinegar int the water—I don’t. Carefully add your egg to the simmering water and let it cook for about a minute before turning the heat off. Let the egg continue to poach for about three more minutes. This is variable depending on the size of your egg and how firm you like your yolk. So you will have to experiment. While the egg is cooking, toast your bread, butter it if you like, and cut it into bite sized squares. I like to put the toast into a bowl so that when I add the egg it is easy to mix it all together and coat each bite of toast with egg. If I am feeling fancy, and it is the right season, I will sauté some tomatoes and herbs and pile those onto the mixture too.