The ordinary-extraordinary egg — I took eggs for granted until we kept chickens.
We purchased our first flock in 2003, when we lived off the grid on the Eaglemount. My young son and I …
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The ordinary-extraordinary egg — I took eggs for granted until we kept chickens.
We purchased our first flock in 2003, when we lived off the grid on the Eaglemount. My young son and I ordered from the McMurray Hatchery, pouring over the catalog’s pictures and descriptions. We bought a mix of breeds, from Orpingtons to Wyandottes with far too many roosters.
When the chicks had their first true feathers, we’d pull up lawn chairs and cozy up for an hour of chicken antics and lessons in bird behavior. Egg laying squawks and shrill clucks became everyday sounds as the flock became part of our lives.
I learned how to ease an egg from under a hen and many other subtle skills.
One spring day, while the chickens pecked and scratched in the garden, a hungry bobcat stole in and killed a hen. We heard the panic and came running.
The bird was in her mouth, when my 10-year-old, in a rage to save his beloved chickens, hit her in the rump with an upturned sunflower root. She dropped her kill; I flapped my arms, whooping her farther away, while my son locked up the flock.
We brought the hen into the kitchen and learned some anatomy while making chicken stew. This bird was not the familiar breast and thighs wrapped in plastic that I’d cooked all my life.
We were newbies as we plucked and gutted. As I cleaned, I came across pearlescent orbs in rainbow shades lined up from snail to quail egg size. They shimmered like fish roe, and I realized they were her developing eggs. Why hadn’t I ever considered this? Where did I imagine her daily egg came from? She was a miracle, and I have never taken an egg for granted since.
Eggs are a gift of nature containing the highest biological value (gold standard) for protein and packed with vitamins and minerals. I locally source the best eggs with deep orange yolks.
Eggs are versatile, we can boil, poach, steam, bake, fry, devil or pickle them. I like to use them as a binder for other ingredients. Many famous egg recipes use this technique. I’ve listed a few with ingredient ideas so you can create your own dishes.
The French quiche
Spanish tortilla
Persian kuku
Italian frittata
Korean gyeran mari
Japanese omurice
Dill, parsley, caraway, salmon, lemon, horseradish, cream cheese;
New potatoes, peas, tarragon, mustard, butter, crème fraîche;
Chanterelles, butter, spinach, salt, black pepper, lemon;
Basil, tomato, parmesan, mozzarella; and;
Toasted sesame oil, tamari, rice vinegar, red chili powder, Asian greens.
Basil, dill, parsley, tarragon, thyme, chives, cilantro, fennel.
Black pepper, mustard, horseradish, nutmeg, curry, cumin, coriander, caraway.
Toasted sesame oil, olive oil, butter.
Bacon, sausage, salmon, smoked fish, oysters, shrimp, anchovies.
Parmesan, mozzarella, feta, gruyere, Havarti, cream cheese, chèvre, crème fraîche, sour cream, cream.
Leeks, onions, garlic, shallots, potatoes, spinach, Asian greens, nettles, chickweed, mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes.
Walnuts, sesame seeds.
Flaked sea salt, soy sauce, miso, lemons, rice vinegar, kimchi.
Makes 35.
A timbale is the correct name for a crustless quiche. These tasty timbales are the perfect protein packed snacks, appetizers, or brunch dish. I’ve used Baltic flavors, but they are adaptable to any of the ingredients mentioned in the article.
6 large eggs
½ cup cream cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish sauce
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon caraway seed
1 teaspoon dill seed
6 ounces of salmon, I used canned
½ cup chopped parsley
Assemble all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line two mini muffin tins with baking cups. Grind salt and spices together and set aside.
Using a food processor, blend the wet ingredients together with the spices. Add the salmon and chopped parsley, and pulse four times.
Fill each baking cup with slightly less than 2 tablespoons of the mix.
Bake for 12 minutes in a preheated oven per batch.
Serve warm or cold. They will keep refrigerated for up to four days.
(Sidonie Maroon is the culinary educator at The Food Co-op; www.abluedotkitchen.com. Find more eggs-traordinary egg recipes in Sidonie’s blog at www.foodcoop.coop/blog.)
