it’s cheeky | eggy crumpet

1. In a flurry of bags and clothes and e-tickets and tiny bottles of shampoo, I caught this brazen little sneak thief red-handed:

sneaky squirrel

2. Tomorrow I’ll be a snowbird heading south to thaw. With the strange mid-February weather upon us and my garden-level studio feeling dark and lonely, I decided it was time for a holiday. My credit card saw more action than she’s ever seen; her and I are blissfully happy. So I’m jetting off – at 4:10a[!!] – with a packed bag full of warm-weather clothes and flip-flops.

3. Tuesday lunch: Eggy crumpet! What’s this? You’re not familiar? Oh dear. Maybe you’ve heard of egg-in-a-window, eggy-in-a-basket, hobo toast[?]. I grew up eating egg-in-a-hole – a perennial favorite in our home. Eggy crumpet is a little different, similar concept; a delicious, delicious alternative.

Eggy Crumpet [serves 1]

Printable recipe

a pat of butter

1 T red onion, chopped

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 tsp garlic, finely chopped

3/4 c spinach, roughly chopped

1 egg

1 crumpet [toasted or not – it’ll get somewhat toasty in the pan]

Melt the butter over medium heat until just foamy. Sauté the red onion for about 4 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, garlic and spinach, and cook until garlic is fragrant and spinach is fully wilted.

Crack your egg on top of the mixture and let cook for a minute or so – break the yolk or not, it’s your call. Place the crumpet top-side down [top being the hole-y side] and smush into the egg. Allow this to cook for another 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes; depending on how well you want the egg cooked, and how browned you want the crumpet.

Inspiration from Jamie Oliver.

Now scurry off to the market and buy some crumpets, and spinach, too, if that isn’t on hand – make haste! Eggy crumpets soothe the soul.

*I highly recommend Jamie’s original version as well. He says it’s cheeky. That’s definitely worth something.