We Turks love big breakfasts at the weekends; the long, leisurely breakfast in a way announces the arrival of the weekend. In Istanbul, friends and family rush to the cafes by the Bosphorus, with the newspapers under their arms. And the breakfast table is a feast; freshly baked breads, simit (round shaped specialty bread/pastry with sesame seeds, delicious!), feta cheese, olives, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, pastries, honey, jams, eggs cooked with cheese or vegetables and many more. You would be served Turkish tea, as well as freshly squeezed juices. With the beautiful Bosphorus – the water strait that goes thru Istanbul- by your side, no wonder everyone is happy to extend and turn it to long continuous brunch – I truly miss this!
Sucuk is one of the ingredients I crave, as it is very much used at our weekend breakfasts. Turkish sausage, sucuk, is horseshoe shaped, made of beef and spiced with cumin and red pepper flakes. Middle Eastern shops and delis carry them (And I was delighted to hear there is a Middle Eastern shop in Swindon). You can substitute with any Italian, Spanish or Greek spicy sausage if not available. This recipe has many variations; spinach, spring (green) onions, green bell peppers all marry wonderfully with egg too.
I do hope this recipe may bring a little Turkish feast to your weekend; afiyet olsun,
Ozlem
Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes
4 medium eggs
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
3 spring (green) onions, finely sliced
3 medium ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
115 gr/ 4 oz (Turkish) spicy sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh, crusty bread to serve
Heat the oil in a shallow pan and stir in the onion. Cook for a couple of minutes until softened. Add the sausages and the spring (green) onions, cook for another couple of minutes on medium heat. Stir in the tomatoes, the water and let it cook gently on low heat (the little water will help the sausages to keep their moisture and prevent dryness). Make four hollows in the vegetable mixture and drop in the eggs. Cook them uncovered until the whites are firm but the yolks remain soft.
Season the mixture with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle a little red pepper flakes and ground cumin over the eggs. Serve immediately with fresh, crusty bread.
Afiyet Olsun!
No comments yet.