Turkish Eggs

There are variations of this dish throughout Turkey, Northern Africa, the Middle East and Spain: no wonder, as it’s such an easy, quick fix and so resuscitating when you are feeling done in. In Spain, the eggs are served with a sprinkle of sweet smoked paprika; in the Middle East, with sumac and melted butter; in Turkey, with dollops of creamy labneh (a delicious strained yoghurt) and rich, smoky Turkish chilli flakes. Cook it your own way – it’s great with garlic-rubbed toast on the side.

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Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced

1 tsp cumin seeds, ground

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp harissa (optional)

2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes

a good pinch of brown sugar

8 eggs

a small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

Turkish chilli flakes, to sprinkle (optional)

Greek yoghurt or labneh, to serve

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

Heat a deep, wide frying pan or a casserole dish with ovenproof handles, then add the oil. Once the oil is warm, turn the heat to a medium flame and add the onions, pepper and cumin. Cook for at least 10 minutes until the onions have turned soft and translucent. Add the garlic and harissa and cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the tomatoes and sugar and seasoning well with salt and pepper.

Break up the plum tomatoes with a wooden spoon and cook the sauce on a gentle simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to meld, checking for seasoning and adding more salt, pepper, harissa or sugar if you think it needs it.

Now make 8 little pools in the sauce and into each pool break an egg. Try to stir the whites into the sauce a little without breaking the yolks. Bake in the oven for 5–10 minutes until the yolks are just cooked, but still runny, and serve scattered with the coriander and, if you like, a dusting of Turkish chilli flakes. Serve with Greek yoghurt or Labneh.

Tip

If you don’t have harissa, use sweet and hot smoked paprika in the base instead or sprinkle more chilli flakes on at the end.

IMAGE CREDIT: Tara Fisher