Turkish Eggs

Turkish Eggs is a really lovely brunch or breakfast dish which is especially good after a night of over indulgence as it has a fiery kick to it. 

The below serves 2:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 large tomato
• 1 tsp pul biber
• 1 tbsp tatli (red pepper paste) - you can use tomato puree here if you're unable to find Tatli
• 4 tbsp fat free yoghurt
• 3-4 eggs
• 1 lemon
• Handful dill fronds

Boil a full kettle of water for the eggs and yoghurt. 

To make the sauce, finely dice the onion, garlic and tomato and saute in the olive oil on a medium heat until beginning to soften, then add the pul biber and tatli and season well with a pinch of salt and a generous amount of black pepper and allow to cook down for 15 minutes. 

Place the yoghurt into a bowl and place over a small pan of just boiled water to warm through, and stir. 

For perfectly poached eggs, I use the same method every time which results in a runny yolk - although not perfect rounds, we don't mind it rustic around here. Place just boiled water in a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and a drop of white wine vinegar and use a spoon to make the water swirl a little before cracking in each egg and cooking for exactly 3.5 minutes. 

To gently remove the eggs once cooked, I use a slotted spoon and place onto a plate with some kitchen towel or a clean tea towel to remove any excess moisture. 

Now spread the sauce over a plate or a bowl, add half of the yoghurt to each, right in the centre, then the poached eggs. Scatter over some dill fronds and squeeze over the lemon juice. 

Finish with a few more pul biber flakes and serve with some crusty bread or a slice of toast. Enjoy!

For some more brunch inspo I've included some favourites below:

Shakshuka

Smoky Sausage and Bean One Pot

Tomato and Feta Baked Eggs

Smoky Chorizo Beans on Toast

Pancakes

Salmon & Dill Pancakes

Yoghurt Berry Pancakes

Creamy Mushrooms on Toast

Shakshuka - Spicy Tomato and Pepper Baked Eggs

This spicy tomato and pepper baked egg dish - originating from North Africa, is a winner for any weekend brunch or leisurely breakfast. It packs a punch and whilst this is for one or two people, you can always up the ingredients quantities to make it go further.

You can also throw the dish into the oven once the sauce is complete, and you've cracked the eggs in if you prefer, but it only takes minutes on the hob too.

Serve it with toasted, buttered bread and a spoonful of natural yoghurt. 

Shakshuka - Spicy Tomato and Pepper Baked Eggs

Here's how:
x4 tomatoes or x1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 red chilli
1 pepper (I used green but any colour is fine)
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried cumin 
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 eggs
30g feta cheese
Handful fresh parsley
Salt
Black Pepper
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
1 tsp olive oil

Firstly place the olive oil into a frying pan or ovenproof pan and place on a low heat.

Peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic and finely chop the chilli. Slice the pepper and add all of this to the pan and increase the heat slightly.

Whilst that is cooking down, chop the tomatoes (if you are using fresh ones) or open the tin. 

Once the peppers, onion, chilli and garlic have begun to soften, add the tablespoon of tomato puree and the caraway seeds, paprika, dried chilli flakes and cumin and mix. 

Allow this to cook down for a few minutes and then add the tomatoes and about 3 tbsp water. Season generously with black pepper and a pinch of salt and mix. 

Allow this to cook for at least five minutes. 

In the meantime, crumble the feta and roughly chop the parsley and set aside for garnish.

By now the tomato and pepper sauce should be bubbling away, if you're satisfied with the consistency, make a couple of wells or 'holes' in the sauce, so the egg can be cracked directly onto the heat of the pan and do just that. 

Now scatter the feta all around the dish to almost melt whilst the eggs cook. Also directly season the egg to your own liking. 

At the same time, pop your bread into the toaster and butter. 

The egg should only take 1-2 minutes to cook through - you ideally want the white cooked through, with a still-runny yolk. 

Once ready, I always serve at the table on a wooden board in the original cooking dish and just scatter over the parsley leaves. Add the tablespoon of natural yoghurt and serve. Enjoy!

Feta and Spinach Open Filo Tart

This is a lovely open tart based on the classic Greek ‘spanakopita’ comprising feta cheese and spinach. It’s very easy to prepare, looks great and is a crowd pleaser.

200g spinach

1 clove garlic

20g salted butter

200g feta

2 eggs

4-5 sheets of filo pastry

Bunch of spring onions

Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp nutmeg

Salt & pepper

1 tsp oregano (dried is best)

Pre-heat the oven to about 180⁰.

Firstly use a pastry brush and completely oil up your tart dish. You can use a tart or flan dish, mine broke recently so I instead used a 20cm deep baking sandwich tin (what you’d use for a Victoria Sandwich cake), which is perfectly sufficient.

Next place one layer of filo over the tin, pressing down so it moulds to the tin and scrunching over the sides so you get the lovely crunchy exterior. Brush with oil and repeat until there are 4-5 layers. And brush each layer with a little oil too.

Crush your garlic and chop the spring onions and add to a frying pan with the butter on a low heat and allow to soften.

Wash the spinach then dry off with a tea towel or kitchen roll and try and remove as much moisture as possible to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom. Once dry add to the pan and wilt down in the garlicy butter.

Pop the spinach into a bowl or jug and add the two eggs (beaten first), dice the feta and add to the mix. Add the grating of nutmeg and a good pinch of salt and black pepper plus teaspoon of dried oregano and mix well.

Pour into the tart base and allow to stand for ten minutes.

Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cheese has begun to melt.

Allow to cool a little and serve – preferably with a simple salad.