Recipes

Turkish Menemen scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers

11/10/2016

This week I’m teaming up with the British Lion Eggs to celebrate British Egg Week, in praise of one of my favourite ingredients to cook with: eggs. To highlight just how easy and tasty cooking with eggs is, I made a delicious Turkish breakfast recipe: Menemen scrambled eggs with tomatoes and red peppers.

Menemen: Turkish Scrambled Eggs

I wasn’t always a big eater of eggs, especially when I lived in Italy, but moving to Britain certainly changed my food habits and made me appreciate this simple yet amazing ingredient.

Us Italians don’t have a tradition for eating eggs in the morning (or any other savoury breakfast for that matter) and so eggs are generally cooked as a main course: scrambled in a frittata, boiled in a salad or stirred into a bowl of spaghetti carbonara. When I moved to London and started cooking my own meals, I discovered how versatile and appetising eggs are. You can put an egg on more dishes than you think!

Menemen is a traditional Turkish dish of eggs scrambled with tomatoes, peppers, and spices such as ground black pepper and chilli, cooked in olive oil. It is often served with "simit" style bread.

Nowadays I eat eggs several times a week, generally for lunch, outside or at home. It is super quick to cook an egg-based dish and it makes a healthy, low-calorie and nutritious meal (a medium-sized egg contains just 70 calories). Eggs are also an excellent source of natural protein and one of nature’s most nutrient-dense foods.

Menemen: Turkish Scrambled Eggs

When buying eggs in UK, it is important to choose ones that are marked with the British Lion Quality mark. More than 90% of UK eggs are produced within this scheme. The British Lion Quality mark can only be used by subscribers to the British Egg Industry Council who work accordance with UK and EU laws and the British Lion Quality Code of Practice. This code ensures the highest standards of food safety and animal welfare.

Menemen is a traditional Turkish dish of eggs scrambled with tomatoes, peppers, and spices such as ground black pepper and chilli, cooked in olive oil. It is often served with "simit" style bread.

This year’s theme to celebrate British Egg Week is “put an egg on it” and it aims to encourage people to eat eggs in more unusual ways by putting an egg on dishes they wouldn’t normally think to try. BEIC teamed up with Farang London chef Seb Holmes to deliver six quick and tasty Thai street food inspired recipes. Visit British Lion Egg to view the recipe collection.

Menemen Turkish style scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers

Turkish style scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers

Menemen is a traditional Turkish dish of eggs scrambled with tomatoes, peppers, and spices such as ground black pepper and chilli, cooked in olive oil. This dish is traditionally served with Turkish bread such as simit (a circular bread topped with sesame seeds).

Menemen: Turkish Scrambled Eggs

One of the best menemen I’ve ever had was on the terrace of Georges Hotel Galata in Istanbul, but you don’t need to book flights to Turkey to taste this delicious breakfast. The recipe for this Mediterranean egg dish is very easy. You can make it at home in 20 minutes using just a few ingredients.

Ingredients

Recipe adapted from Food52. Serves two.

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 5 free range eggs
  • Salt and pepper

Preparation

Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter has melted into the oil, add the onion and peppers, a pinch of salt and the chilli flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for around 5 minutes or until both onions and peppers have softened.

Add the garlic and allow to fry briefly before adding the chopped tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes, until the tomatoes have lost some but not all of their liquid and everything is coming together.

Menemen: Turkish Scrambled Eggs

Lightly beat the eggs together in a bowl. Slowly add the beaten eggs to the skillet, folding gently into tomato mixture. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately with Turkish simit bread.

Disclaimer: this recipe was written in collaboration with British Lion Eggs for British Egg Week. All opinions are my own.

Click for more tasty egg recipes on my blog: scrambled eggs with avocado and sriracha and shakshuka.

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[…] more egg recipes, check out my Menemen Turkish Eggs and Shakshuka […]

Federica Carr
Federica Carr
12/10/2016 08:29

I had no idea it was British Egg Week and I did not know what the Lion meant.. although I always and only buy free range, outdoor reared hens’ eggs and of course, British and they usually have the lion! Love the idea of this recipe too

Giulia Mulè
13/10/2016 07:08
Reply to  Federica Carr

I didn’t know about the British Egg Lion quality mark until a few months ago either. It’s great to know 90% of the UK egg producers follow the same codes of practice.

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