Eggs on the menu
IF YOU find you are eating less meat these days, either because you are making a definite effort to reduce your meat consumption or because it is just too expensive at the moment, it is important to ensure your diet does still contain enough good quality protein for your daily needs. For most people (vegans excepted), eggs are a particularly good option in that respect.
One of the best loved and best remembered advertising slogans of all time is probably “Go to work on an egg”, coined in the late 1950s by an advertising team that included Fay Weldon, when she was working as a copywriter before she became a successful author. The campaign ran for many years, culminating in 1965 in a series of television adverts starring Tony Hancock and Patricia Hayes. Since then, eggs have not always enjoyed a good press. Back in the late 1980s, eggs in both the UK and throughout Europe were found to contain high levels of salmonella and the resultant public outcry (aided and abetted by Edwina Curry) forced the egg industry to take a long hard look at itself. More recently, health and diet professionals have admitted that eggs are not the cholesterol-laden demons they were accused of being for many years and so eggs are definitely back “on the menu”.
Eggs are an excellent “fast food”; it only takes a few minutes to boil or scramble a couple of eggs for a nutritious, low-fat meal. Eggs are a good source of protein, vitamins (A, D, E and various Bs), iodine, minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc, and antioxidants, including selenium. They are relatively low in saturated fat and are a great source of choline, which is necessary for brain development and memory capabilities. Considering how good they are for you, eggs are also relatively cheap. A dozen eggs can cost less than 10TL here (just over £1) and will provide several meals.
Good as scrambled eggs are, you can be a bit more adventurous and I hope this week’s recipes might start you off.
For a simple-to-prepare meal which neither skimps on taste nor involves a lot of standing over a hot stove (definitely a consideration in this weather), it is hard to beat frittata, which is a sort of cross between a substantial omelette and a pastry-free quiche. You can do them on the hob and finish them off under the grill, but I prefer to cook frittata in the oven, as that ensures an even set all round. These frittata recipes should give four portions, as we tend to have it hot for supper one day and cold for lunch the next. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, finely sliced 150g mushrooms, sliced 75g grated cheese (eski kaşar or kaşkaval are particularly good)
6 sage leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
6 eggs, beaten
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line an ovenproof dish with baking parchment; I use an 18x26x2.5cm Pyrex but anything similarly sized and shallow will do. Heat the oil and fry the onion gently for 10-15 minutes, until softened. Increase the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes, then tip into the prepared dish. Sprinkle over the cheese and add the chopped sage leaves. Season the eggs well, then pour into the dish. Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes until just firm in the centre and lightly golden. Leave to stand for two or three minutes.
Using the parchment overhang, lift the frittata out on to a chopping board, peel back the paper and cut into portions. Garnish with sage leaves and serve, with salad and garlic bread on the side if you wish.
Another suggestion using the same basic oven-bake method is
150g broccoli
2 tablespoons olive oil 300g potatoes, parboiled and sliced 6 eggs 100g grated cheese 100g white cheese, diced Black pepper and nutmeg to season
Heat the oven and prepare a dish as above. Trim the broccoli into neat pieces (including tender stalks). When fresh broccoli is too expensive, it’s fine to use frozen. Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for two minutes, then drain well.
Heat the oil and fry the potatoes gently for about 10 minutes, until beginning to turn golden brown. Whisk the eggs and grated cheese together and season well with freshly ground black pepper and grated nutmeg. Arrange the potato slices, broccoli and cubed cheese in the prepared dish and then pour on the egg and cheese mixture. Cook in the oven as above, until golden and set, then rest, slice and serve as before.
The term “galette” usually means a type of free-form (but basically round) pastry or bread dough crust with either a sweet or savoury filling, but in Brittany, they make square galettes with buckwheat pancakes. You can sometimes find buckwheat flour here but to give this next recipe a Turkish slant, I’ve suggested using ready-made lavaş wraps. Good supermarkets stock both wholemeal (kepekli) and “white” varieties. 1 bunch spinach (or pazı) 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 lavaş (tortilla) wraps Olive oil for brushing
2 tablespoons yoghurt
1 teaspoon pul biber (chilli) flakes 2 eggs Freshly ground salt and black pepper
Wash the spinach thoroughly to remove any grit. Trim off and discard any coarse stalks and yellowed leaves. Roughly chop the spinach and rinse again, then tip it into a pan with the garlic. Cook until the spinach has wilted and started to release its own juices, stirring with a wooden spatula to ensure it doesn’t “catch” and burn. Tip the spinach into a sieve and squeeze it gently to extract as much liquid as possible.
Brush a large frying pan with a little oil and warm the lavaş briefly. Put a mound of spinach in the centre of one lavaş and top with a spoonful of yoghurt and some pul biber. Make a hollow in the spinach mound and carefully crack one egg into it. Fold the sides of the lavaş in towards the centre, enclosing the filling but leaving a gap for the egg yolk to peep through. Repeat with the second lavaş and remaining filling/egg. Cover the pan with a lid to help cook the yolk. When the egg has set to your liking, transfer the galettes to warmed plates and serve immediately. If you don’t have a large enough pan, you may have to do them one at a time.
If you have the time (or inclination), mix together a teaspoonful each of sesame, cumin and coriander seeds and toast them briefly in a dry frying pan (the very small ones sold here are ideal for this sort of thing). Add a pinch of coarse salt and a little dried chilli and use a mortar and pestle to crush everything together lightly. Sprinkle over the galette just before serving for an extra spice hit.