Description
This traditional Turkish egg scramble is quick and easy to make with a few basic ingredients, and extra-delicious when served up with some good crusty bread. See notes above for possible variations.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion, finely diced
- 1 large green bell pepper*, diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper*
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- 3–4 eggs
- optional garnishes: sliced chives or chopped parsley, crumbled feta, sliced avocado
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies: Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and peppers and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add tomatoes and seasonings: Reduce heat to medium. Add the tomatoes, butter, Aleppo pepper, plus a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Stir until evenly combined, then sauté for 2 more minutes, until the tomatoes are nice and hot.
- Add the eggs: Crack the eggs on top of the tomato mixture. Let the eggs cook for about 1 minute. Then use a spoon to break the yolks and briefly stir the eggs into the tomato mixture. (I recommend only partially stirring in the eggs, so that they are nice and swirly on top.) Continue cooking until the eggs reach your desired level of doneness. (Traditionally the eggs are cooked until just barely set, yet still soft, about 3 to 4 minutes total.)
- Serve. Serve immediately with your desired garnishes, along with some crusty sliced bread for dipping.
Notes
Green peppers: Since Turkish-style green peppers are difficult to find in the United States, I recommend using either a large green bell pepper, poblano pepper or Anaheim pepper (this one has slightly more heat) in its place.
Aleppo pepper substitute: If you do not have access to dried Aleppo pepper, you can just add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus a pinch of either cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes. (And as always, feel free to use more/less Aleppo pepper or cayenne to taste, depending on how much heat you prefer.)