Eating breakfast is an important part of Turkish family tradition. Despite a culture rich in regional cuisine, you'll be surprised to find that basic breakfast fare is fairly standard all across the country. Typical items include fresh white bread, a slice or two of Turkish cheese-like white cheese or 'kasar' (ka-SHAR') cheese, black olives, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and either honey or fruit preserves.
Now it's time to do as Turkish people do. That is, embellish this basic fare to create a magnificent breakfast line-up. A perfect dish to add is a light, juicy scramble of diced vegetables and eggs called menemen (men-EH'-men). If you're a fan of vegetable and Mexican omelets, you'll definitely enjoy this dish.
Ingredients1 large onion (finely chopped)
2 large tomatoes (ripe)
2 sweet red peppers (like Corno di Toro peppers, or 1 large red Bell pepper)
2 sweet green peppers (like Anaheim peppers, or 1 hot chili pepper)
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Optional: 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
6 eggs
Method* Gather the ingredients.
* Peel and dice the onion.
* Peel the tomatoes with a sharp knife and dice them, saving the juice.
* Remove the seeds from the peppers and dice them as well.
* Melt the butter in a large skillet. Sauté the onion until tender and translucent.
* When the onions are cooked, add all the diced vegetables and spices and stir to combine.
* Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat. Let the mixture simmer gently until the tomatoes and peppers soften and release their natural juice.
* Remove the lid and continue to simmer, letting some of the liquid evaporate.
* Lightly salt and scramble the eggs in a separate bowl.
* Then pour them in the center of the pan. Don't stir the mixture. Let the eggs travel through the vegetables on their own. You can help them by moving the skillet around.
* Let the mixture continue to simmer until the eggs are cooked. If the tops of the eggs still seem raw, cover the pan for a few minutes.
* Your menemen should be fully cooked but still very juicy. You can drizzle some extra melted butter over the top before serving if you wish.