01/11/2024
Merhaba! (Turkish for HELLO)
If anyone is looking for a "different breakfast" this morning that is Keto friendly, super fast to make, and far from boring -- then you will love this breakfast favorite from Turkey.
I used to live/work there when I served in the Air Force. On weekends, I often stayed with my Turkish friends at their homes and learned how to cook many excellent ethnic dishes.
MENEMEN
It is a tomato and roasted pepper dish topped with eggs. The dish is named after a city in Turkey called Menemen. Today, "menemen" remains one of the most popular breakfasts served anywhere in the country. As I traveled the country, the dish took on different presentations and plating in Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir.
When I left Turkey, I moved to Santa Fe New Mexico, and was lucky to hang out with some famous chefs. I fused some of the flavors of New Mexico. Classic Menemen is made with parsley. I swapped that for cilantro sprouts and used genuine Hatch green chiles for the peppers.
If you are a Bulletproof (keto) lifestyle fan, there is a lot to love about this dish. It has loads of fiber, good high fats from EVOO, shredded gouda, avocado, and 12 grams of egg protein.
Here's my recipe. I hope you and your family enjoy it.
RECIPE (feeds 4 people).......................................
(6) Roma tomatoes (skins peeled)
(2 - 3) Hatch green chiles (roasted, skins peeled)
(1/2) red onion
Cilantro sprouts (fresh)
(1) large avocado (sliced)
Smokey paprika
Himalayan sea salt
1 tbsp of fresh, crushed elephant garlic
1 cup of shredded applewood smoked gouda
1 medium Jalapeno pepper seeded and sliced thinly
** Chef Bart's famous "smokey chipotle mayo" and my "Holy Chipotle" sauces in a squeeze bottle
In a saucepan, cook the chopped red onion and garlic with Turkish EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) until the onions are golden and translucent. Next, add your chopped Roma tomatoes and green chile peppers. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
Add your tomato mixture and a little shredded applewood smoked gouda cheese in a food processor. Pulse it for only a second or two. The *chunky texture* is what you want, not too smooth.
Crack and cook 4 eggs, sunny side up, with clarified butter (ghee) and a pinch of Himalayan sea salt, and dust the yolk with smokey paprika.
Serve the dish in a bowl (see photo) by layering (in order) the roasted tomato mixture first, then a little applewood smoked gouda cheese, avocado slices, the egg, and topped with cilantro sprouts.
The last touch is to drizzle a few lines of my famous Holy Chipotle and Smokey Chipotle Mayo sauces and top it with a single jalapeno pepper slice.
Please look at the photo for the WOW factor on my plating and presentation technique.
güle, güle! (goo-LAY goo-LAY) Turkish for bye-bye
-- Chef Bart.
