Nigella says in her intro to her Turkish Eggs recipe that the idea of eggs on yogurt did not appeal to her. While I adore chilli with eggs, I have to say I agree with her and had to be persuaded to try it for myself. However, when I saw Tieghan’s version on Half Baked Harvest with whipped feta, I knew that was a game changer. I love making whipped feta anyway and the saltiness of the cheese is perfect with the eggs.

This is traditionally a breakfast dish but I really am a fan of breakfast at anytime of the day. This has become one of my favourite lunches to make while I work from home. Also the fact that himself is hugely suspicious of yogurt in anything means that I just make this for myself. The recipe is for 2 but I keep the leftover feta for another lunch and halve the recipe for myself.

 

Useful tips & links:

• Aleppo pepper is a key ingredient here. I love it and use it so much so I really think it is worth buying online. I get it from Sous Chef but if you want to substitute, use extra paprika and add a little cayenne.
• Nigella warms her yogurt and I don’t bother to be honest. I do however make sure it is at room temperature before serving as I really dislike hot eggs on a cold sauce.
• I usually make the whipped feta in advance as it keeps for a few days in the fridge. It is great to use as a dip too.
• You can use fried eggs here but I like to go traditional with poached. I’m not going to give any expert advice about poaching eggs. All I will say is unless your eggs are very fresh, no tips in the world will give you good poached eggs. And make sure they are poached gently, if your water is boiling the whites will go everywhere.
• When I want to bulk it up I love sliced chorizo on top. To keep it vegetarian, wilted spinach is great on the side too, as per Tieghan’s recipe above.
• For another delicious egg and chilli dish have a look at my Moroccan Eggs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkish Eggs with Whipped Feta

 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 80g of feta cheese
• 50g of natural yogurt
• Black pepper
• Lemon juice
• 30g of butter
• A tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of Aleppo pepper
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 2 eggs
• Fresh chopped parsley, chives of dill

Method:

• First prepare the whipped feta. Put the feta and yogurt in a bowl and whisk with a good squeeze of lemon juice until smooth, you can do this in a blender if you prefer. Season with a little pepper, it will not need salt as the feta will be salty enough. Set aside.
• In a pan melt the butter over a high heat until it starts to brown, but make sure that you don’t burn it. Add the oil and Aleppo pepper and paprika. Stir until fully combined and set aside.
• Meanwhile heat a pan of water with a pinch of salt to poach the eggs. When it has reached a simmer lower the heat so that it is just gently simmering.
• Crack the eggs into little ramekins and squeeze a little lemon juice over them, this will help stabilise the egg whites in the water. Gently lower the eggs into the water and poach for about 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile make some toast and divide the whipped feta between 2 bowls or plates.
• Once the whites are cooked but the yolk is still soft, remove the eggs from the water and drain on kitchen paper. Gently place them on top of the whipped feta. (Gently, or you might tear the white like I did here!) Top the eggs with a little black pepper.
• Drizzle over the orange chilli butter, add the chopped herbs and serve with toast on the side.