Turkish Eggs

Turkish Eggs is a fiery bowl of breakfast awesomeness. With creamy yogurt, tender poached eggs, and spicy red pepper-infused butter plus crunchy sourdough toast, I never want to stop eating.

As witches, we know it's the experience of a thing that really matters. Some things make no sense on paper. There's no reason for them to work, at least not logically. We can't easily show any physical evidence for why keeping an amethyst in your pocket of burning a list of all the things want to release makes you feel better. It just does. And we accept that because we know how we feels affects how we act. In short, we believe in magic.

In the kitchen, I have come across many recipes that, on paper, seem weird, like they'd never work. And yet, they come out amazing. Like adding yogurt to Bacon & Corn Risotto, or adding barely any liquid to Cheesy Potato Soup. Yet these recipes are absolutely outrageous. I've learned to just trust the process. Like the alchemist, you know that not every experiment is going to work, but the ones that surprise you are often the best.

What makes Turkish Eggs so awesome?

When you look at a recipe that says serve poached eggs in a bowl of yogurt, you might think that sounds totally weird. Unless of course, you come from a culture that knows how awesome yogurt can be and serves it with just about everything. This yogurt is infused with garlic and warmed gently. Then comes the perfectly poached eggs with their golden oozing yolks. Drizzle over that some fiery red pepper infused butter, and the flavor combination is heavenly.

Once you start dipping your crunchy sourdough toast into this gorgeous mess of flavors, you never want to stop. It's tangy and spicy and rich. The crunch from the bread is the perfect vehicle for consuming this otherwise very soft mixture of explosive flavors. Unless you're a brunch chef, poaching eggs is sort of a hassle, so this is definitely a special weekend dish. But I just want to eat it again and again.

Magical Properties of Eggs

Eggs have been a magical symbol for centuries and across cultures. With their hard outer shell, they are common in protection spells, including the classic cascarilla powder. They're potential to hold new life also makes them key in many fertility spells and sex spells. Plus, there are a number of divination techniques involving eggs. Tied to the element of water and the Moon, eggs also carry healing properties and can be used to deepen your spirituality. (Source: The Kitchen Witch's Guide to Healing & Self-Care by Maggie Haseman)

For more on the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this dish. The full details are in the recipe card below.

• Greek yogurt - plain obviously; full fat is most delicious, but use what you've got
• Garlic - fresh or paste
• Salt
• Butter - unsalted is best, but use what you've got
• Olive oil - extra virgin, if you've got it
• Red pepper flakes - Aleppo pepper is best, but use what you've got
• Lemon juice - I use bottled
• Dill - fresh or dried, this is optional but totally delicious
• Sourdough bread - toasted to your preferred level of crunchiness

This recipe requires quite a few dishes. You'll need a saucepan to warm or yogurt or a container to heat it in the microwave, as well as one to melt your butter. You'll also need a big pan to poach your eggs, plus a fine mesh sieve to prep your eggs for poaching. I also use a couple of ramekins to help me transfer the eggs more gently to the simmering water. You can toast your bread in the toaster or the oven. There's a lot of cleaning up, but it's worth it.

Tips for making Turkish Eggs

As mentioned, there's quite a lot to prepare for this dish. Except for poaching eggs, nothing is complicated. Just get everything else ready before you drop your eggs.

You'll want to gently warm your yogurt after you've stirred in some grated or finely minced garic and salt. Spread that on the bottom of your serving bowls. You'll also need to melt and brown your butter. Just heat it gently on the stove until it starts to smell nutty and you can see the brown bits forming in the bottom. Then you'll stir in the olive oil, swirl in the red pepper flakes, and take it off the heat to infuse.

I suggest enlisting a helper to make the toast. If it's already sliced, this is something a kid can do.

To have the best luck with poaching your eggs, start by cracking them into a fine mesh sieve to let the especially watery part of the whites drain off. The fresher your eggs are, the less of this there will be. Then tip them into a ramekin or other small container and sprinkle over some lemon juice. This is supposed to help the whites hold together. You want your water to be barely simmering. Gently drop the eggs in and let them poach until the whites are set. Remove them with a slotted spoon, and drain off as much of the water as possible before nestling them into the yogurt.

Then all that's left is to drizzle over the infused butter, and dip your toast to your heart's content.

Not everything has to make sense if it's totally awesome. Try these Turkish Eggs, and you'll know exactly what I mean.

Looking for more awesome egg recipes? Try these Chili Scrambled Eggs or some Spinach & Cheese Baked Eggs.

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Recipe from At My Table by Nigella Lawson