yogurt – Food Notes

This is a really quick but super tasty breakfast idea for 2, perfect for a lazy Sunday brunch. Runny eggs on a bed of spinach, topped with garlic yogurt, paprika and chilli butter, crumbled feta and my favourite smoked salt/ash (see below) for additional smokiness and crunch. Such a delicious combination!

I have a secret ingredient when it comes to making a dish extra special. I love using smoked salts which I crunch and sprinkle just before serving. This one in particular from Bread in Common is very subtle but the salt itself lifts the flavours even more, while the smokiness works well with the paprika in this. I use this Bread in Common salt mixed with ash from their wood fried bread bakes and it’s just magic! Hard to find in the UK but if you happen to be in Australia, you are in luck. However, smoked salt is widely available everywhere, so just find one that works for you!

More with eggs: Shakshuka | Turkish Style Eggs with Skyr & Chilli Butter |Green eggs

Turkish eggs with spinach, yogurt & feta

Serves 2 | Prep 10 mins | Cook 10 mins
Easy | Vegetarian | Gluten-Free

You’ll need:

200g low-fat Greek yogurt;
½ garlic clove, crushed;
½ lemon, zest and 1 tsp juice;
2 tbsp olive oil;
260g spinach;
4 eggs;
25g unsalted butter;
½ tsp dried chilli flakes;
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika;
50g feta.

Mix the yogurt, garlic, lemon zest and juice; season and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and cook the spinach until just wilted. Remove the spinach from the pan, squeeze out the excess water and season.

Warm the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the pan over a medium heat. Return the spinach to the pan, spreading evenly over the base. Make 4 wells in the leaves; crack an egg into each. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the whites are set and yolks still soft.

Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat the butter until foaming. Swirl in the chilli, paprika and a pinch of salt for a couple of seconds, then take off the heat. Spoon the yogurt over the eggs, crumble the feta over and drizzle over the chilli butter. Crunch a little smoked salt if you have any/if you like. Serve with toast, or better yet, toasted pitta bread.

This is originally a Waitrose recipe issue January 2017 (available online here), which I have slightly adapted by adding feta.

You all know that brunch is one of my favourite things in the world. I love a relaxed breakfast/brunch at home almost as I do going out for it. Sometimes it’s a tough decision between the two. I really enjoyed this recipe from the promotional pages of a Waitrose magazine which plays on one of my favourite dishes – Turkish eggs. This version has spinach included and is served on toast. Feel free to skip over straight to the recipe below the next section.

More recipes with eggs: Menemen |Green Eggs | Harissa Shakshuka | Chorizo Jam, Avocado & Poached Eggs

I want to talk to you about Salt…

I’ve recently been reading Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat and it has given me tons of inspiration. I’m learning so much about how to use these basic elements in cooking and I added a bit of this knowledge to this recipe. My friend Kat, who features often in this blog as my photographer friend in my cooking challenges, brought me over bread ash salt from an Bread in Common, an Australian bakery which she visited during her travels. It’s smoky and really salty, and added the extra pizzazz these eggs needed when sprinkled gently on top. It truly made other flavours jump up while filling your mouth with the perfect amount of intensity.

If you don’t have such “secret ingredients” in your kitchen, I really recommend looking up some smoked sea salt from somewhere (foodie markets have a lot of products like this and if you are in Glasgow, a good place to try is the Makers Market over at Platform in the Arches). You won’t just use it for this recipe but you will hopefully find many uses for it in your kitchen, like I have. Another one I have used in Whisky Smoked salt by Hawkhead Whisky Smoked, which I found in the above mentioned market.

Turkish Style Eggs with Skyr & Chilli Butter

Serves 2 (easily doubled) | Prep 10 minutes | Cook 10 minutes
Easy | Vegetarian

You’ll need:

200g Natural Skyr Yogurt (or thick Greek yogurt);
1/2 garlic clove, finely grated;
15g unsalted butter;
160g baby spinach;
squeeze of lemon juice;
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes;
1/4 tsp hot smoked paprika;
2 eggs;
2 slices sourdough, toasted;
Smoked sea salt to sprinkle on top (optional/see above).

Mix the skyr in a small bowl with the garlic and a pinch of salt. Sit the bowl in a larger bowl of just boiled water – you want to gently warm up the skyr before serving. Alternatively, just take it out from your fridge and prepare about an hour before serving.

Heat 10g butter in a small frying pan and fry the spinach gently for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Add the lemon juice, then transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add the remaining butter to the pan and heat gently until foaming and turning lightly golden. Add the chilli flakes and the paprika and swirl to combine. Meanwhile poach the eggs in a separate pan of lightly simmering water for 3-4 minutes.

Arrange the toast on plates and spoon over the yogurt. Top each with the spinach and a poached egg, then drizzle over the chilli butter and (optional) sprinkle with a little smoked salt. Serve immediately.

Original recipe from a promotional edition included in a Waitrose magazine, available online here.

1 post has been published to the site Food Notes on Jul 4th in a previous year:

== 2018 ==
* Food Notes little guide to London : https://foodnotesdotblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/28/food-notes-little-guide-of-london/