BLACK SEA MENEMEN

FL050: DARK UNITS
April 19, 2021

This east-of-traditional version of menemen adds greens and feta in place of peppers and tomatoes. The cheese-to-egg ratio is strong, something like 3:2. As we travel up the coast to Georgia, everything starts looking like khachapuri in our eyes.

Goal: A casual breakfast scramble of eggs, greens, feta and chili, to be served with bread
Serves: 2 on its own, 4 with cornbread or arepas

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 1 small onion, diced

  • 1 garlic clove or 1 stalk of green garlic, thinly sliced

  • about 8 cups (around 5-6 ounces total) chopped young turnip or collard greens, or old and rangy spinach, or lambsquarters

  • small handful of chopped parsley (a few tablespoons)

  • another 1 tablespoon of olive oil

  • 6 egg whites (save the yolks to make ice cream)

  • 4 ounces feta (about 3/4 cup), crumbled

  • 1 1/2 ounces grated parmesan (about 1/4 cup)

  • 1 tablespoon maras chile

  • 1 tablespoon urfa chile

 

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter.

Add the cumin seeds and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the onion and saute gently with a pinch of salt until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not let it burn.

Add the garlic and saute 1 minute more.

Add the greens and parsley and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt until frothy.

Push the cooked greens to the side of the skillet. Center the empty side of the pan over the burner and add another tablespoon of olive oil and then egg whites.

Add the feta, parmesan, maras chile and urfa chile and cover the pan to let the eggs cook through. When they are completely set, fold the eggs and cheese and the greens together to scramble them.

Serve with onion seed cornbread.