A brunch staple at the Brother Hubbard cafe on Capel Street, co-owner Garrett Fitgeralds says there would be riots if their Turkish Eggs Menemen were taken off the menu. He's shared the recipe from his new cookbook with us, below!
Brother Hubbard Turkish Eggs Menemen
A vibrant, beautiful dish, this is ideal as a brunch or supper. This is perhaps our single most popular dish on our menu. I first came across a version of it when working in Julio in Melbourne and then was lucky enough to visit Istanbul to try the authentic version as the locals eat it.
This version is our own take on it. It really is a taste sensation, with the spinach and herbs adding so much freshness and vibrancy to counterbalance the richness of the eggs. Brother Hubbard's eggs menemen serves two hungry people.
You'll need:
1 batch of tomato and pepper sauce (page 321)
4 eggs
50ml cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
4 slices of good bread
knob of butter, softened
2 small handfuls of baby spinach leaves
6–8 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced (optional)
For the onion chilli herb mix:
½ small or medium red onion
1 medium red chilli
20g fresh mint
20g fresh parsley
10g fresh dill or coriander
For the feta yogurt:
50g feta cheese
100g plain yogurt
Method:
1. First make the sauce as per the recipe on page 321, then remove the sauce from the heat and set aside – it’s best added to the dish when it’s quite warm but not boiling. While the sauce is simmering away, cut the red onion into the finest dice you can manage – ideally about the size of the head of a match!
2. Cut the top off the chilli, remove the seeds with a teaspoon and then dice the chilli very finely too, similar in size to the onion. Finely chop the stems of the herbs (except the mint), then give the leafy bits a medium chop. Mix the onion, chilli and herbs together and set aside.
3. Make the feta yogurt by crumbling the feta into the yogurt and adding some black pepper (you don’t need salt because the feta is already quite salty). >>
4. Now you’re ready for the final steps. Crack the eggs into a bowl with the cream. Whisk well and add a little salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When it’s good and hot, add a dash of olive oil. You should be warming your plates and toasting your bread at this point too. Pour in the eggs and let them sit for about 20 seconds before stirring to scramble them. This dish is to be cooked very quickly, so keep scrambling. When they are nearly fully cooked but the egg is still glistening, add the tomato and pepper sauce, mixing well, and scramble further for another 20–30 seconds.
5. To serve, spread the toast with some butter or a drizzle of olive oil and put on each warm plate with a small handful of baby spinach leaves on top. Divide the scrambled eggs between each plate. Top with a dessertspoon of the feta yogurt, scatter over the sliced olives, if using, and finish with a few spoons of the onion chilli herb mix.
Tips and tricks:
This is an ideal vegetarian breakfast, brunch, lunch or supper dish, but you can add smoked salmon or pan-fried chorizo on the side to make it a more substantial meal (the chorizo goes particularly well).
The Brother Hubbard Cookbook
The Brother Hubbard Cookbook is in shops now, priced at €27.99. It's packed chock-full of Brother Hubbard recipes from both the original Capel Street Brother Hubbard cafe and Sister Sadie (soon to be Brother Hubbard South). Leaning towards aspects of Middle Eastern and Southern Mediterranean food, the cookbook is packed with nutritious, wholesome, often deceptively vegetarian dishes that emphasise flavour, colour and texture.
Cafe favourites like the Pancakes, the Brother Hubbard Croque Monsieur, Moroccan Harira Soup, Middle Eastern Slaw and Harissa Baked Aubergine with Saffron Yogurt, are all included in the book, which also gives a taste of the Brother Hubbard story. Written in a style that will inspire even the most reluctant cook to have fun and to create a dish of which they can be proud, this is food that demands to be shared, that will make you feel better – in both its preparation and its enjoyment.
For more information, visit the Brother Hubbard website.
