Eggs with Turkish Sausage (Sucuklu Yumurta)

Finally, I am publishing another recipe on my blog. Although I promised more blogging in my previous post, I became unexpectedly busy and could not deliver on my promise. Hopefully, this time I’ll be posting more recipes than I have been in the past few months.

This simple, yet delicious egg and Turkish sausage omelet is perfect for a lazy Sunday breakfast along with warm bread, white cheese, olives and hot Turkish tea. Eggs and Turkish sausage complement each other very well creating a delicious taste. Enjoy.

Note: Turkish sausage can be found in Turkish/Mediterranean grocery stores.

4 eggs
8-9 slices Turkish sausage
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper

In a small bowl add the eggs, black pepper and salt. Mix vigorously until the eggs whites and yolks are integrated.

Heat oil on medium heat and cook the sausage slices for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Pour the eggs on the sausage. Leave on heat until eggs are cooked. To cook eggs faster, cover the pan for a couple minutes.

Parsley Omelet (Maydanozlu Omlet)

Parsley omelet is a simple, quick and tasty egg dish that we often had for brunch at home in Turkey. It can be consumed for breakfast, lunch or even for a light dinner. When I am busy and need something quick to eat, I resort to this delicious omelet.

It is customary to use butter or vegetable oil for omelets and some other dishes in Turkey, however for health reasons I always choose to cook with olive oil. In Turkish cuisine, we have a whole new group of dishes called ‘Zeytinyağlılar’ meaning ‘Dishes with Olive Oil’ which are always made with olive oil and always without meat which are usually eaten at room temperature. The hot dishes can be made with olive oil, vegetable oil or butter. For example, rice pilaf and omelets are typically made with butter or vegetable oil.

You may notice that for almost every recipe published in my blog I have used olive oil (extra virgin). Butter is only used for baking purposes in my kitchen and I think that is more than plenty of butter for our bodies. If the butter in stores was natural and completely made from milk, I would not hesitate using it more often. One of those days I will try to make my own butter because I know how delicious natural butter can taste. If you insist on using commercially produced butter, you can substitute the butter for olive oil in my recipes.

Now comes the omelet recipe.

4 eggs
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp olive oil (or butter)
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground black pepper
Pinch of salt

In a small bowl add the eggs, parsley, black pepper, paprika and salt. Mix until the eggs are integrated with the parsley.


Heat oil on medium heat and pour the egg parsley mixture on hot oil. Leave on heat until eggs are cooked. To cook eggs faster, cover the pan for a couple minutes.

Spinach with Eggs (Yumurtalı Ispanak)

The combination of spinach and eggs can certainly delight your palates. I relished every single bite while eating this simple, yet delightful meal which holds a good standing in Turkish cuisine. My lovely mother graciously shared this recipe with me (as always) when I inquired about it. I personally had made spinach with eggs before, but never this good! I think I was leaving out the cumin and onions. This same recipe can also be prepared with the addition of ground meat which will be posted on my blog on another date. A piece of bread and yogurt can make a great accompaniment to this dish.

The spinach was purchased from the farmer’s market in Houston this weekend along with some other fresh and organic vegetables. I am working on a few more recipes involving the vegetables I bought at the farmer’s market. Now that I have some breathing room from work (for a while anyway), I look forward to documenting and sharing some more of my favorite, healthy and delicious recipes.

On another note, I would just like to remind those of you interested to enter my contest for the Non-stick Calphalon Omelette Set giveaway! A lucky winner will receive the prize! Check my previous post.

2 bunches spinach (approx. 2 lb with stems)
4 eggs
1 medium shallot (chopped)
1 small garlic clove (chopped)
2 tbsp olive oil
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp cumin

Wash the spinach in cold water thoroughly. Discard the stems.

Chop the spinach roughly.

Heat olive oil in a medium non-stick pan. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the spinach in the pan. The spinach will wilt in the heat. When it starts to wilt, add the salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and cumin. Stir to integrate all the ingredients. The spinach should wilt and reduce in size. Break four eggs on top of the spinach. Sprinkle the top of the eggs with a pinch of salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cover for 3-4 minutes and continue to cook under medium heat. Remove cover and cook for another 2 minutes until most of the water evaporates. Serve with bread and yogurt.

Poached Eggs in Yogurt (Çılbır)

Çılbır is known throughout Turkey. Probably because it is simple to make and it contains two popular ingredients; eggs and yogurt. Eggs are so versatile and nutritious; they make a good meal any time of the day, not only for breakfast. This was our dinner one recent evening when we wanted something quick, light and delicious.

If you wish, you may serve and decorate each serving on a different plate rather than all in one serving plate. Enjoy.

On another note, if you like FREE stuff, I will be hosting a giveaway on my blog in the next two weeks! The item for the giveaway is a really good one! Stay tuned!

5 eggs
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
1 tsp dried mint
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ cup vinegar
5-6 cups water
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp red pepper paste
1 dash cayenne pepper (optional)

Boil water in a wide pot. Add cayenne and vinegar.

In the mean time, add garlic, ½ tsp dried mint and ½ tsp salt to yogurt and mix vigorously. Spread yogurt in a large serving plate.

In a small pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Mix in the red pepper paste and mix together until the paste is completely dissolved.

When water is boiled, gently break the eggs and let cook for 2-3 minutes. The outer of the eggs will cook, however the inner part should still be runny. Remove eggs gently and place carefully on the yogurt spread. Poach eggs one or two at a time if the pot is not large enough.

Once all eggs are poached and placed on the yogurt, pour the sauce made of olive oil and red pepper paste on top of the eggs.