I am often puzzled why some people are more fussy about their food then the others. It does not take much effort to figure out good food and become reasonably fussy, if you ask me.
As kids we all (although to varying degree) were exposed to the grandma’s cooking which usually sets quite high bar for any food to come later in life. We all practice eating three times a day for many years which gives a natural grand to develop substantial expertise in food. Yet, some people are happy with any food they get and some are very particular about what they are eating.
“He has got interesting relationships with food, my brother. Every time he needs to find something beautiful that would be worth eating” – Özgür’s sister Özge once said.
I envy him because he was brought up by a Mediterranean grandma. For me as somebody with two Central European Plain grandmas this sounds like a dream. I have tender memories of potato stew with forest mushrooms, pies with pickled cabbage and juicy fried bream but I chock with saliva when I think of freshly caught octopus thrown on grill, succulent eggplant dishes and a variety of bulgur köfte. Having a Mediterranean grandma definitely refines your food upbringing. But hey, we can’t blame it all on the grandmas: think of unexciting home cooking of Scandinavia and a number of great Scandinavian chefs who have gain international recognition.
Maybe it was his mom. When I first stayed with her for a month last year I felt so grateful for the chance to experience being a Turkish kid spoiled with the scrumptious meals cooked by a loving Turkish mom. Zeliha Hanım is very quick in planning and executing a meal, however large. She turns gold every ingredient she touches. She does one of the best foods you will find in Turkey.
One morning Zeliha Hanım made hot sandwiches. She put a mixture of leftover cheese, chopped green peppers, parsley, dill and red pepper flakes on the pieces of stale bread and sent them to the oven for a bit. Once the sandwiches were served piping hot the table of 8 was speechless and diligent munching was the only sound you would hear for the first couple of minutes . “Really, you think it is so special?”- Özgür asked me when I eventually broke into a speech, giving praise with my mouth still full. “This is my mom, you know. She has always does things like this. I have started taking it for granted. If you did not say I would not really notice”.
Maybe he is like that because of ample dining out. I have seen many instances of how even people with mediocre food competence have developed with regular dining out practice. Especially if you often travel for business or travel is your business, as in the case with Özgür. You get to eat at finest places at all those different cities around the world and once you have done that you would never go back to mediocre again. Özgür was the first person in Istanbul who brought me to the no-BS places beyond the traditional set of tarihi (historical) eateries which most locals refer to and half of which are not that great as they used to be 50 years ago. He doesn’t eat at BS places.
Maybe it is him cooking at home. With such mom and dining out one would not really need to cook at home. But he does. Not very often but he never makes a fuss of it nor leaves the kitchen half destroyed, half in mess after his endeavor. At the kitchen we are just as we are in life. Özgür is tidy, organized and always makes something wonderful and something I can eat too. He may be a big fan of eggs with sucuk but for the two of us he would cook out of this world eggs with grated potatoes. I can help him with cutting and he would appreciate it but he can also do well just on his own. They say you cannot expect to share all the interests with your partner. But I am sure that main passions should be shared. Shared passion in food multiplies love, fortifies relationships and results in more delicious food to share.
Easy Eggs with Grated Potatoes (Patatesli Yumurta)
Hearty easy breakfast of eggs and crispy grated potatoes with tangy feta cheese and fresh parsley is so addictive that you will want to make them for breakfast, lunch and then dinner.
Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 20 Min
Total Time: 30 Min
Serves: 3
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium size onion finely diced
- 80 g mushrooms finely diced
- 2 medium size potatoes grated
- 4 eggs
- 40 g feta cheese crumbled
- 2 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley
- pinch of dry thyme
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- pinch of salt
Directions
- Warm up a large skillet on a medium heat. Pour olive oil and as it only starts sizzling in a very subtle way – thrown in the diced onions. Cook onions for 3-4 minutes until golden stirring now and then. Add diced mushrooms and grated potatoes, mix well and let cook for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a medium size bowl whisk eggs with salt, dry thyme and red pepper flakes. Add crumbled feta cheese and coarsely shopped parsley and mix well. Set aside.
- Back to the potatoes: left the edge of the potato mix with a heat-proof wide spatula to see if the bottom is slightly brown and crispy. If so, slip spatula under the mix and turn as large piece upside down as you can. Repeat until the brown side of the whole potato mix will not be facing up – this way the potatoes will be nicely crispy versus simply cooked if you continue stirring them until cooked.
- Just as you’ve turned the vegetable mix upside down pour the egg mixture over it making sure it spreads evenly and continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes until the bottom browns. Now and then make little cuts on the eggs with spatula so that eggs that are still liquid will get to the bottom and cook better. Once the eggs are cooked at the edges and only slightly liquid at the center, cover the skillet with a lead and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lead, cut in wedges and serve hot with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce.
