Soft Scrambled Eggs over Za'atar Toast
I must admit, I'm not much of a breakfast person, but I LOVE eggs. I can have eggs any time of day, any style and the eggs maybe served as a side, an addition to, or as the main event, I simply love eggs.
But I know what you're thinking "... Eggs... Really?"
Soft scrambled eggs have been all over Youtube and Instagram, ever since Gordon Ramsey released his soft scrambled eggs video recipe. These eggs are a treat in my book, my 'GOTO' comfort snack, think of it as a 'Häagen-Dazs' or 'Ben and Jerry's' you would be drawn too on days when you need that warm comforting hug from a bite you take. That's what this dish is for me.
I serve these creamy delicate soft scrambled beauties on a Zaatar pita toast which I made from scratch. You can check my step by step pita video by clicking on the link here; Susu's Pita bread
You will need a fluffy pita bread for this recipe.
So... Let's do it!
Ingredients:
3 Large eggs.
3 Tbsp butter (you can substitute for vegan butter if you'd like or need to)
3 Tsp Zaatar and olive oil mix. See recipe below
1 Freshly baked pita bread (or store bought as long as it is thick and fluffy)
1 Tsp (10g) kosher salt
Note:
A word about the ingredients. It is true what they say (in most cases), that 'The better the ingredient = The better the taste'. For this recipe, I highly recommend you use the best quality eggs you can put your hands on, which typically means, small farm, organic, cage free and as FRESH as they can come. Believe me when I say you will taste the difference!
Step 1
First, let's start with the Za'atar. which leads me to the obvious question... What is Za'atar?
Za’atar is a wild plant and a close cosine to thyme and oregano, typically found in the hills of the Middle East and the Levant region. The Levant region is situated in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean sea, and consist of the following countries (and regions); South-east Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Israel.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to get my hands on fresh or dried Za'atar, and I am substituting it with dried oregano and thyme.
Finally, there are various types of za'atar, each slightly different from the other. I prefer the Palestinian + Israeli one, which use only four ingredients:
Za'atar - which I substituted with dried oregano and thyme
Sumac - I actually found it interesting to know that Sumac was used widely in ancient cooking for it’s tartness and acidity qualities before the Romans introduced lemons to the region. Sumac is a wild shrub that is commonly found in the Levant region.
Toasted sesame seeds. Lightly toast sesame seeds on a dry pan for 5 min till slightly browned. Then set aside to cool.
Kosher salt
Note:
All these ingredients are easily found in international and local specialty markets, or you may find them online, a click away on the item-link below;
Za'atar ingredients:
Now that you have the ingredients, to make the Za'atar mix you'll need:
1 Tbsp dried Oregano
1Tbsp dried Thyme
1 Tbsp toasted Sesame seeds
1 Tsp Sumac
1 Tsp kosher salt
To make the Za'atar;
Combine all ingredients in a Mortar and pestle, and grind to a cohesive mix.
Taste for seasoning. The mix should taste slightly lemony and tart (from the Sumac), with strong herbal aromas (from the Oregano and Thyme), balanced by the toasted sesame seeds and salt. Make sure no ingredient is overwhelming the other.
You can transfer the Za'atar into a sealed dry and keep in your spice cabinet for upto one month.
I find the potency of the mix reduces with time.
Then into a small bowl add;
Three Tsp of the Za'atar mix
2 Tsp Extra virgin olive oil.
Note:
We're looking for a consistency that is somewhat liquid, not a paste nor dressing like, in the middle.
Step 2
split the pita bread in the center like you would a burger bun, leaving you with a bottom and top parts.
Place each pita bread part, exterior side down, on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Brush each pita bread with the Za'atar oil mix, making sure you cover the entire surface upto the edges.
Toast in a 400 F (230 C) oven (you may use a toaster over as well), for about 6-8 minutes, depending how thick the pita bread is. Keep an eye on it, making sure it doesn't burn.
Once slightly crisp and golden, remove and set aside to cool on a wire rack, allowing air to circle around, creating an evenly crisp pita toast.
Step 3
While the Za'atart toast is cooling down, let's make the soft scrambled eggs.
Note:
I have seen alot of recipes and videos asking to use cream to make these eggs. I don't see why, and I prefer to make my'n using butter only. Yes... I know, its alot of butter, but remember what I said in the beginning, this is a treat, not a typical Tuesday morning breakfast
Ingredients:
3 Large eggs.
3 Tbsp butter (you can substitute for vegan butter if you'd like or need to)
1 Tsp (10g) kosher salt
Note:
To make sure these eggs turn out exceptionally amazing, it's important to use Fresh eggs and Cold butter. We need the butter to slowly emulsify into the eggs, creating an 'egg-butter sauce' if you'd like to call it that way.
Let's cook these eggs;
Break the three eggs into a non stick pan, off the heat. (I know... weird but trust me!)
Add the butter using a spatula (preferably made from heat resisting silicon), start to break the yolks, continuously stirring until the yolks, egg whites and butter are starting to combine, and the color changes to yellow.
At this stage, turn the stove on at a low heat continuing to stir the eggs.
Note;
This is the most important stage, where things can go right or wrong quickly. So you'll need to focus and push everything aside, turning off your phone, tv, sending your kids to their room... no disruptions!
Continuing to stir you'll notice curds are starting to form in the center (usually within 2-3min), fold the curds ontop of each other, and continuously scrap the pan edges bringing the eggs to the center of the pan.
Things are going to change quick now. Continue to fold the curds and scrapping the edges. If you notice the eggs are being cooked too fast, take the pan off the heat, continuing to stir, returning the pan to the heat after temperature cooled down abit.
Just as you see roughly 90% (you can push it further if you like your eggs cooked more), remove from heat and only now, season the eggs with salt and continue to stir off the heat. The eggs will continue to cook from the residual heat.
Top the Za'atar pita toast with the soft scrambled eggs
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and Za'atar
Serve immediately and enjoy this heavenly treat.
Enjoy!