Traditional Turkish menemen recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced (or poblano or Anaheim pepper, if desired)
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika plus a pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes)
• Fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• 3–4 eggs
• Optional garnishes: sliced chives or chopped parsley, crumbled feta, sliced avocado

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and peppers and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomatoes, butter, Aleppo pepper, and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Stir until evenly combined, then sauté for 2 more minutes, until the tomatoes are nice and hot.
4. Crack the eggs on top of the tomato mixture.
5. Let the eggs cook for about 1 minute, then use a spoon to break the yolks and briefly stir the eggs into the tomato mixture. (I recommend only partially stirring in the eggs, so that they are nice and swirly on top.)
6. Continue cooking until the eggs reach your desired level of doneness. (Traditionally the eggs are cooked until just barely set, yet still soft, about 3 to 4 minutes total.)
7. Serve immediately with your desired garnishes, along with some crusty sliced bread for dipping.

Notes:

• If you don't have Aleppo pepper, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika plus a pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes.
• Feel free to use more or less Aleppo pepper or cayenne to taste, depending on how much heat you prefer.

Enjoy!