Eggs in Samphire Nests

Market day again: The weeks are racing past and we've been back in Bodrum for almost a third of a year.  I expected time to drag a bit when I gave up my job but the opposite is true. The days fly by in a way they never did while I was clocking up my 50 hours a week in paid employment.  As we had several commitments today, I decided to cook a really quick lunch. My parents are staying with us and they hadn't been very keen on the samphire we had in Bodrum last week so I attempted to Anglicise  a recipe. The Samphire (sea beans in Turkish), that grows in Turkey is sturdier than that sold in the UK and it has to be separated from its fibrous skeleton.  The easiest way to do this is to boil it for 5 minutes, then plunge into cold water to keep it bright green. When cool, hold the stalk in one hand and use your finger and thumb of the other hand to squeeze and pull the green flesh from the stems. 

Butter individual heat resistant dishes, divide the now tender and juicy greenery between them, make a shallow well and break an egg into each and finish them with a teaspoon of butter and a little white pepper.  Place the dishes in a deep frying pan and fill the pan with boiling water to about half way up the sides of the dishes. Cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.

The egg on the left I cooked uncovered and the other one had foil loosely covering it.  The right one cooked more evenly but the left one looks better. They are delicious eaten like this but can be re-Turkified by covering with dried red pepper flakes in melted butter, or kept very European with a big dollop of Hollandaise sauce.

If you are looking for a more exciting method of cooking eggs I recommend the following technique from Alan at the Archers of Okçular  http://archersofokcular.com/how-do-you-like-your-eggs-sir-or-madam/