The recipe I am proposing today is a fusion between Italian and Arabic flavors. Farmer’s Eggs with Sumac and Za’atar is a great breakfast or brunch recipe that you can cook in less than 30 minutes and it is ideal for any day of the week. But what are Farmer’s Eggs? This is one of the ways Italians make eggs, which consists of baking the eggs in a bowl with tomato sauce and garlic. In this case, I put some sumac in the sauce and I sprinkled the dish with Za’atar. As a last touch, I added a piece of toasted bread, which is just perfect to scoop up the tomato sauce and eggs and collect all the flavors of this dish.
To me, this recipe is a quintessential combination of a few Mediterranean ingredients that combines Italian and Arabic cuisine, which are now both part of my life. Rob’s parents are originally from the Middle East and they immigrated to New York before he was born. It is always interesting to hear Marcelle, Rob’s mom, tell me stories about those times. The first time I met her was in Lebanon, and she gave me a few spices, including za’atar. Marcelle is an excellent cook – every time we visit her in Florida, there is a full spread of the most amazing Lebanese and Syrian dishes to welcome us. Under her guidance, I have learned some of the basics of Arabic cooking and how to use the spices.
And now let’s find out more about the Farmer’s Eggs with Sumac and Za’atar!
Farmer’s Eggs with Sumac and Za’atar recipe ingredients
This dish requires only 8 ingredients and it is ready in less than 30 minutes.
Eggs
In Italy, we use to eat eggs more as a vegetarian dish usually for lunch. The go-to recipes are Farmer’s eggs, as tomato sauce is one of the Italian staples. Then there is frittata, which is another quick egg dish. You can cook frittata in the pan and enrich it with vegetables, cheese or meat.
Tomato sauce
To make farmers’ eggs, you can make your own homemade tomato sauce, following the Authentic Italian Homemade Tomato Sauce the preparation and cooking time will then increase by 1 hour. A quick and fast solution is to use a ready-made passata. As I previously shared, I use Mutti brand as it is the best in terms of texture and consistency. You can enrich the flavor of the sauce with garlic, as Italian I never miss it!
Sumac
Sumac is an oriental spice with a dark red color. It gives a tart, lemony flavor to the dish. This spice comes from the sumac flower, which is dried and grounded. It is very popular in all Middle East cuisine, particularly in Syria and Lebanon, and it is used mainly to aromatize dips and salads.
Za’atar
This is by far my favorite Middle Eastern spice. It is a mix of roasted sesame seeds, sumac, salt, thyme, and za’atar herbs. The flavor is lemony because of the sumac mixed with herbs, particularly the za’atar. There are different variations across the Middle East, of which the Syrian version is the best. There are different ways to enjoy za’atar: the traditional use is dipping pita bread in za’atar mixed with oil. Other variations include sprinkling it over hummus or labneh (yogurt). A very popular breakfast dish in the Middle East is mana’eesh, which is flatbread baked in the oven and sprinkled with a generous spread of za’atar and oil. Very addictive snack!
How to make Farmer’s Eggs with Sumac and Za’atar
This recipe is easy to make and comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Start by gathering all your ingredients: the eggs, the tomato sauce, garlic, sumac, za’atar, EVOO and salt. Switch on the oven and set it at 375°F (195°C). Take a pan and add the EVOO and the garlic, after a few minutes, add the tomato sauce and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add some sumac to it.
Now take some individual bakeware (bigger bakeware will be as good, you will have to serve it after in single bowls). Add the tomato sauce on the base of each pot, make a wheel in the middle and break one egg inside each wheel. To aid this process, my tip is to break the egg in a separate bowl and transfer it to the pot. Sprinkle it with Za’atar.
Place the pot in the oven and cook it for 12 minutes. If you want your egg to be completely done, cook it for 15 minutes.
Take it out of the oven, and add a slice of toasted cereal bread in each pot.
Farmer’s Eggs with Sumac and Za’atar variations
This dish is a great vegetarian meal, light, nutritious and complete in terms of all the elements that are part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. You can make it gluten-free if you substitute the bread with its gluten free-version.
In terms of variations, you can add to the sauce some chopped onions, if you want a more robust flavor. Somehow, I chose to keep it simple, as I think the mix of Arabic spices and the tomatoes fits better with the garlic only. In case you try this recipe with onions, please do not hesitate to let me know in the comments. Another option would be to add some cheese such as mozzarella.
For the bread, I used cereal bread. You can use alternatively normal white bread or add half portion of Rosemary Focaccia Bread.
Another way of cooking this dish is to do in the pot where you warm up the tomato sauce. In this case, you will use only the stovetop and you will just need one pan.
This is an easy breakfast idea, I hope you will like it and if you make it, please leave a comment! I would love to hear from you!
Equipment
- individual bakeware
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp sumac (see notes)
- 4 tsp za'atar (see notes)
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 slices cereal bread
Instructions
- Start by gathering all your ingredients: the eggs, the tomato sauce, EVOO, garlic, sumac, za’atar and salt.
- Switch on the oven and set it at 375°F (195°C).
- In a small pot add the EVOO and the garlic, after few minutes add the tomato sauce and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add some sumac to it.
- Take some individual bakeware and add the tomato sauce on the base of each pot, make a wheel in the middle and break one egg inside the wheel. (See notes) Sprinkle it with Za’atar.
- Place the pot in the oven and cook it for 12 minutes. If you want your egg to be completely done, cook it for 15 minutes.
- Take it out of the oven and add a slice of toasted cereal bread in each pot. (see notes).
Notes
- Sumac and Za’atar are middle east spices that you can find in a specialty store. In the Middle East they are instead widely available at any grocery store.
- A bigger bakeware will be good as well. Once ready, you will have to transfer the eggs and the sauce in individual bowls, paying attention to not break the eggs.
- Another way of cooking this dish is to do it in the pot where you warm up the tomato sauce. In this case, you will use only the stovetop and you will just need one pan.
- To break the eggs in an easier way, my tip is to break the egg in a separate bowl and transfer it after in the pot.
- You can use normal white bread or a half individual portion of rosemary focaccia, in this last case the nutritional values will increase.
Nutrition
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