Monday, July 16, 2012

Simple Mediterranean Meal for Busy Days


Simple meals you can prepare on a busy day are what I call rescue meals. The humble Turkish Breakfast is versatile enough to double as a light lunch or a simple evening meal. 

Schedules and mealtimes tend to slide around here in the summer time. People stay up late, and most stay at home moms and their kids sleep in. Breakfast might be at 11:00 or 12:00, melting into lunch, and sometimes it’s the only meal until evening.  Even at night, in a pinch after a busy day, a Turkish woman might open the fridge and say, “Let’s get out the breakfast things.”

Bare bones Turkish breakfast consists of bread, cheese, tomatoes or olives, and tea, but on the weekend, it’s a full blown institution to set up a bounteous spread on the balcony and enjoy a leisurely breakfast.  The last two Sunday mornings we’ve had company.  I love inviting people to this simple meal that’s quick to prepare and frees me to enjoy being with our guests.

Here are the items you need to make your own Turkish kahvaltı:


Any kind of artisan bread you like or crusty French bread 




Fresh white cheese or feta Cheese
Monterry jack or mozzarella cheese cubes sprinkled with paprika and thyme
Olives, black or green, drizzled with olive oil 
Green or Red Peppers, sliced




Sliced tomatoes with olive oil and oregano 




Boiled Eggs or Turkish Omelette**


Sliced cucumbers
Butter and honey or jelly
Tea
Watermelon or melon 


**Turkish Style Omelette for 4

3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 large red sweet pepper, cubed
1 TBSP Olive oil
4 eggs
3 TBSP grated cheese (if desired)

Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and red pepper. Stir for a few minutes.  When the garlic is cooked, crack 4 eggs into the skillet and lightly break them up, stirring to evenly distribute the vegetables. When the eggs are halfway cooked, sprinkle them with cheese if desired.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover and turn the heat to low until the eggs are set.  Cut into 4 wedges and serve.


What do you eat for breakfast on the weekend in your part of the world? Do you ever eat breakfast for lunch or dinner?

4 comments:

Linda said...

That sounds delicious! Healthy, too. I'm going to try sprinkling mozzarella cubes with paprika and thyme. I've never had that before.

Smiles,
Linda

Choate Family said...

Weekends at home are for big breakfasts :-) Sausage casseroles or homemade pastries, lots of fruit, and coffee is a must!

Betsy de Cruz said...

I remember sausage casseroles! I'll have to try a local adaptation, but I'll wait until summer is over, or else I'll have Dante's Inferno right inside my kitchen!!!

Unknown said...

Oh I just love this. Thank you for sharing a traditional Turkish summer breakfast with us. I'm all over simple! And I've just developed a real taste for olives and feta cheese and such in recent years. I'm going to try some of these things for a simple Mediterranean dinner some hot evening. Yes, we do breakfast for dinner sometimes too. But it's usually pancakes or waffles...maybe omelettes.