Hassan's Easy Eggs with Za'atar and Lemon {Cooking from Falastin!}

I preordered Sami Tamimi's Falastin so that I could get my hands on a copy as soon as possible.The hype was that it was going to be one of the hottest cookbook releases of the year. I can tell you now, that it is by far my favorite cookbook of the year! Sami's Falastin is one of the most beautiful cookbooks. It is full of Palestinian food, people, geography, history, language, land, identity, and culture. I found myself reading more like a novel than a cookbook.

Sami Tamimi's recipes have the Ottolenghi feel to them, but they also have a simplicity and ease that Ottolenghi's recipes do not. I found myself more taken with Sami's book than Ottolenghi's, which is heavy praise in itself. I quickly bookmarked over 50 recipes and found myself wanting to make everything from Hummus with Meatballs to Chicken Shawarma Pie to Sumac Onion and Herb Oil Buns. So many simply yet unique recipes that felt exciting and fun.

You will be seeing more of these recipes as we begin cooking with Sami and his new cookbook over at I Heart Cooking Clubs. For starters, I had to make the recipe that called to me first and that was these eggs, Hassan's Easy Eggs with Za'atar and Lemon.

 "These eggs will always remind Sami of his father, Hassan, who used to make them on the weekend for Sami and his siblings. It's proof,if ever proof were needed, that few things are not improved by the addition of some good-quality olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkle of za'atar."

 There is something about a plate of broken hard-boiled eggs with their sunny yellow yolks front and center. It's a welcome sight. It calls to me. Top the eggs off with a lemon juice, olive oil and za'atar mixture, some sliced green onions and hot pepper flakes and you have one delicious and welcoming platter. Simple, delicious, with a unique twist. These eggs feel both comforting and somewhat exotic.

Eat them on their own or put them inside of pita bread. Sami also says they pair well with cubed chunks of creamy avocado (I need to try that). 

This is a recipe that you can eat warm or cold. You can eat it for breakfast or lunch. You can serve it as an appetizer or a midday snack. Either way it is delicious and you can't go wrong!

 

Hassan's Easy Eggs with Za'atar and Lemon

Adapted from Falastin

by Sami Tamimi

Serves four

6 eggs

1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons oliveoil

1 tablespoon za'atar

salt and black pepper

2 green onions, finely sliced

1/8 teaspoon Aleppo chile flakes

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and carefully lower in the eggs. Boil for 5-6 minutes, then rinse at once under plenty of cold running water.

Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and za'atar and set aside.

Peel and roughly quarter the eggs, by hand so that they're not too neat, and arrange on a serving plate, yolk side up. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of black pepper and drizzle the lemon juice-olive oil mix over the top. Sprinkle with the green onions and chile flakes and serve at once.