Turkish Menemen with Roasted Peppers, Heirloom Tomatoes, Feta, Fresh Herbs and Warm Simit

Heat olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet (ideally cast iron) over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the green and red peppers and cook another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to caramelize at the edges.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 2 long green Turkish peppers (or 1 green bell pepper + 1 mild chili), thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 ripe heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 1 can crushed tomatoes in winter)
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber) — mild, fruity, and essential
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 50g crumbled white feta or beyaz peynir
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• For serving: warm simit (sesame-crusted bread rings) or crusty sourdough

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet (ideally cast iron) over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the green and red peppers and cook another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to caramelize at the edges.
2. Add the pul biber, cumin, and paprika directly to the oil. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant — the red pepper flakes will bloom and the oil will turn a deep, beautiful orange.
3. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Season generously with salt. Cook over medium heat 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down completely and the mixture thickens into a rich, jammy sauce. The color should be deeply red-orange.
4. Here is where Turks divide into two camps: for scrambled-style menemen, crack the eggs directly into the pan and stir everything together with a spatula, cooking until the eggs are just set but still creamy and slightly wet. For poached-style, make wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each well — cover and cook until whites are set but yolks are still runny.
5. Remove from heat immediately — the eggs will continue cooking in the residual heat. The goal is soft, just-set eggs fully integrated with the pepper-tomato mixture.
6. Scatter crumbled feta over the top. The cold feta will soften slightly against the warm menemen. Finish with parsley and dill.
7. Serve directly in the skillet at the table — menemen is communal food, eaten with torn simit for scooping. This is the breakfast of Istanbul, eaten in meyhanes and home kitchens alike: simple ingredients made extraordinary by patience and good olive oil.