Naciye Nene’s Cookbook . Scrambled egg & artichoke / Yumurtalı enginar

Prep Time: 40 minutes      Cook Time: 10 minutes     Total Time: 55 minutes

Part of the thistle family, the globe artichoke is native to the Mediterranean region and used in various dishes. While still seen as exotic, its appeal is slowly catching on in Britain and it can be found in most continental supermarkets pretty much all year round. This recipe is one of our late Naciye nene’s favourites: a tasty, light and nutritious meal that’s perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Ingredients – serves 4:

4 medium-sized globe artichokes

6 eggs

Salt & pepper

Sunflower oil

Bread (for toast)

Lemon

Preparation:

1.       When buying your artichokes, pick firm heavy ones that are a healthy green (not brown) colour, with the outer petals tightly held together. Limp ones suggest the artichoke is drying out, while those where the outer leaves have started to open out (like a flower blooming) suggests they are slightly past their optimal freshness. Store in a cool dry place and aim to use within a few days of purchase.

2.       Pull off the leaves from the artichoke. You can throw these away, but the green leaves do make for a tasty snack – nibble on the raw soft fleshy part of the lower insider part of each leaf. Once you’ve removed all the leaves, you will be down to the ‘hairy heart’ on the stem.

3.       Cut off the stem and trim its hard outer green edges to leave the inner creamy white core. Put each stem into a bowl of cold water, to stop it from turning brown from oxidation, while you finish off the rest of the artichoke.

4.       Using a sharp paring knife, scrape off the hairs from the artichoke heart and carefully cut away the hard inedible green edges, taking care not to also remove the inner creamy white flesh of the artichoke. Place the small fuzz-free hearts into cold water.

5.       Now chop each of these white creamy hearts and stems into small pieces, about 2cm wide and return to the cold water to ensure they don’t turn brown.

6.       Break the eggs into a vessel and whisk lightly. Season with salt and pepper.

7.       Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan – enough to cover the base. Drain the water from the artichokes and fry on a low-to-medium heat (depending on the size of your pan, it may be easier to do this as two batches). Stir occasionally as they cook, turning a light golden colour, which should take about 5 minutes.

8.       Pour the beaten eggs over the artichokes and let them cook for about 30 seconds without stirring. Then, using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir by lifting the mixture from the bottom of the pan and folding in. Let it sit for another 10-20 seconds and repeat. Keep going until the eggs are cooked through. If you have split the ingredients into two batches, repeat steps 7 and 8 for the next batch, but do keep the first batch warm or serve immediately.

9.       Serve the scrambled egg and artichoke hot with freshly toasted bread and a healthy squeeze of lemon. Afiyet olsun!