Bread or Egg or Both

Bread is the main food near other dishes on a traditional Turkish dinner table. No matter what we eat, we always have some bread on the table. Also, most people think that they don’t feel full if they don’t eat any bread. Especially when there is a stew, we love dipping a bite of bread into it.

We either make it at our homes or buy it from bakeries. But generally in our villages women make their own bread, weekly or monthly. That kind of bread can be kept long, and they are stored in a special cage. When a woman in a village informs that she’ll make some bread, several neighbors come to her house and they make it altogether. No woman make it on her own, there are always other women helping her as they make their bread monthly. And she does the same when it’s another woman’s turn.

I love tasting different kinds of bread, and creating something different from them. And on last Sunday, I prepared something for breakfast from bread slices. (You’ve learnt how much I love breakfast!). These bread slices with egg (and you know I LOVE eggs) are one of our favorites for Sunday breakfast.
Ingredients (servings 2)
•    4 slices of bread (any kind you like)
•    2 eggs
•    ½ tsp cumin
•    1tsp dried thyme
•    3 tbsp olive oil

Break the eggs in a bowl, add spices into it and beat them very well.
Put olive oil in a pan and heat it.
Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture. I should admit my slices are a bit thicker than usual, but I love them like that.  Then stir fry them in the hot oil.
Serve them hot with some cheese, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. And of course a glass of tea should accompany at breakfast.

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Cacik Recipe

In Turkish “cacik” means very green and fresh. Cucumber is the main vegetable for this dish. The more fresh cucumber, the better.  This is a kind of side dish served mainly with pilaf. It may also be a delicious appetizer for your drink.
As mothers are very creative with the ingredients in their kitchen, there are some different versions of cacik. If you don’t have cucumber in your kitchen and if you don’t feel like going out to buy some, you may use lettuce or green pepper instead.

Ingredients

•    2 cups yogurt (if you have strained yogurt, it’s better)
•    1/2 cup water
•    2 cucumbers, diced
•    4 cloves garlic,mashed
•    Salt
•    Dried mint or fresh dill

Put yogurt in a bowl and mix it with a spoon. Pour water in it, keep mixing. Add garlic, salt and diced cucumber, mix it again.

You may balance the amount of water and yogurt depending on your taste. Thickness of cacik is originally like soup. But if you want it thicker, add less water.

Finally add dried mint and/or finely chopped fresh dill. That’s it!

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