Prep: 5 min // Cook: 15-20 min
This is how Greeks like their scrambled eggs, especially in the summer. In this post, you’ll find an authentic Greek scrambled eggs recipe that grandmas serve any time of the day, be it breakfast, brunch, appetizer or light dinner.
This is a recipe I wanted to post for some time now, definitely before it’s too late and tomatoes go completely out of season. This September, we were blessed with temperatures in the high 20s, so there is still some good late-ripened tomato produce on shelves. For this recipe, we need the ripest, juiciest and most aromatic you can find out there.
What is it?
The term “Strapatsada” (the all-Greek-to-you heading above) is most likely derived from Italian 'strapazzare' (I’d guess because of the way the eggs are vigorously beaten with the tomato) and the authentic Greek recipe is fairly simple, based on 4 ingredients: tomatoes, eggs, oregano, olive oil. It’s all about the intensity of the tomato basically; the riper the tomato, the more intense and sweet its taste. So this dish best performs during the summer months when tomatoes thrive.
Origin
This dish is the nation's favourite brunch. Now, in my family, both my grandmas always used to add feta cheese (and sometimes fries and cured meats – which I’ve skipped to make this dish a bit healthier) and cooked it in their old steel and no non-stick skillets which, of course, added to the flavour. This is perhaps what made (and still does) this dish my childhood’s favourite comfort food which I still cook when I miss home or feel a bit blue.
Recipe
There are quite a few recipes out there sometimes a bit more complicated (like the addition of sautéed onion and garlic, peppers etc), others adding sugar and more herbs and so on. Yet my all-time favourite is the simplest version, without sugar (not needed if the tomatoes are ripe) and with my special herb mix! It is authentic, considerably healthier, fast to prepare and can be served any time of the day.
Ingredients (2 portions)
4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes (or 200gr good quality chopped tomatoes)
4-5 eggs
1 tbsp dried oregano (or try my Greek spice mix below)
60g feta cheese
Salt, pepper and olive oil
For the Greek spice & herb mix:
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
Instruction:
Wash the tomatoes and slice the stems off; grate them using the large grater holes and discard the skins. This is a very common technique in Greece when using fresh tomato sauce in dishes; I’ve posted some hands-on photos below for those not familiar
Heat your non-stick pan (or cast iron mini skillets) on high heat and bring the tomato sauce to a boil. Lower the heat, add the spice & herb mix (and cured meats if using), and simmer for 10-15 min or until the juices are completely absorbed.
While the tomatoes are cooked, crumble the feta cheese and break the eggs in a bowl. Lightly whisk with a fork, just to break up the yolks, and keep aside until tomato sauce is ready. If you like to try my special magic twist, add one dash of Cholula (or Tabasco) hot sauce when whisking the eggs.
When tomatoes are cooked (they will look dry and withered like in photo 1), season with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of olive oil and stir the eggs in the pan.
Mix thoroughly and vigorously with a wooden spoon non-stop for around 1 minute, until the eggs start to cook (photo 2). Your aim is to incorporate the egg as much as possible with the tomato and allow the aromas to blend. As soon as the mixture starts to set, stir the feta in and remove from fire. The texture should be not very dried, not very watery, something in between, soft and fluffy is what we are looking for (photo 3).
I like to serve with a drizzle of olive oil, some freshly ground pepper, dried oregano and chopped parsley.
Bon Appetit!
Recommended Products
Below are my favourite authentic products I used to cook and shoot this recipe. If you can't see the icons and links, please deactivate your ad-blocker :-)
Cast Iron Skillet. Not that is the best buy I ever did (as these need some extra care and maintenance to keep them going) yet I still think these beauties are perfect for serving fried eggs, scrambled as well as baked (no plastic handles). Not to mention how good they look on the table and in my photos ;-)