Meliz says: “This is a Turkish-inspired breakfast dish that I was first introduced to as a child while staying at a hotel during one of our many family holidays to Cyprus. My version of the recipe predominantly comprises slowly cooked onions, tomatoes, spinach and eggs, topped with an indulgent drizzling of melted butter and spices. A simple slice of fresh bread, and a small handful of olives on the side ensure a deliciously hearty start to the day, and all in under 30 minutes.”

Serves 4 as a side dish, or 2 as a main

Ingredients

• 4 large, ripe plum tomatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved and finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp coarse black pepper
• 2 tbsp Turkish sweet red pepper paste (tatlı biber salçası)
• 400g fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 100–200ml water
• 4 large eggs
• 30g unsalted butter
• ½ tsp sumac
• ½ tsp pul biber
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• Sea salt flakes and pepper to taste

Method

Place the tomatoes into a large, heatproof bowl and carefully pour in enough boiling hot water so that they are fully submerged. After a minute or so, with a large spoon, remove the tomatoes, allow them to cool slightly, then peel and discard the skins. Roughly chop the tomato flesh into quarters, and place in a bowl, reserving all of the juices.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion slices and soften and brown them for eight to 10 minutes so that the edges crisp up a little. Add the garlic, and soften in the oil for a minute, then add the cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and stir well. Add the sweet red pepper paste and the tomatoes and all their juices to the pan, turn down the heat and cook until the tomatoes have softened. You can use the back of the spoon to gently break down the tomatoes a little.

Add the spinach leaves straight to the pan, then the 100ml water and cook for a few minutes until the leaves have completely wilted down. If the spinach needs loosening, add another 100ml water, stir through and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and make four little spaces in the pan by spreading out some of the cooked spinach. Crack an egg straight into each of the four spaces and cover the pan with a large lid for two minutes so that the steam aids the thorough cooking of the eggs.

While the eggs are cooking, melt the butter in a small pan until it goes frothy, then take the pan off the heat. Check the eggs, and if the whites are cooked, but the yolks still have a good amount of jiggle in them (this is a recipe for dippy, runny yolks), then they’re ready. If the whites need a little longer, put the lid on for another minute or so, but be careful not to overcook the yolks.

Add the sumac and pul biber to the melted butter, carefully swish the spices through, then drizzle over the eggs, trying to get as much on the yolks as possible. Season to taste with a pinch of sea salt flakes, cracked black pepper and parsley.

Meliz says: “My dad has two signature soups that he would always cook for us. One is a cauliflower soup, which essentially consists of boiled cauliflower florets, rice and lots of lemon juice, but the one I’ve included here is my favourite, Baba’s Domatesli Pirinç Çorbası (Dad’s tomato and rice soup). This is not a recipe that has been passed down from my dad’s family, but one that my dad concocted using a couple of fresh ingredients from the fridge, and the rest from the store cupboard. It’s so simple, both in terms of ingredients and method, and my dad occasionally uses a can of chopped tomatoes in place of the fresh ones I use in my recipe. Rice is a key ingredient in most Cypriot soups and seasoning soups with lemon juice is fundamental to Cypriot cuisine, so do ensure you have some fresh lemon to hand when making this one.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 200g short-grain white rice
• 6 large tomatoes
• 50ml olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 500ml boiling water
• 1.5 litres cold water
• 25g fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus extra to taste

Method

Wash the rice in a sieve with cold water until the water runs clear. Leave to drain.

Place the tomatoes in a deep heatproof bowl. Pour over boiling water to cover and leave for a minute or two. Remove the tomatoes from the bowl, peel off the skins, discard, and then finely chop the flesh. Leave to one side.

Pour the olive oil into a large pan and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and soften for 10–12 minutes until lightly caramelised. While the onion is cooking, dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water, then top up with the cold water.

Stir the parsley, paprika and tomatoes into the caramelised onions and let everything sizzle for a minute or two before adding the rice, giving the grains a good stir so that they get fully coated in the tomatoes and onion. Sprinkle in the sugar, then gently pour in the stock and season with the salt and pepper. 

Allow the soup to simmer over a medium heat for around 10 minutes until the rice is cooked. Add the lemon juice a couple of minutes before you remove the pan from the heat and serve with crusty bread, adding a little more lemon juice to taste.

Meliz says: “This dish does exactly what it says on the tin, a one-pot pasta recipe that begins with a delicious tomatoey base and, in true Cypriot fashion, is finished off with a liberal coating of grated hellim (halloumi) and dried mint. Sweet caramelised onions, cinnamon and bay give the dish its essential Cypriot umami – this is a dish that is perfect served on its own, but one that goes well with a fresh and simple portion of salata (salad) on the side.”

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp coarse black pepper, plus extra to serve (optional)
• 6 tsp dried mint, plus extra to serve (optional)
• 4 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
• 500ml boiling water
• 2 bay leaves
• 300g penne pasta
• 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 150g halloumi cheese, grated, plus extra to serve (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Method

Heat the three tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick pan over a medium heat and add the onions, softening until caramelised for around 12–15 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for around a minute or two, then add the paprika, cinnamon, salt, half a teaspoon of the black pepper and two teaspoons of the dried mint and stir well. Add the tomato purée and the chopped tomatoes, stir well and reduce the heat down to the lowest simmer and let everything cook for two to three minutes while you get the stock ingredients ready. Keep checking the pan and giving it the occasional stir to make sure it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.

Add the stock cube to a large measuring jug and dissolve fully in 500ml boiling water. Fill the empty can of chopped tomatoes with cold water, add to the jug, stir, then top up with as much as necessary to bring the stock mixture up to one litre.

Add the bay leaves and the pasta to the pan, stir everything through the mixture, then pour in the stock. Stir the pasta well, bring to the boil, then reduce to a low–medium simmer for around 12–15 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the grated hellim with two teaspoons of dried mint and the remaining half teaspoon of black pepper.

Once the pasta has cooked (there should still be some juices in the pan, but the sauce should have reduced down), carefully pour it into a large serving dish, stir through the parsley, the hellim and the remaining two teaspoons of dried mint. Drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil to serve and garnish with extra hellim, dried mint and black pepper if desired.

Meliz’s Kitchen by Meliz Berg (£25, Ebury Press) is out now