RECIPE: KENT TURKISH-STYLE EGGS
Food influencer Ella Kitto creates a Mediterranean flavour for a Kentish spring
THE DISH
This is a beautiful light recipe, perfect for a spring brunch - a beautiful celebration of seasonal Kentish ingredients. Make sure you use the freshest eggs you can find!
When three-cornered leek is in season, I add it to almost every savoury dish I eat - it looks pretty and is a brilliant introduction to foraging. It’s a fast-growing invasive plant, so you can pick it to your heart’s content! Just make sure you don’t pull up the roots.
IDENTIFYING THREE-CORNERED LEEK
Three-cornered leek smells and tastes very similar to spring onions or chives. The stems are triangular and about 20cm tall, while the flowers are like little white bluebells. It is similar to other plants that are not edible - please be careful. If you’re unsure, please feel free to message me on Instagram and I’ll be happy to help you to identify it.
Three-cornered leek.
INGREDIENTS
[Serves 2)
400g plain yoghurt (I use Hinxden Farm Dairy)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped/minced
A pinch of salt
4 fresh free-range eggs (I use Woodlands Farm)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil (I use Kentish Oils)
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
Small bunch of dill
Foraged three-cornered leek
Sourdough, for mopping up! (I use Basement Bakehouse)
METHOD
Make the yoghurt base:
1. Heat a small saucepan of water to a simmer
2. Add the yoghurt and garlic together in a heat-proof bowl and place over
the saucepan to heat through and whisk
Poach the eggs:
1. Cook the eggs one at a time. Crack one into a small bowl
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and stir to create a well
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat, gently tip the egg into the middle
and cover quickly
4. Poach for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and place in a
bowl
5. Put the saucepan back on the heat and repeat with the other eggs
Make the chilli oil
Toast the chilli flakes in a medium-hot, dry pan for a minute, then add the
rapeseed oil.
Assemble
Pour the warm, garlicky yoghurt into bowls and gently top with the poached
eggs. Drizzle with the hot chilli oil and sprinkle with salt, to taste. Add
chopped dill and three-cornered leek and serve immediately. A chunk of
fresh sourdough makes a delicious accompaniment.
ABOUT ELLA KITO
Ella Kitto is a content creator based in north-west Kent. She has a passion for local, seasonal produce and supporting small artisan producers.
She loves cooking, eating and creating colourful tablescapes and enjoys a windswept walk, keeping her eyes peeled for wildlife and forageable additions to her culinary creations. At the weekends, Ella creates recipes for Kent Veg Box, inspiring people to use seasonal produce creatively. During the week she is the marketing and content manager for the Quality Food Awards.
