Egg and Halloumi Breakfast Plate Recipe

This recipe brings me back to the “eggs in a hole” I came to love as a child. But instead of bread, this grown-up version cracks the egg onto a slice of grilled halloumi! This recipe highlights two key Mediterranean ingredients we tend to shy away from at breakfast time: vegetables and spices. Yet fragrant za’atar, wilted spinach and bursting tomatoes make this dish a flavorful and colorful way to start the day. — Vanessa Perrone

AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Join Now

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1 cup packed baby spinach
• Salt and pepper
• Two ½-inch-thick slices halloumi
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon za’atar, store-bought or homemade (see Kitchen Tip)
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Appetite Books by Random House/Penguin Random House

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch non-stick skillet set over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and spinach, then season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute or until the spinach has wilted and the tomatoes have slightly softened. Transfer to a plate.

In the same skillet, sear the halloumi on one side until golden brown. Flip the halloumi and crack one egg onto each slice of cheese. Sprinkle the eggs with the za’atar.

As the egg whites begin to harden, add a splash of water to the outer rim of the pan to create steam, then quickly cover with a lid. Cook until the egg whites are firm but the yolks are still runny, about 2 minutes. Serve alongside the vegetables.

Kitchen Tip: Za’atar is a fragrant blend of oregano, thyme, sumac and sesame. With its herbaceous notes and slight acidity, this blend goes well with a variety of foods. You can find it in the spice section of your grocery store or make your own with the recipe below.

Za'atar:

Use this spice mix as a garnish on hummus, yogurt, mixed with extra virgin olive oil for dipping bread, or to season roasted vegetables, salad, meat ... you name it!

Makes about ¾ cup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• ¼ cup dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons sumac
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

In a small, dry skillet toast the sesame seeds until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. In a spice grinder, pulse the oregano and thyme. Add to the bowl with the sesame, along with the sumac and salt, and stir to combine. Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

Excerpted from Everyday Mediterranean by Vanessa Perrone. Copyright © Vanessa Perrone. Photographs by Ariel Tarr. Published by Appetite Books by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.