I’ve been really into hosting breakfast or brunch gatherings,  it has a casual feel to it (even though it is just as much work if not more of a dinner), but it makes for a great – long – day hanging out with family and friends.  Especially when you have kids, early lunches and breakfast gatherings seem to be the way to go, for me anyway.  As part of my newfound love fro anything breakfast, one dish that I feel is completely underrated is the Middle Eastern Makhlama.  The Makhlama is a dish of soft cooked eggs atop a skillet of ground beef with onions, parsley, tomatoes – but varies depending on the Country of origin and personal taste.  Below is one of my favourite simple versions from Iraqi for you to try.

Time:

50 min

Serves:

8

Good for:

• Breakfast
• Brunch
• Light Lunch

Ingredients:

• 8-12 Eggs
• 1 onion, diced
• ½ kg of ground beef (not minced)
• 2 tomatoes (either diced or cut into small chunks)
• 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• 1-2 Lemons (juiced)
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 pinch of Salt and Pepper to taste

Kitchen things you’ll need:

• A skillet is preferred, but a non stick large slightly deep frying pan works just the same
• Wooden spoon.

Making it:

• In the skillet or pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions to slightly cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add seasoning to taste.
• Put the ground beef into the skillet/pan and stir making sure the meat cooks in small pieces or lcusters. Cook until browned at medium to low heat for about 5-8 minutes.
• Once the meat is cooked, add the chopped parsley and lemon juice and mix.
• Then add the tomatoes, and stir with more salt and pepper to taste. Keep on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.
• Bring the heat up to medium to high heat, add the eggs on top of the mixture in individual spots. You can make little wells with a wooden spoon.
• Add a final pinch of salt, preferably sea salt then cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low.
• After about 5-10 minutes, check that the eggs are cooked with the whites becoming more solid white and the yolks are still soft and slightly runny. 
• Top with parsley and serve.

Tips/notes:

• Be creative with the topping, you can add mint, lemon wedges, or whole hot peppers (roasted) to make it look more impressive.
• Typically this dish is served with bread (either Arabic pita or rolls, but ideally slightly toasted “Iraqi samoon” from your local ethnic grocer).