Dates with Eggs تمر بالبيض

Have you ever had maple syrup with your eggs?  Well I know this looks and probably sounds unsual but it's really good and quite the same, the molasses-y taste of the dates goes beautifully with the eggs and makes a nice breakfast, brunch or light dinner eaten with bread, it popular in many parts of the middle east.   I

This is a simple recipe, it's really just two ingredients and you can alter it to your taste but here's how I do it: 

- 4 eggs

- 1 loose cup of whole dried dates chopped into small pieces (you cold leave them whole or buy already chopped pieces)

- Salt
- Olive oil or butter

Chop dates, set aside.

Heat pan, add some olive oil and sautee the dates on medium low, they are sugary so they can burn, keep an eye on them and this point here is just to soften them up a bit, I add a bit of water from the kettle (remove from heat, cool down and then pour water as not to burn yourself)  
Let them soften a bit until all the water evaporated and then remove and set aside. If you like that sweet/salty thing in your desserts and snacks then add a tiny sprinkling of salt to your dates like I do.

In another pan or the same one rinsed and wiped dry add some more olive oil or butter and scramble eggs very gently on medium low, seasoning with salt, just a sprinkling and adding the dates in towards the end of cooking (if you add them too early they can turn your eggs very grey - will taste fine- but this is why I use this method to keep the dish looking pretty)

Serve warm with fresh arabic style flat bread as a breakfast, brunch of part of a delicious middle eastern spread.  

This dish has that bread pudding eggy sweet souffle flavour and dates are super healthy so I think you'll like it ;-) 

 

Enjoy!