Scrambled Eggs with Arabic Sausage and Za’atar Toast recipe

There is nothing quite as relaxing as a late weekend eggs breakfast, or a slow breakfast on a holiday. This scrambled eggs with Arabic sausage and za’atar toast recipe gives a Middle Eastern twist to classic scrambled eggs.

After a couple of coffees and an attempt at working your way through the weekend edition of your favourite newspaper, you’re probably getting peckish. One of the things we love about a rental house or apartment over a hotel is that you can make breakfast at your leisure rather than have to rush down to the dining room with wet hair after a quick shower to find that breakfast service has ten minutes to go, the buffet looks like it has been raided by plundering pirates, and the waiters are looking at their watches as they start to prep the room for lunch.

My favourite dish to make on these lackadaisical days is simple – eggs. Eggs to me are a blank canvas. When I’m visiting a new place I try to make some breakfast eggs with a local flavour. In Spain and Mexico that would be scrambled eggs with chorizo; in France an omelette with some Gruyère cheese and perhaps mushrooms; in some parts of Italy I’ll make a frittata. Here in Dubai I’ve opted for my own version: scrambled eggs with Arabic sausage and za’atar toast. The sausages I use are small lamb ones and are very spicy. They’re readily available at the major supermarkets in Dubai. Za’atar is a spice mix that’s very popular in the Middle East. You can buy za’atar croissants for breakfast and have manaeesh bi za’atar, a type of ‘pizza’ with a za’atar topping as a late night snack. Actually, za’atar is popular any time of the day here! Thankfully, if you’re on holidays you can buy a small scoop of za’atar from Carrefour or the spice souq for less than a dollar – you don’t have to buy a giant bag of it – although you might be tempted into sneaking some home after you’ve tried my eggs! There are many variations of za’atar, but it generally includes sumac, thyme, marjoram and roasted sesame seeds. For rich, creamy and moist scrambled eggs I use a variation of the ones Gordon Ramsay does.