Strapatsada (Greek Tomato Scrambled Eggs)

This is the dish I make every August when the tomato plants finally give up all their fruit at once and the counter is buried in more tomatoes than a normal family can reasonably eat. It is a Greek island staple, humble enough for a Tuesday and good enough that nobody at the table treats it like a consolation prize.

The technique is what sets it apart from other tomato-and-egg dishes. You grate whole tomatoes on the coarse side of a box grater, skins left behind in your hand, then simmer the pulp down until it turns jammy and concentrated before the eggs ever go in.

It is a cousin of Turkish Menemen (recipe on the site), but strapatsada skips the peppers and leans harder on the tomato, often finished with crumbled feta instead of built around it.

We eat this most Sunday mornings in summer, and Sofia has made it a hard rule that there must be crusty bread on the table for dragging through the leftover sauce, a rule I have no interest in breaking.

Strapatsada Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes · Cook time: 15 minutes · Total: 25 minutes · Servings: 3 to 4 · Calories: ~280 per serving

Ingredients

• 4 large ripe tomatoes, halved and grated on a box grater (skins discarded), or 2 cups crushed tomato
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 6 eggs
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta (optional)
• Crusty bread, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. If using onion, saute until soft, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the grated tomato and oregano. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, until thickened and jammy.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Crack the eggs directly into the pan, or whisk them lightly first for a creamier, more uniform curd.
5. Stir gently over medium-low heat until the eggs are softly set, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not overcook, they should still look a little glossy.
6. Top with the feta, a little extra olive oil, and a crack of black pepper.
7. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Recipe Notes

• Grating the tomato instead of chopping it gives a smoother sauce and leaves the tough skin behind, which is worth the extra step.
• Ripe summer tomatoes make the best version of this, but good canned crushed tomato works fine the rest of the year.
• Whisking the eggs first gives soft, creamy curds; cracking them in whole gives bigger, more rustic pieces. Both are traditional.
• Feta is optional but genuinely recommended, it cuts the sweetness of the cooked-down tomato nicely.