Nothing welcomes the weekend like the smell and sound of a cracklings herb Ijeh in olive oil on the stovetop. This thin herb frittata like, is a delicious mixture of eggs and Herbs. In Palestine it’s often made with finely chopped parsley and onions. I like the addition of fresh mint, jalapeños and garlic. A sprinkling of allspice and sumac might sound weird but is so delicious in this egg dish. When I was little we often sang songs about siti’s (grandmas) house and the ijeh cooked in olive oil. Ijeh is often eaten with warm pita bread, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Ijeh Ingredients:
6 organic eggs
2-3 tbls of good quality olive oil
3 tbls of chopped fresh mint
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
4 spring onions chopped or chopped chives
1 clove of garlic finely minced
2 tbls of milk, heavy cream or half and half
Salt and pepper
Pinch of allspice
Jalapeños and feta cheese (optional)
Sprinkle of sumac at the end
Directions:
Mix the eggs With the cream salt and pepper, add the herbs. Pre heat a non stick pan add one tbls Of olive oil to coat the bottom. Add a ladle or 1 cup of the egg mixture and spread gently by shaking the Pan. it's a thin frittata so it cooks real quick.
This batch will make 2-3 ijeh depending how big and thin you like them. In the Middle East we stuff it inside a pita pocket.
Siti's folkloric song on olive oil and Ijeh. Lyrics are in Arabic and talks about all the things you can make by adding olive oil. A childhood favorite song that my my grandmother and my mother sang for us growing up and in return we sang to our children.
