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Toasted Pita & Scrambled Eggs (Fatoot Samneh) From Leah Koenig

by:
November 11, 2019
4.7
16 Ratings
Photo by BOBBI LIN. FOOD STYLIST: SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE. PROP STYLIST: Brooke Deonarine
  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Serves 2 to 4
Author Notes

While this recipe is a very good way to use up stale flatbread, it may inspire you to keep pita bread on your weekly grocery list, to make sure you're always ready for speedy breakfasts, dinners, and midnight snacks. As author Leah Koenig writes, "Mizrahi cuisine includes a category of recipes called fatoot that are made with stale flatbread that gets ripped and repurposed into something thrifty and delicious. (Fittingly, the word fatoot is Arabic for “crumbled.”) Yemenite Jews serve this dish, called fatoot samneh, of torn pita toasted in samneh (clarified butter) and scrambled with eggs on Friday mornings when preparations for Shabbat are underway and a quick, satisfying meal is needed.

Like matzo brei, it can be served sweet or savory. Either way, the toasty, fragrant pita and creamy scrambled eggs make it a satisfying breakfast worth remembering when there is extra pita lying about." Recipe slightly adapted from The Jewish Cookbook (Phaidon Press, September 2019). —Genius Recipes

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Toasted Pita & Scrambled Eggs (Fatoot Samneh) From Leah Koenig
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons clarified butter, ghee, unsalted butter, or chicken schmaltz
  • 2 pita breads (6 inch/15cm), ripped into small pieces
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • Honey, for serving (optional)
Directions
  1. In a medium nonstick frying pan, melt the clarified butter over medium heat. Add the pita pieces and cook, stirring occasionally until toasted and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and salt. Pour the eggs over the toasted pita and cook, stirring constantly, until the eggs are just set. Taste and add more salt if desired. Divide onto plates and serve drizzled with honey.
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Recipe by: Genius Recipes

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17 Reviews

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Lynn February 16, 2020
I like to throw in a bit of ham after browning the pita (which is now always in my freezer!).
Read January 25, 2020
Terrific, made it several times already. I'd been toasting the pita in a skillet as it calls for, but today tried it in my toaster oven (275F about 30 min while I did other things, stirring occasionally)—it got the pita crisper and more evenly browned. I do keep it savory and add 2 tsp fish sauce to the butter (I also reduced the butter by half, which seems to work just fine), and serve it with chili crisp (mine from Trader Joe's, but homemakeable).
VioletFlame April 30, 2021
Thanks for the tips!! :)
MadoToo January 18, 2020
I am so glad that I found this recipe, while "cleaning" my emails. It is delicious served with maple syrup. Better than matzo brei, imo.
Ashley January 2, 2020
Really great! My mods: I used a small amount of olive oil in a nonstick pan to toast the pitas. After they're fully toasted, I made a "well" in the pitas (ie cleared them to the edges as best as I could) and melted a small amount of butter into the pan - this ensures that the butter doesn't burn when toasting the pitas (I didn't have ghee), while still giving you that flavour. I then poured the eggs into the buttered well, before mixing everything together. Alternatively to get a stronger butter flavour I've mixed more of the pita itself into the butter (again near the end after most toasting is done) and then re-buttered and added the eggs.

I've also done a few diff riffs on this - my favourite is adding a dollop of greek yogurt and cholula on top. I plan to try it next with the same yogurt + Cholula combo and add in fried shallots - I think you should also fry the pita in the resulting shallot oil which would be lovely too.
Anner November 29, 2019
Just made (and consumed) with Stonefire naan. Perfect. Also, excellent blank slate for any additions you might conceive. Revelation of how easy to fry to crispy in butter.
Yvonne November 24, 2019
I’ve become obsessed with this dish! Since viewing the video a week ago, I’ve made this 5 times. I was originally a little skeptical about adding the honey but it is absolutely delicious and so quick! My new go to, thanks.
anne November 17, 2019
I couldn't believe how good this was. Reminded me of french toast but much tastier and quicker. Used whole wheat pitas for a bit of fiber and enjoyed every bite. This will definitely be a go to recipe for a quick meal anytime of the day. Thanks for the recipe!
cyanpineapple November 16, 2019
Oh my, this is wonderful. I cut down on the butter in the frying process and then drizzled it with some spiced chili butter (I like to use Burlap & Barrel's urfa chili flakes [but Aleppo would work well too] and pour bubbling hot butter over them to make an incredible spiced butter). The base recipe is wonderful and comforting and delicious, but the spiced butter really took it to another level.
Michael T. November 14, 2019
The Jewish/middle eastern version of Migas. Although instead of drizzling with honey, you spoon a little salsa over. Mom's all over the world know how to use up yesterday's stale pita/tortillas!
Robyn November 14, 2019
Why do women of this age and intelligence insist on sprinkling all their conversation with “like” ??? Really distracting and they sound self conscious....
Rosalind P. November 14, 2019
????
amyg579 November 14, 2019
She used the word "like" to compare this dish to another dish, which is a proper use for the word no matter the age or gender of the person.
Josho November 15, 2019
Used the word precisely once, and precisely appropriately. What's the problem?
Rosalind P. November 16, 2019
And even if she had used it as the verbal tic it has become, we need to get over it. Not the point of this site and didn't interfere with the message. It's now totally embedded in colloquial English. So, again, let's get over it!
bellw67 November 17, 2019
I reread the article, looking for all the "likes", only found one used properly. What the hey!
Rosalind P. November 14, 2019
Great dish. You can up the nutritional value if you use whole wheat pita. Either way a nice take on comfort food.