The Dish That Made Nigella Lawson Change Her Mind About An Eggy Combination

One reason we love Britain's domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson, is because she's open about her feelings, especially when it comes to food. She's been quoted expressing her fondness for kale and avocado — "I love kale and I'm an avocado obsessive," she said on "Women's Hour," via Hello! — and talking about her love of a rather simple supper: "The best meal in the world is bread and cheese." 

In an April 25 tweet, she revealed she had originally been averse to a particular food combination, but that changed because of one dish. She said: "Strapatsada is #RecipeOfTheDay. Before I ate this, I was vehemently opposed to tomatoes with eggs, but this is just so good! And it makes for an easy Monday supper, too."

The recipe Lawson links to in her social media post is of Greek origin, and she says: "I was initially hesitant about this, as the notion of tomatoes mixed into scrambled eggs didn't seem appealing. But the thing is, it doesn't quite taste like that. This is what cooking is all about: what the ingredients do together in the pan, not what they sound like on the page. A simple alchemy."

Fans were divided over Nigella Lawson's original opposition to eggs and tomato being served and enjoyed at the same time. One social media user tweeted back: "Tomato with egg is the most-loved homecooked dish of China, big part of my childhood. Love seeing food be expressed through culture and this is a good example!" Another appeared to agree with the chef, saying: "Speaking as someone who, on an English breakfast, has to have the eggs segregated from the tomato by a Berlin wall of sausage and bacon, lest they touch slightly and render the whole plate inedible, I'm going to give this a go right now," referring to the strapazzare Lawson had recommended in her post. He came back and later gave the dish two thumbs up, saying: "this is absolutely delicious. I was expecting that foil-on-fillings flavour of tomato or (shudder) bean juice on egg, but this is nothing like that."

Others shared their own memories of enjoying the eggy tomato dish, with one tweeting back: "My grandma used to make this delicious dish for supper back at home in Northern Greece. It was garnished with goats cheese and olives. It was such a delicious, comforting meal, especially when it was scooped up with freshly baked bread."

To make Lawson's eggy tomato dish, you'll want a sharp, crumbly cheese such as the Greek xynotyro, feta, or wensleydale, in addition to the egg and tomatoes.