"Yemeni Susi" with Cheese

Yemeni Susi has many varieties. The base is bread and whisked eggs. I grew up eating the savory version with thin layers of bread, eggs and milk, with lots of ghee or butter. Some Yemenis have it with honey. I have a great traditional recipe in my Sifratna cookbook.

I learned this shortcut savory variation with cheese from my aunt, and I think I've perfected it. It tastes amazing right out of the oven, a few hours later, re-heated, and even straight out of the fridge.

This is a great dish for brunches, potlucks, and meal-planning.

Ingredients:

Makes 8 servings in a 9x13 dish

5 - 6 large eggs بيض

1/2 cup half and half نص كباية كريم

1/2 cup ghee نص كباية سمن مذوب

3/4 cup milk ثلاث ارباع كباية حليب

Salt & Pepper ملح و فلفل

1 -2 cups creamy feta جبنة فتا كريمي

1 - 2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese جبنة تشدر مبروشة

1 cup finely chopped parsley كباية بقدونس مفرومة

Thin pastry sheets (I used Turkish Burek sheets) عجبنة البريك التركية

Extra ghee سمن لدهن الصحن

Nigella seeds حبة سوداء

Sesame seeds سمسم

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Directions

1. Melt ghee in the microwave.

2. Whisk eggs, half and half, milk, ghee, salt, and pepper in a deep dish.

3. Brush leftover melted ghee all over your baking dish.

4. Dip pastry sheets into egg mixture and gently arrange on the bottom of your baking dish. It is ok if they rip. Start with two layers of soaked pastry (I used a total of 4)

5. Sprinkle shredded cheese and scatter small bits of the creamy feta. Sprinkle with a little bit of parsley.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you reach 50%-75% of your baking dish. The final layer should be the soaked pastry sheets.

7. Pour remaining egg mixture on top and use a spoon to pull the sides so that the egg mixture can drip down.

8. Garnish with black nigella and sesame seeds.

9. Bake in preheated oven (375F), uncovered, for 20 minutes. Crank heat up to 400F and continue baking until the susi puffs up and is golden brown. (This took me about another 15 minutes). Keep a close eye on it.

10. Let it rest for 5-7 minutes before cutting and serving. It will deflate slightly.

Tips

1. To reheat, cut the susi into large squares and toast in a toaster oven for 3-5 minutes.

2. Garnish with tomato salsa or hot sauce for an extra kick.

3. Cut into squares and store in glass containers for easy weekday breakfasts.

4. If you feel like you are running out of the egg mixture, just add an extra egg and a splash of milk.

5. If you can't find creamy feta, opt for some stiff cream cheese, milk goat cheese, or a creamy Bulgarian cheese. Some goat feta cheeses may be too salty - so be careful not to over-do it.