Hello again, my sadly neglected blog. It's been a while. Maybe it's the winter greyness that crushes all my inspiration, for I have been just doing my normal everyday cooking and haven't found much to get enthused about.
However, a couple of days of unseasonal sunshine have whetted the old tastebuds and I've thought a little more carefully about what we've been eating and drinking, cooking mostly exactly what I feel like, even in the face of overwhelming protest from the kids. Hey, they'll thank me later.
In one of my recent posts I was on a blue cheese bender; now that phase has passed and I've moved onto the gentler, more innocent qualities of goats' cheese. I particularly enjoy it for breakfast, on thick grainy bread (only lightly toasted of course, I hate really toasted toast), with my spicy plum jam - I reckon a bit of protein in the morning is good for me.
And last night I made one of my favorite standby meals, one that is good for when the cupboard is empty,
it's cold outside and I can't be bothered heading to the shops for supplies. Or just when I feel like I need a virtuous meal to counterbalance a couple of days of overindulgence. It can be made with meagre ingredients, or can be luxed up depending on what's in the fridge. It's just a simple omelette filled with vegetables, but oh, it is good.
I first ate this omelette when we were on holiday a couple of years ago. We were shopping at the Xmas sales at a major department store and were struck by hunger. We went down to the restaurant and I ordered this and watched them make it in front of me. It was perfect, the egg cooked just right, softly oozing, and the vegetables freshly grated and seasoned with just the right amount of salt, pepper and importantly, vinegar. It's the dash of vinegar that keeps me coming back to this meal, truly. I dream about it sometimes, how good that acid tang with the sweetness of the grated carrot is.
So back to reality. Here's the recipe, make it and enjoy it with a glass of crisp white wine (for those of you that imbibe), or sparkling apple juice or whatever. Good hearty bread and a bouncy salad would make this just about perfect.
Peasant omelette, good for empty cupboard days or emotional sustenance
The basic ingredients:
fresh eggs (perhaps 4 or 5 for 2 hungry people)
carrot, grated (I had 2 small ones)
zucchini (I scrounged around and found half a zucchini, a little wrinkled but still edible)
small clove of garlic, crushed
a little butter
salt, pepper
dash of vinegar
Luxe extras:
goats cheese, brie, blue or some other cheese
marinated artichoke hearts
fresh herbs
grilled/fresh mushrooms
caramelised onions
bacon
and so forth
How:
- Grate the carrot and zucchini. Gently saute in a frying pan with a little butter and the garlic. Season, and add a dash of vinegar to taste - the sweetness of the carrot should be balanced by the salt and pepper and vinegar. Try not to eat all the filling before you put it into the omelette!
- Break the eggs into a bowl or jug and whisk. Season. Last night I had some fresh herbs (basil, coriander)with I chopped up finely and added to the eggs - very delicious.
- Melt a knob of butter into a frying pan and swirl about. Tip in the eggs and swirl again. Leave for a minute over a moderate heat to form a base so that the vegetables don't fall through.
- Spread the vegetable mix over half of the omelette. If you are using cheese etc arrange these over the veges now. Of course, I used goats' cheese, and it melted perfectly.
- Cook until the eggs are almost set, then tip the pan and flip the half of the omelette without the filling over the half with the filling. Cook a little more until the omelette is just cooked, a little oozy but not dry.
- Slide out of the pan, divide and serve hot, at once.
I enjoyed last night's omelette so much I could eat it again, right now...
Comments