Omelettes

Omelettes are one of the easiest things to make.  Essentially, they're just eggs, water and something in the middle.  For this example I'm using ham and cheese.

Whether you use two eggs or three is up to you.  I find that a three egg omelette is too much for me.  Whisk the eggs with about a tablespoon of water.  Do not use milk.  Milk changes the consistency and it won't work as well.  Water makes the egg mixture more supple and easier to work with and it won't change the flavor.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in the frying pan and have your egg mixture ready:

Pour in the egg mixture and let it cook for a few minutes over medium heat.  When the edges are done, use a spatula and pull the edges toward the center, allowing the uncooked liquid to flow to the edge of the pan.

Continue pulling the edges toward the center.  Here you can see the cooked portion bunching up in the center of the pan:

As the liquid flows to the edges of the pan it will also cook and in this way, the entire omelette will cook.  You might need to tip the pan to get the liquid to flow to the edge.  I couldn't take a picture of that because I ran out of hands.

When the omelette is cooked on the bottom, it's time to add whatever it is you want to put in it.  For this example I took a slice of ham and chopped it into small, bite sized pieces.  Beneath the ham is a slice of provolone cheese, torn into smaller pieces.  You can use just about anything for an omelette; bacon, sausage, mushrooms, onions, peppers and garlic are all good additions.  You can also add spices to the egg mixture.  I sometimes use garlic or sage.  Dill is good too.  Be adventurous and throw in a dash of basil or oregano and see what you think of the flavor. 

Notice in the picture that the filling ingredients are only on half of the omelette.  Put them on the half closest to the handle.  Then, while holding the handle with one hand, slide the spatula or turner (they're not the same thing -- look it up) under the other side and flip it up and over.

And it will look like this, only not quite so blurry.  I guess I shook the camera a little.  You can see some of the ham is coming out, which is fine.  I actually used more than I needed to, but it doesn't hurt anything.  Cook it on this side, then flip it and cook the other side.  You want the cheese to melt and the inside to completely cook.

And you wind up with a breakfast of ham and cheese omelette with toast and mango jam.  A perfect start to a Sunday morning.

Bon appétit!

Crustless Spinach (and Chicken) Quiche

Throughout most of 2016 my friend Erik was living with me.  Erik is gluten intolerant, so I needed to find recipes that I could whip up in a hurry (I never have a lot of time to cook), that would taste good and that did not contain gluten.  This is one of my favorites.

I put "and Chicken" in parenthesis in the title because you can leave it out if you prefer this to be meat-less.  It can't be vegan because it contains eggs and milk but if you're a vegetarian who eats those, just omit the chicken.

For this recipe, I'll include the chicken, so start with two boneless, skinless breasts.  If you prefer dark meat, use thighs but increase to three. 

Cut them up into bite-sized pieces, like this:

Then toss them into a frying pan coated with either olive oil or cooking spray.  I prefer the spray for this.  When they're done, they'll look like this:

Whether you include the chicken or not, the following steps will be used.  Chop an onion (or use a cup of chopped onion) and sauté it in two or three tablespoons of olive oil.  Add to the onion one 10 ounce package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed.  Cook the two together until the moisture is out of the spinach.

While the spinach is cooking, heat the oven to 350 degrees and assemble the rest of your ingredients, which are five eggs, three cups of shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of milk:

For the cheese, use any variety you like.  In the picture I used a Mexican blend.  I've also used others in the past, including Swiss and Cheddar.  Often, I prefer a blend of several cheeses because I like the way the flavors mix.  Or I use whatever is on sale.

The milk I use here is whole milk but half and half or cream will work just as well.

Mix the eggs and milk and add the spices.  I haven't mentioned these yet because I rarely use the same spices.  I recommend you start with no more than a teaspoon of each and decide if that's enough for you.  If not, the next time you make it, add more.  The spices I generally use are a combination of oregano, basil, sage and garlic powder.  I only used about a half teaspoon of garlic.  You can also use dill, marjoram and paprika.  Each one has a different flavor so it changes the finished product.  Experiment and decide which one or ones you like best.

Once the spices are mixed in, stir in the cheese and continue stirring until it's all incorporated.  Then add the onion/spinach and do the same.  Finally, if you're using chicken, add it now and blend it in with the rest.

Take a pie plate and spray it with cooking spray.  Be sure to spray all the way up the sides as well as on the bottom.

Just before putting it in the oven, it will look like this.

Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  When it's done, remove it from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting into it.  This is what the finished product looks like:

My favorite way to eat it is with Frank's Hot Wing Sauce poured all over it.  

Bon appétit!

Tomato Bisque

Essentially, tomato bisque soup is just tomato soup made with milk.  To be a true bisque it needs to be both smooth and creamy.  Substituting milk for water when making tomato soup from a can is the easiest way of making tomato bisque.

This recipe is slightly more than that, but it's just as simple.  There are only a few ingredients:

1 10 3/4 ounce can tomato soup 
Whole milk
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon basil (or 1 teaspoon fresh basil, finely chopped)

Diced tomatoes are lumpy, so to start with, we need to make the soup smooth.  In a blender, combine the diced tomatoes with the tomato soup and the basil.  Fill the soup can with whole milk and add that.  Blend the entire thing until it's smooth.  I haven't tried doing this in a food processor but that would probably work as well.

It will look like this:

Very slowly stir in the cream and using a very low heat, bring it to a simmer.

You can garnish with fresh basil sprigs and/or a dollop of sour cream.  Croutons are also a nice addition.  I'll be serving it with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Bon appétit!