Baking ingredients make an omelet light and fluffy

baking

Baking ingredients make an omelet light and fluffy

The light and fluffy texture of this baked omelet comes from the addition of a few ingredients borrowed from the baking cabinet. It is flavored with the classic combination of ham, bacon, peppers and onions, appealing to both kids and adults. If you’d prefer, other fillings — such as mushrooms and Swiss cheese — work fine, too. Whatever you choose, be sure to cook any vegetables or meat before adding to the recipe.

To get a jump on this the night before, the vegetables can be cooked ahead of time. For single servings, the mixture can be baked in individual ramekins.

 

Western Omelet Bake

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, cored and chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, cored and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup chopped ham

16 ounces cottage cheese

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

10 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese, divided

 

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onion, both bell peppers and the jalapeno. Saute until the onion is translucent and the peppers are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Mix in the bacon and ham, then set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, process the cottage cheese, flour and baking powder until completely smooth. Add the eggs, salt and pepper, then process again.

With the processor running, add the butter. Add this egg mixture to the large bowl with the meat and vegetables. Add 1 cup of the shredded cheese and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake for 45 minutes, or until puffed, set and golden around the edges. Serves 8.

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Southwestern Potato and Celery Omelet

Southwestern Potato and Celery Omelet

 

For each omelet:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 stalk celery, cut in small dice

1 small potato (1 1/2 ounces), cut in 1/4-inch dice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 serrano pepper, minced (seeded if desired)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon low-fat milk

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) grated Monterey Jack

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium-high heat in an 8-inch omelet pan and add the celery. Cook 1 minute, until it begins to soften, and add the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring often, until potatoes are lightly browned and just about tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the chili and continue to cook, stirring, until the potato is tender, another 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Break the eggs into another bowl and beat with a fork or a whisk until they are frothy. Whisk in the milk, chives, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Return the omelet pan to medium-high heat. Add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Hold your hand an inch or two above the pan, and when it feels hot, pour the eggs into the middle of the pan, scraping every last bit into the pan with a rubber spatula. Swirl the pan to distribute the eggs evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the omelet with the spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking.

4. As soon as the eggs are set on the bottom, sprinkle the potato mixture down the middle of the “pancake” and top with the Monterey Jack, then jerk the pan quickly away from you then back toward you so that the omelet folds over on itself. If you don’t like your omelet runny in the middle (I do), jerk the pan again so that the omelet folds over once more. Cook for a minute or two longer. Tilt the pan and roll the omelet out onto a plate.

Another way to make a 2-egg omelet is to flip it over before adding the filling. Do this with the same motion, jerking the pan quickly away from you then back toward you, but lift your hand slightly as you begin to jerk the pan back toward you. The omelet will flip over onto the other side, like a pancake. Place the filling in the middle. Then use your spatula to fold one side over, then the other side, and roll the omelet out of the pan.

Yield: 1 serving.

Advance preparation: You can cook the celery and potato mixture several hours before you make the omelet.

Nutritional information per serving: 361 calories; 8 grams saturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 385 milligrams cholesterol; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 280 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 17 grams protein.

 

Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”



Cheese & eggs with Bill & Sheila
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The Perfect Omelette and How to Cook It

omelette

The Perfect Omelette and How to Cook It

author:Michael Sheridan

Omelette
They’re easy to cook, right?
We’ll see.

In cuisine, an omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat (often ham), or some combination of the above. To obtain a fluffy texture, whole eggs or sometimes egg whites only are beaten with a small amount of milk or cream, or even water, the idea being to have “bubbles” of water vapor trapped within the rapidly cooked egg. Some home cooks add baking powder to produce a fluffier omelette; however, this ingredient is sometimes viewed unfavorably by traditionalists. The bubbles are what make the omelette light and fluffy.
Omelettes may be only partially cooked on the top side and not flipped, even prior to fold.

The first thing to remember is that you need the right size of frying pan. This is more important than you may think. Too large, and the omelette will dry out; too small, and it will not cook through.

As a basic guide, you need a 15 centimetre pan for a two-egg omelette and a 25 centimetre pan for a four to six egg omelette. That is, 6 in. and 10 in.
respectively. Which, handily enough, is pretty much the size of pans you should have in your kitchen anyway.

The second most important thing is not to beat the eggs.

I’ll repeat that for all of those chefs out there who think they can cook an omelette : do NOT beat the eggs.

Instead, abandon the habits of a lifetime and stir the yolks into the whites using a knife blade. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Warm your empty pan through on a moderate heat, add a good knob of butter, turn up the heat and swirl it round to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.

When the butter is foaming pour some into the egg mixture, stir it in and then immediately pour the eggs into the pan.

Shake the pan to spread the mixture evenly. Now, using a fork or thin spatula, draw the cooked egg away from the edge of the pan and let the uncooked liquid run into the space created.

When the omelette is almost cooked, but the surface is still soft and liquid, flip one edge of the omelette towards the centre of the pan so that it folds over. Then slide the unfolded edge onto a warmed plate, rolling the folded edge over the top of it as you do so.

An omelette cooked in this way requires no filling, except perhaps some fresh, chopped, herbs added to the egg mixture about 15 minutes before cooking.
What’s that? Oh yes, all right; if you must you can use olive oil instead of butter.

author:Michael Sheridan

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Cheese & eggs and the perfect omelette with Bill & Sheila