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Founded 05-05-05

Mountain Living

First Spring Harvest

A few cilantro plants lived over the winter and are sending up beautiful feathery shoots. The over-wintered leeks are growing into perfect thin blue green plants and the spring spinach has sweet tender leaves.

Often the first harvests are small, but so very special, and deserve to be featured on the table. If you are buying spring crops at the farmers’ market or supermarket look for the first tiny crops there, too.

Omelets are perfect for showcasing special vegetables. They are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner, make a complete meal with hot buttered toast and can be on the table in just a few minutes. Once you make a few I promise yours will be perfect and beautiful and if they look a little more like scrambled eggs while you are practicing they still taste wonderful.

Let your omelets follow the garden calendar. After spinach, use the first snow peas followed by delicate tiny squash and, then, enjoy rich roasted peppers, tomatoes and eggplant.

Spring Garden Omelet

Don’t omit the water as it makes the dish nice and fluffy. The eggs come together better when you whisk them with the salt and then let them sit at room temperature while you get the rest of the ingredients ready. Use the vegetables that are best and freshest. Featuring just one spring vegetable is lovely and it is also delicious to use a few asparagus spears along with a small bunch of thin leeks and a handful of fresh spinach leaves. I like that part so much that I often ‘load’ our omelets using way too much filling. Then, it oozes out of the sides and is wonderful. I might add more cheese, too. Swiss is very good with leeks; Parmesan with asparagus; and white cheddar is good with everything. This is much easier to make if you have a good sturdy heat-safe spatula.

4 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup (or more) fresh or cooked asparagus or snow peas or watercress or spinach or leeks or...
Unsalted butter
Extra virgin olive oil
Additional salt and pepper to season the vegetables, if using fresh
2 ounces cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or dill or cilantro or chives or...

Break the eggs into a large bowl and add the water, salt and pepper. Whisk just until combined and, then, let sit while you prepare the vegetables and the pan.
If you have leftover, cooked vegetables, warm them until piping hot. This is often easiest done using the microwave oven. Cover and cook one cup of vegetable for about 40 seconds just before adding them to the omelet. You don’t want the vegetable to cool down the eggs and keep the cheese from melting.

If you have a handful or two of fresh vegetable, often the easiest and quickest way to get them ready to become omelet filling is a quick stir-fry. Place about one teaspoon each of the unsalted butter and the olive oil and heat in a skillet. Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently until just barely crisp tender. Timing will vary depending on the type of vegetable, size and age. Fresh baby spinach will take about 15 seconds, watercress about 30 seconds and leeks about five minutes. Taste to make sure they are tender, add more seasoning if needed and keep warm.

Next, heat an eight-inch nonstick frying pan to medium hot. While you are heating the pan—and keeping the vegetables warm—grate the cheese and reserve.

Add about a teaspoon of butter along with a teaspoon of oil to the pan. Give the egg mixture another whisk, and then add half of it to the pan.

Let the eggs cook for about half a minute then start pushing them around with a spatula. You want to push the more cooked parts from around the outside of the pan into the center while letting the still runny part reach the pan so it can set, too.

Tilt the pan as needed and keep moving the eggs around for about another minute until the omelet is mostly set but still very moist. Sprinkle one quarter of the cheese over the whole omelet, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around the outside. Pile one half of the vegetable on top of the cheese and add one half of the herbs on top of that. Let cook another few seconds to set and heat through.

Shake the pan to see if the omelet moves freely or if it is sticking anywhere. Use you spatula again to run around the edge where cheese may have ‘glued’ it to the pan.

When you are sure everything has loosened hold the pan over a warmed plate and begin sliding it onto the plate. Turn the pan as it slides so the omelet folds over itself.

Keep the first omelet warm while you make the second one using the rest of the ingredients. Whisk the eggs again just before you add them to the pan. Makes two large servings. Serve warm with hot buttered toast.

To make a comment, ask a question or find out more about sources contact Amy at amycookehcp@bellsouth.net.