Recipe, chef tips & fun facts
Who doesn’t love a tasty omelet? This delicious dish consisting of fluffy beaten eggs cooked in a pan until firm, and containing yummy fillings of one’s choice, is an ideal meal for hungry individuals who don’t like to fuss or be tied to the kitchen cooking for hours. Omelets are not only fast and easy to prepare, but they are mighty in flavor and nutrition. They typically serve as a breakfast food. However, when paired with a side salad or soup, or richly filled, omelets become a complete lunch or main meal dinner dish. Here is a tasty recipe for a cheese omelet with chives. *Meat lovers may add crumbled fully cooked bacon, sausage, or diced ham to the recipe. And veggie lovers can enhance this basic recipe by adding a variety of favorite diced vegetables, such as onions, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, spinach and more.
BASIC CHEESE OMELET WITH CHIVES
Serves one
Ingredients:
- Two large eggs
- Pinch salt
- ½ Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 slices of American cheese
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped chives
Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, crack the eggs and whisk them with a fork until they are foamy. Add a pinch of salt. In a small nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the frothy eggs and turn the heat down to low. Use the spatula to gently move the cooked egg to the center, allowing the wet egg to fill the empty spaces. Cook a few minutes until ready to turn. Here are signs that your omelet is ready to flip – it will be nearly set in the center and eggs will slide around easily in your pan. When the center is nearly set, use a spatula to flip the omelet. Completely turn off the heat. Add your cheese slices and fold your omelet in half, or tightly roll it with the spatula. Put it on a plate. Top with chopped chives. Serve warm. Repeat to make more omelets.
Options:
*Add cooked meats or vegetables to your omelet as soon as you add the cheese. Then fold or roll. Not a fan of chives? Add diced tomatoes and cut avocado over top instead. Or serve plain. Prefer egg whites? Use four egg whites as a substitute for two large eggs and follow recipe directions.
Chef’s tip:
Do not skip whisking. This is the main secret to a fluffy omelet. While some recipes call for liquid to be added to omelets (e.g. water, milk, or cream) most chefs agree that it is not necessary. In fact, it may make eggs tough or slimy. Do not overload a pan or it will increase the cooking time too much and lead to a rubbery omelet. Avoid browning the omelet as this can alter the flavor and texture.
A tad bit of history:
It is true that many cultures, including the ancient Persians, Romans, and Japanese, poured eggs into heated pans and created their own versions of omelets. The French are credited with its first official use in the late 17th Century in a French cooking publication, Cuisine Bourgeoisie, using the spelling omelette. In addition, Napoleon Bonaparte, perhaps due to myth, is said to have been traveling with his army through a small town where the local innkeeper from an auberge (small hotel) served him an omelet. The story says he liked it so much that he ordered a huge one for his army the very next day. This began the annual festival of making a giant omelet for the townspeople in the southwest French town of Bessières. The 15,000-egg omelet cooked in duck fat is big enough to feed about 2,000 locals and visitors. 2023 marked the 50th year for this fun festival. And, if you’re curious, the shells are not simply tossed. They are repurposed as fertilizer and used for chicken rearing.
Fun fact:
The largest omelet ever made weighed over 14,000 pounds and used 145,000 eggs.
I’ve long been a fan of adding greens and vegetables to an omelet. My mother was not fond of greens (IMO, the healthiest crops, especially the brassicas), but she relished the veggie omelet I made a couple of times a week. That way, she would get her 2 servings of vegetables without much fussing. Since I don’t eat red meat, eggs provide decent protein.
I usually lightly sauteed half an orange bell pepper and white buttons mushrooms in butter and olive oil. Then I added the greens–dinosaur or ‘Red Russian’ kale (more tender than curly kale), spinach, arugula, mini broccoli ‘Happy Rich’, a green onion, maybe a small amount of collard greens or Swiss chard (whatever was in the garden). Again, lightly sauteed until wilted.
Then I added 2-3 eggs (with a dash of black pepper, a bit of milk), more butter, and cooked it until it was mostly done. The egg/veggie mixture was turned over, although all those veggies usually caused it to break apart. No matter. Just push the pieces back together.
In the fold, I added ripe avocado, cheese (white American or cheddar), and microgreens if I had them. Dash of salt on top. Big hit with my elderly mother. Now she’s gone, but I still make veggie omelets twice a week.
Another way I fix an omelet is with cooked fresh asparagus. Simmer thin spears in water until tender. Then add egg mixture (a bit of milk, dash of black pepper) and a couple of chopped button mushrooms over the drained asparagus. (I let the mushrooms cook a bit in hot pan with asparagus before adding eggs.) Low heat. When egg sets, add ripe avocado, microgreens or broccoli sprouts (both are super, super healthy…and so easy to grow), and some grated Romano cheese in the fold. Dash of salt when serving. Good stuff!