If Heaven Has A Taste..........

                                'Eggs may be dressed up in a multiplicity of ways
                                 But seldom more relished in any form than in
                                 A well made, expeditiously served omelette.'
                                 - Eliza Acton

You know sometimes the beauty of simple ingredients can be eclipsed by what we can now say is an era of plenty, pretty much everything is available to us, from ingredients from around the world, to fast food and takeaways. It was a different story when I was a child, my mother shopped on a daily basis, she bought what was available in the butchers, could only buy seasonal fruit and veg, and a loaf of bread had to be bought daily as it would be hard the following day. We had a fish and chip shop but a takeaway meal was a luxury rather than the norm and we certainly didn't graze on chocolate, cakes and crisps in between meals, again these were rare treats.

Eggs were always included in mum's repertoire on a weekly basis, I loved her humble pie, a soufflé of sorts, the recipe of which went to the grave with her sadly. Eggs were a cheap alternative to meat and fish and to this day I still love egg and homemade chips!

Children being what they are, we were fussy about particular foods, however, the mantra was: you've got two choices, eat your dinner or go without! There was no back up supply of ready meals and you ate what you were given. My cousin Stephen didn't like eggs as a little boy so my ingenious aunt came up with the idea of serving him an omelette in the guise of a 'western'. Stephen 'the cowboy' was duped every time!

               From left: Stephen, Matthew and my brother David, the cowboys!

The sensual pleasure of eating belongs to 'everyday' life and my mother and mother's everywhere spent time ensuring their meagre rations were lovingly transformed into delicious meals. An omelette or tortilla is an inexpensive dish to make, however, I have eaten jooshed up omelettes with all sorts of added ingredients, smoked salmon, fresh herbs, wild mushrooms............ many restaurants now consider their omelettes and soufflés as a luxury meal to be served with a seasonal salad and a good bottle of wine.

I often make Bert a quick omelette as a stop-gap when he's rushing between work, football, the gym and god alone knows where, consequently I had photos on file. But writing this post got my gastric juices flowing and mid post I've just stopped to make myself a cheese omelette. I'm glad I did because it reminded me of how comforting and delicious this simple 3 egg dish really is!

Omelette

Recipe
Per person
2-3 free range eggs
Butter
Oil
Salt and pepper
Grated cheese

Break eggs into a bowl, season and combine
On a medium heat, warm a mixture of butter and oil, a teaspoon of each
Turn heat up, when butter is foaming, pour the eggs into the pan

Now tilt the pan to and fro spreading the eggs evenly over the pan
After 5 seconds a bubbly frill will appear around the edge, using a spoon draw the edge of the omelette into the centre, the liquid egg will fill the space, tip the pan the other way and do the same thing

When there is only a small amount of liquid left add cheese

Now speed is of the essence, flip one side of the omelette over the other and tip onto a plate, serve immediately!

An omelette will continue cooking even when removed from the heat, it's imperative that you don't cook it dry, an omelette should be light and squidgy there is nothing worse than the texture of an overcooked omelette, much like eating an old school rubber.

Alternatively and for a more substantial omelette you could first fry off some thinly sliced potatoes and add to your egg mixture

Next time you're stuck for something to eat, rustle up an omelette, you won't be disappointed!

'Oh god above, if heaven has a taste it must be eggs with butter and salt, and after eggs is there anything in the world lovelier than fresh warm bread and a mug of sweet golden tea?'
-Frank McCourt

Love Donna xxxx