Aucbvax.6083
net.cooks
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!upstill
Fri Feb 5 09:03:10 1982
What to do with eggs
Eggs I: Omelets
I'm glad somebody mentioned eggs, one of my favorite axes to grind.
Eggs are definitely an underrated food. Their protein is not only the most
complete you can buy, but nearly the cheapest, both monetarily
and calorifically. Nothing can get dinner on the table faster
than an egg, and they are versatile, as well. Not only that, but
they keep forever in the refrigerator.
Re cholestrol: Dietary cholesterol is on the outs as a perceived danger.
According to a doctor friend, high blood cholesterol, even though it is
linked to heart disease, is mostly genetic, and diet only has a peripheral
affect (I believe she said it was only 10% reducible under dietary control).
You can have an omelet for breakfast or dinner. If you're used to
vast quantities of meat at dinner, you'll be surprised at how effectively
a two-or-three egg omelet and a couple of vegetables will fill you up.
Omelets are easy as pie, too, and will take just about anything in the
way of filling. Plus, who ever heard of getting an omelet pan for
Christmas?
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Your Basic Omelet
2 eggs
maybe, a teaspoon of water
1 Tablespoon butter
a dash of salt and pepper
Some variety of non-stick pan is pretty important, either seasoned cast
iron, teflon, or even a dedicated egg/omelet pan (if you have eggs once
a week or so, this isn't nearly as extravagant or ridiculous as, say,
a crepe pan).
Anyway, heat the pan under a medium high heat. The idea is to get
the cooking over with. Melt the butter in the pan, and whilst it melts,
beat the eggs, [water], salt and pepper with a fork a dozen strokes or so
(it doesn't take much). When the butter foam subsides and it's almost
ready to brown, dump in the eggs. Let them sit a moment to congeal on the
bottom of the pan. Then, with the back of the fork on the bottom of the
pan, swirl gently around. The idea is to make get the runny part to the
bottom of the pan without scrambling the eggs. Alternatively, you can push
the congealed part out of the way and let the runny part get to the pan.
Stop stirring when the egg doesn't run anymore. Let it sit there cooking until
tinged with brown on the bottom and set (but still moist) on top. You can
flip it over in the pan (a process which is immensely aided by the
aforementioned non-sticky pan), on its way from pan to plate (slide it
halfway out onto the plate then flip the panside edge over with the pan.
The process is much easier than I've described it. The whole idea is just
to have a lightly browned outside and a creamy center without making the
thing tough from overcooking. All failures are perfectly edible, though, so
fear not.
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Fillings
---almost any cheese goes well in omelets, from cream cheese to a sharp
Swiss. To my mind the best is a mild Swiss, followed by Cheddar, and
Jack
---fresh herbs of any kind, particularly basil and parsley
---slices of avocado
---fried, crumbled bacon
---grated Parmesan cheese goes well with almost any filling
---sauteed mushrooms
---or, this stuff:
Mediterranean Omelet
for 2
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
..sautee these for a couple of minutes. Then add
1/2 cup or more canned tomatoes, chopped
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
Let it cook for a few minutes while you fix two omelets, as above, but
substituting olive oil for the butter. Fill them with this stuf and enjoy!
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