Wednesday Recipe - Old-Fashioned Bread Omelet

So, I'm going vegetarian for Lent. (Well, mostly vegetarian. Per Lenten tradition, I can have fish on Friday, and since Sunday is always a feast day even during a fasting season, I get meat on Sundays.) My goal is to be more mindful about how I treat my body, both as a spiritual discipline and to kickstart my health goals for the next year or so.

Therefore for the next seven weeks, my recipes of the week will be vegetarian. I'll start off with one of my go-to comfort meals from the More With Less Cookbook:

Old-Fashioned Bread Omelet
(4 servings)

Combine and soak 15 minutes:
- 1 c. bread cubes
- 1/2 c. milk

(The recipe doesn't specify a type of bread, but I like to use a firm white bread, like day-old French bread. Basically, anything that would work well for French toast, though since this is a savory recipe you probably wouldn't want to go with brioche or challah.)

Preheat oven to 325F.

Combine in bowl:
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 c. grated cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- bread and milk mixture

(The recipe doesn't call for pepper. I always give it a few healthy grinds' worth anyway. It also doesn't specify a type of cheese. I use whatever I have on hand, usually cheddar or a Mexican blend, though the time I started the recipe before realizing all I had was parmesan turned out just fine too.)

Heat in oven-proof skillet:

- 1 T. butter

Pour in egg mixture and cook over medium heat without stirring, about 5 minutes. When set and beginning to lightly brown underneath, place pan in oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking on top. Turn out onto hot platter, folding omelet in half. (Or, if you're me, just dish it straight onto your serving plates.)

----

Simple, comforting, and hearty. The bread gives the omelet a certain extra robustness that's nice if you have texture issues with the squishiness of eggs. (I do--I'm adventurous with trying new flavors, but I have Texture Issues.) Outside of Lent, there's a good chance I'd go full-on breakfast for dinner and serve bacon, sausage, or ham with this. And it's equally good with a savory vegetable side--I like to quick-cook some kale or spinach in a little olive oil with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and some cider vinegar and/or lemon juice--or with whatever fruit suits your fancy.

Random Cookbook of the Week: Old-Fashioned Bread Omelet from More With Less

After a somewhat crazy summer with writing and editing deadlines, I'm starting to settle into a more normal schedule again...which means I have time again to challenge myself to cook a new recipe from a randomly selected cookbook from the 64 (yes, 64!) currently on my bookshelf.

This week I drew the More With Less Cookbook, one I also cooked from on my previous version of this challenge. That time it was winter, so I made a nice hearty lentil-sausage soup--which wasn't venturing far out of my comfort zone, since this cookbook is my go-to source for lentil dishes.

But this time I tried something I've never attempted before: an omelet. (I know, I know. I developed a taste for eggs relatively late in life, so I'm just now developing my cooking techniques for them.)

Old-Fashioned Bread Omelet

Combine and soak 15 minutes:
 - 1 c. bread cubes (I used fancy-schmancy farmers market organic white sandwich bread)
 - 1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Combine in bowl:
 - 4 eggs, beaten
 - 1/4 c grated cheese (I used medium cheddar)
 - 1/2 t. salt
 - bread and milk mixture
 - (I also added a bit of freshly ground pepper because this cookbook runs bland)

Heat in skillet:
 - 1 T margarine (I used butter because it tastes better AND is healthier)

Pour in egg mixture and cook over medium heat without stirring, about five minutes. When browned underneath, place pan in oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking on top. Turn out onto hot platter, folding omelet in half.

Note that this assumes you have an oven-safe frying pan. If all of yours have plastic handles, this recipe will be right out for you. We have a nice set of stainless steel, picked up at a bargain because it had been the store's display set, which I love for having a sort of double robustness--you can cook almost anything in them AND throw them in the dishwasher. Way too many quality pots and pans aren't dishwasher safe, IMHO. Just because I'm something of a foodie doesn't mean I have all the time in the world at my disposal, nor that I enjoy the cleaning up part of the process.

So, anyway, this isn't the prettiest thing I've ever cooked, not by a long shot. It fell apart when I tried to fold it:

But it was quite amazingly tasty in a comfort-food sort of way. The bread gave it sort of a savory French toast effect. I'm sure you could vary the flavor considerably depending on what type of bread and/or cheese you chose. The cheddar didn't impart a very strong flavor, which was fine by me, but if you like your cheeses cheesy, you'll probably want a sharp cheddar or other strong hard cheese.

I think using good white bread was the right choice. Poor-quality white bread wouldn't have soaked up the egg and milk while still maintaining its breadly integrity the way this did, and a whole wheat, sourdough, rye, or whatever would've overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the eggs. (Sheesh. I sound like a judge on Iron Chef or Chopped.)

You can barely see it in the picture, but I accompanied the omelet with quick-cooked chard flavored with garlic, salt, pepper, and white balsamic vinegar. The combo worked, but really I think just about any bright, strong flavor would pair well with the omelet, not least such traditional breakfast goodies as bacon, ham, and fresh fruit.

I'm sure I'll make this again. It's quick, simple, nutritious, and tasty all at once.

Random Cookbook of the Week - More With Less

This week's random cookbook was More With Less, a Mennonite cookbook that was the go-to frugalista recipe source among my Presbyterian church community immediately post-college. I don't cook with it so much anymore. I still love its message, but the flavors NSM. I like my food a bit brighter and spicier, and if I'm going for comfort food, I'm more likely to delve into my own heritage and get Southern. Mm, barbecue...fried chicken...buttermilk biscuits...sweet tea...

(I do have one best-beloved recipe from More With Less, a mild curry called Pakistani Kima. But I rarely make it because Mr. Fraser hates curry. Whenever he goes to a tech conference, the first night he's away I cook kima and then have the leftovers for lunch all week. When I'm at a writers' conference, he does the same thing, but with tuna casserole. The first night part is key, since it gives plenty of time for the curry/canned fish smell to dissipate by the time the curry/canned fish hater gets home.)

But this week Mr. Fraser is at home, and anyway the point is to try new-to-me recipes, so I made:

Hearty Lentil-Sausage Soup

1 lb. pork sausage, broken into chunks
2 med. onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 med. parsnips, cut into chunks (optional) - I used two, because I kinda suspect that our grocery store's parsnips run bigger. Four would've overwhelmed the recipe.
2 c. lentils
1 T. salt
1/2 t. marjoram
2 c. cooked tomatoes or juice
2 qt water

Brown sausage in large kettle. Remove meat and pour off most of the drippings. (The recipe calls for pouring off all but 1/4 c. of drippings, but I don't think Jimmy Dean makes sausage that fatty anymore.)

Add onions, garlic, and parsnips. Cook 5 minutes or until onions and garlic are tender.

Add remaining ingredients, including browned sausage. Simmer 30 minutes or until tender. Serve with bread. (The recipe suggests placing a bread slice in each bowl and pouring soup over bread, but I decided I'd rather have it on the side.)

Here it is:

It's...pretty good. Not a "wow" kind of recipe, but hearty and wintry and filling.