Eggs for dinner!

I was so happy to see this month's Cooking Light technique column focusing on mastering the omelet. How perfect that the column featured a mushroom frittata recipe - I had been hankering to make a frittata, and just so happened to have some mushrooms on hand.  It was delicious paired with some roasted potatoes (sweet and russet) and steamed asparagus. The arugula topping was a nice touch. 

Mushroom Frittata

Ingredients

• 2 ounces finely grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 8 large eggs 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided 
• 1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms 
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups baby arugula 
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice 

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. 2. Combine first 3 ingredients; add 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring with a whisk. Heat a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 6 minutes or until mushrooms brown and most of liquid evaporates. Stir in onions; sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add egg mixture and basil to pan, stirring gently to evenly distribute vegetable mixture; cook 5 minutes or until eggs are partially set. Place pan in oven. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until eggs are cooked through and top is lightly browned. Remove pan from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Run a spatula around edge and under frittata to loosen from pan; slide frittata onto a plate or cutting board.
3. 3. Combine the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, arugula, and lemon juice. Cut the frittata into 6 wedges; top with arugula mixture.

David Bonom, Cooking Light 
JANUARY 2013

My son has been getting more interested in eggs - a great protein food that is also inexpensive, versatile and quick to make. We talked about making omelets for dinner, especially since I got a new crepe pan for Christmas that is perfect for the Classic French Omelet recipe also featured in the column. So easy and fun to make - he loved helping me with it.



Classic French Omelet

Ingredients

• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided $
• 4 large eggs, divided $
• 1 teaspoon butter, divided $

Preparation

1. 1. Combine dash of salt, dash of pepper, and two eggs in a small bowl. Stir with a whisk until just blended (do not overbeat).
2. 2. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt 1/2 teaspoon butter in pan; swirl to coat. Add egg mixture to pan; cook 60 seconds or until eggs are the consistency of very soft scrambled eggs (center will still look wet), stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. Tilt pan while stirring to fill any holes with uncooked egg mixture. Run spatula around edges and under omelet to loosen it from pan. Push one end of omelet up onto front lip of pan. Roll other end of omelet toward lip to close omelet. Turn out onto a plate, seam side down. Repeat with remaining salt, pepper, eggs, and butter.
3. Nutrition Note: Eggs are naturally high in dietary cholesterol, but these omelets fit well within our fat and calorie guidelines.

Tim Cebula, Cooking Light 
JANUARY 2013

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