Omelettes

The power of easy food

In the television show The Bear,* there is a scene where Sydney, the beleaguered and hungry chef who is second in command, makes an omelette for a pregnant overworked staff member. The quiet camera work is unhurried as it follows the preparation of the ingredients, the butter, the eggs, the sprinkles of salt, the surprise of crushed potato chips, and at the end, a swirl of butter over the top of the perfectly folded omelette. Sydney has calmed, cooking this beauty, and it settles the recipient, nourishes her in a way she really needs (someone cooking for her, giving her something so delicious). Later, Sydney tells Carmy, her boss, about making it as they hurry through some other task, and his attention is focused, he asks questions, nods his head in admiration at the addition of the chips.

Omelettes were one of the first things I learned to cook. No one in my world made them at home, or even ate them at restaurants, so I’m not sure where I got the idea —maybe one of the cooks at the many restaurants I worked made one, or I happened across one at a diner with my grandmother somewhere. They’re easy, cheap, filling, nutritious. I must admit I was not skilled at first, using an awkward, two-sided pan which I think someone gave me. It wasn’t the best omelette in the world, but I persisted.

Since watching that episode of The Bear, I’ve been perfecting my omelette game. I use one egg, because eggs are actually pretty rich and two are too many. Egg whipped with salt and pepper; green onions chopped with kitchen scissors, a sprinkle of cheese all ready to go. Then good butter, heated to foaming in a pan large enough to let the egg spread out very thinly. When the middle is still wet, flip it over, spread the veggies and cheese, and roll up. Fast. The thing that ruins any egg dish is overcooking. It continues to cook on the plate so you needn’t worry about runniness (a horror to me, so I get it).

Christmas shopping last week in my local bookstore, WinterRiver Books, I spied a hefty cookbook on display. I already have way more cookbooks than I can ever cook my way through, but this one called me, The Secret of Cooking, by Bee Wilson. I hauled its massive weight home, sinking into my chair in the cold winter dark to read her homey, sensible take on cooking for a family. It’s hard to cook all the time. The planning alone! The shopping! How can a busy person really enjoy cooking when it is so much work?

Her purpose in the writing of the book is to address all of that, and help make cooking more pleasurable by making some of it easier. I wandered through the pages, enchanted, and came to a discussion of omelettes, specifically the addition of Dijon mustard to the eggs before cooking to not only add flavor but an excellent texture.

I tried it this morning, and it might be the tiptop of my omelette study this year. Egg mixed with a hefty teaspoon of Dijon mustard and salt and pepper; one chopped green onion, a few minced parsley leaves, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a tiny stream of sour cream down the middle. Hefty, filling, absolutely delicious.

Nurturing.

*If you are a fan of food or family stuff (and I think you are if you follow my work), you will love this show. One family meal in the second season is one of the best pieces of writing I’ve ever seen.