A small triumph

"For some reason, leftover omelettes always come out way tastier than by-the-book ones." atto_del_fatto/reddit

First thing to say - I did not take this photograph. It's here because I didn't think to take a photograph of yesterday night's dinner - what I call simply 'an omelette' although it should probably be called a rustic omelette. Or maybe even a frittata - which this is. When I trawled the net for a suitable approximation of what I had cooked, 'rustic omelette' brought up nothing, but 'frittata' did. Surely they are the same thing really?

We have this kind of dish at least once a fortnight, maybe even once a week sometimes, because it's an excellent way of clearing the fridge of leftovers, and now having done a bit more investigation I find that everyone does it and it's called an 'everything in the fridge omelette' or an 'out of the fridge omelette' which seems a better name, because you couldn't possibly put everything you have in the fridge in an omelette.

Yesterday in this house - well in Melbourne it was extremely hot - a Severe category fire day, for which I never really like to be at home. And so I had arranged to meet with a friend to see a French film and to just hang in Collin's Place, where the cinema is until the day had basically gone. It was a very good idea. We met at around 11.30 after a train ride into the city - and for me a slow ramble through the city - taking a few photos along the way:

Of course I did not take any photographs of the crucial part of the day, sitting in either the cinema for a rather quietly wonderful French film called Hors de Saison (Out of Season) - a sort of 'what if' or 'if only' mid-life crisis love story, or Collins Place, where Clare and I sat, for I suppose, hours, just chatting munching chicken sandwiches, and drinking excellent coffee and a glass of prosecco - which almost became two glasses of prosecco, but at around 5.30 I thought it was probably time to catch the train home and cook David something for dinner.

What a shock to venture from the air-conditioned comfort of Collins Place into the great outdoors of the city - Dubai temperatures we agreed - that late in the afternoon. Of course I just missed the right train and so it was well after six before I got home. What to cook that was quick and delicious, because David needed some dinner - and so did I? An omelette of course.

And here I will say that I am not talking about the classic French omelette as shown here by Delia. As one writer said 'If you have eggs in the fridge, then you have dinner" , and it has to be said that the simple French omelette takes just over five minutes and is divine, so why would you bother getting takeaway? David makes a pretty good variation of this - the ham omelette in which thinly sliced ham is gently warmed and then incorporated with the eggs to make a deliciously creamy dish.

I, however, prefer the 'what's in the fridge?' type. Again, as one other writer said, 'one of the reasons this is so good is that it is always different'. Herewith my process, and I am aware that I am probably preaching to the converted, but just in case...

I think my approach has evolved over the years. Initially I think I was trying to emulate the Spanish tortilla - a thick potato and egg mixture that involved tricky flipping of the whole omelette, before cooking the other side. The one shown here is from Café Delites Over time I first of all ignored the flipping bit and instead finished the omelette off under the grill - which is what I still do. Indeed, this happens once the egg mixture is added to the filling. I love watching it puff up under the very hot grill. Alas by the time it gets to the table the puff has all gone.

Gradually I began adding a few more things - maybe some onions, and some ham. But it was still really a 'from scratch' kind of dish, not a 'use up your leftovers' one. When I was cooking for four there were not many leftovers. Nowadays I find it difficult to cook for two without having leftovers. As soon as you have more than two or three ingredients in a dish you are likely to have leftovers. And an omelette is one of my favourite ways of using them up.

Generally speaking though I always begin with potatoes. Sometimes I have potatoes leftover from a roast, a traybake, a braised dish. If I haven't got any leftover potatoes I will actually chop one or two potatoes, and fry them first. I'm a potato addict, and it seems to me that eggs call out for potatoes. They are inseparable. Mind you I have yet to try the Potato crisp omelette a Ferran Adrià's invention, but here made by a French chef called Eric Fréchon. I think I have written about this before - and I really must try it sometime soon.

So yes, sometimes there are actually fresh potatoes but fried to crispy outside, soft inside perfection. And as a rule the potatoes are cooked first, and then set aside in a paper towel lined bowl. Then I add the other vegetables that I have managed to source. Although like the potatoes there are always onions. Hopefully leftover and ready-cooked, as yesterday, but if not sliced. The potatoes are added back in just before the eggs.

Last night my vegetables came from a recent tray bake with sausages. All that was left were a few of the vegetables - potatoes, fennel, onions, capsicum - and remnants of the sauce, which I think was tomatoey. I chopped them roughly and combined them with some freshly sliced stalks from the last of my bok choy. Because I was in a real hurry last night - it was almost 7.00 by the time I started to cook, I actually threw the potatoes in with the vegetables, and didn't take the time to cook them separately. Whilst these were all frying happily away in the remains of the fat from the tray-bake, the remains of the oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, plus an extra glug of extra-virgin olive oil, I quickly chopped up some slices of bacon and added them to the pan. Very occasionally I resist the temptation to throw in some kind of pork based meat - bacon, ham, salami, even sausage, but not last night.

While that was all frying away - the oven grill was turned on to it's highest setting and the eggs - five of them, were beaten in a bowl with a little milk, a crushed garlic clove and some basil leaves. There's always a herb, and always some garlic, but of course, here is where you could go mad on the flavour boosters - spices, spice mixes, chilli, spice pastes, capers, anchovies ... The whole of the spices, herbs, condiments section of your pantry or fridge is your oyster here.

I rarely add cheese I confess, although obviously you could, and indeed maybe I should try that. Not last night however - just garlic and basil. I beat them all together vigorousy with a fork as my mother showed me how to do as a child, when making scrambled eggs. When the fried vegetables are done to my liking I pour over the eggs, making sure they cover the whole pan, top with a few sliced cherry tomatoes and put under the grill, where it slowly, no quite quickly, puffs up and browns a little.

Dinner is served - and last night I would say it took about twenty minutes tops - maybe less - before we consumed it with immense pleasure, with a green salad on the side. Normally I have leftovers because David is a small eater, but last night it was all consumed - with a little HP sauce on the side for David. Hence the triumph. It must have been really good, and it took so little time. This photograph is not mine, but it could be. MIne generally look a bit like this. I see this one has some mushrooms, as do mine occasionally. All manner of things have gone into these omelettes - and their cousins the quiche - even leftover curried chicken, rice, pasta ...

To finish with a rather nice little story in a reddit conversation about 'whatever is in the fridge omelettes':

"My grandfather used to call these sauce-eggs! No idea where the name came from, but this was the only thing he'd cook. If we woke up in the middle of the night hungry, he'd rifle through the fridge for whatever he could find and throw it in a pan with some eggs. Sometimes weird, sometimes amazing, always pure love." Rypley/reddit

'Woke up in the middle of the night hungry'? What an amazing grandfather to get up in the middle of the night and cook for his grandchildren! I don't think any mother would.

I also saw that somebody said you don't even have to do the omelette thing - just fry or poach a couple of eggs and put them on top of your fried stuff. That would mean more washing up though wouldn't it? And who wants a lot of washing up on a very hot day. It didn't heat up the kitchen too much either. Like I said - a triumph of the everyday.

YEARS GONE BY

December 17

2023 - Nothing

2022 - Nothing

2021 - Nothing

2020 - Doro wat - lucky dip part 2

2019 - Recipes- to use or not to use?

2018 - Nothing

2017 - A bowl of cherries

2016 - Blanquette do veau