Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: crumble omelette

marzo 17, 2010

On sunday my mum and I were looking through cookbooks, searching for something that could inspire us for the weekly recipe  dedicated to the Tuscan cuisine, when I saw her eyes live up with joy: she had just found a recipe that she liked, that reminded her of a dish that my grandfather used to make for her and my aunt when they were children. What could have caught her attention, usually not inclined to be fascinated by recipes and well photographed dishes? No dainty, complex and elaborate dishes, made to impress, nothing containing ingredients difficult to find and even to pronounce … it was simply a dish that represents her well: omelette with crumbs.

This omelette is also called poor’s omelette in Siena, because it tries to bring out the best of a few ingredients, so that you can put a cheap but satisfying dinner on the table in five minutes, nothing more, nothing less. As in other dishes typical of the Sienese country – see the pici with crumbs – the hero is that leftover slice of bread that has been there for a while, too stale to be eaten but certainly not too old to be thrown or used to make food for the animals.

What has this to do with Mum? It could seem almost offensive! What I mean is that she is just like today’s recipe: she likes simple things, she’s good, commfprting and reassuring as an omelette made with fresh farmer’s egg. Mum making an omelette for dinner is a scene that is often present in my childhood memories: the sound of the beating fork in an clay dish, the deep yellow of the eggs from our hens, the sizzle of olive oil when mom pours beaten eggs into the pan, the frothy and light omelette that slowly looses all its volume in my plate, and then mum’s inevitable and desired caress.

Ingredients for an omelette:

• extra fresh eggs, 2
• milk, a few drops… let’s say 50ml
• Tuscan stale bread, 1 slice
• grated Parmesan Cheese, 1 tablespoon
• salt and pepper, to taste
• extra virgin olive oil

Beat eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper, add milk and a tablespoon of cheese. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick pan. When it is hot, crumble with your hands the slice of bread over the olive oil and make the crumbs brown, being careful not to burn them. If necessary, add another tablespoon of olive oil, wait until the olive oil is hot again and pour in beaten egg mixture. Cook until the eggs have set on the bottom, turn it and let the eggs set the other side as well.

Serve immediately as a hot unusual appetizer – cut into strips or cubes – or as a main dish, with a mixed salad and the unmissable slice of Tuscan bread.

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You should be interested also in:

1. Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: Onion Omelette
2. Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: Pumpkin Omelette
3. Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: leaf cabbage crostoni
4. Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: the “panzanella”
5. Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: cardoons

Posted in Appetizers, Family recipes, Quick Recipes, Tuscan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes