04.24.08
The Perfect Omelet?
I’m getting better at making omelets. Here’s what I made today. A tasty omelet with some sautéed spinach on the side.
Omelet Ingredients:
- two large eggs
- one slice of processed cheddar cheese
- five strips of half bacon (half bacon means half the length of regular bacon)
- butter
- one tomato
- pepper and salt
Sautéed Spinach Ingredients:
- olive oil
- pepper and salt
- spinach
- mashed garlic
I made the sautéed spinach according to this recipe. It turned out really well. The thing is, I used a lot of garlic—or did I?—anyway, I used a big heaping tablespoon of mashed garlic. The garlic has given me tremendous gas. Unbelievable in noise, intensity, and smell. It smells just like garlic, dammit. No wet farts, thank the gods, just straight blasts of air. Is it only me who gets gas from garlic? Not very work-friendly, to say the least.
The omelet turned out really well. I find using butter with a well-seasoned pan is the way to go. Those non-stick pans are overrated. Even with the expensive ones, the coating just does not last. From now on, I’m just sticking with a little oil or butter and a well-seasoned iron pan. I wish you could buy that cooking oil spray here. Do they carry one for olive oil back home?
With the omelet, I use a fork to beat two eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl. I add the mixture to a warmed-up, buttered-up pan, and then cook on low to medium-low heat. I then tear up the sliced cheese into small pieces and place the cheese on one side, and after that the (cooked) bacon and tomatoes. When the time is right, fold over and voila!
I found a great new way (for me) to cook bacon. Simply place a sheet of paper towel on a microwaveable plate, then lay the bacon slices on that sheet, then cover the bacon with another sheet of paper towel, tamping down on the paper towel to make sure the bacon is stuck fast. Then nuke for three minutes (with my microwave), and voila, tasty, crispy, very crispy bacon. No fuss, no muss. And a lot of the fat is drawn away by the paper towels. You do have to be careful of the occasional shred of paper towel sticking to the bacon, but otherwise, it’s the method I’m going with from now on. Love that crispy bacon!
So maybe there is a silver lining to me spending the last four-and-a-half months mostly alone: I’ve really gotten into cooking again, and I’ve gotten a lot better at it. There’s no turning back.
Last night I made some yummy chicken. Just slice chicken breast into smallish pieces, cook in a bit of canola oil at medium-low heat, and then add mashed garlic, salt and pepper towards the end. Ya gotta love cooking!
