Omelette With Fresh Herbs And Cheese....

There is a real art to making the perfect omelette. I will confess that I haven’t quite mastered it yet (they tend to be a bit on the mangled side), but I do like to try. For me the key ingredients in any omelette (aside from the eggs) are fresh herbs, freshly ground black pepper and some grated cheese. That’s really all you need for a perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner! Well actually add some freshly sliced tomatoes and a few slices of whole meal toast on the side, and you’re away!

Unfortunately our tomatoes aren’t ready for eating yet – but they are getting there. So for this meal we used tomatoes from our local farm shop. I really can’t wait till we can use our own!

Luna Raye’s Recipe For A Fresh Herb and Cheese Omelette.

Ingredients

6 eggs (I always used organic and free range).

Fresh Herbs:1 Tablespoon Sage finely chopped.

3 Tablespoons Curly Parsley finely chopped.

3 Tablespoons Tarragon finely chopped.

4 Tablespoons Chives finely chopped.

¼ Cup of grated mature cheddar cheese, (You can also use Gruyere).

Salt and some freshly ground black pepper to taste.

3 – 4 Vine tomatoes sliced and served on the side.

A few slices of buttered wholemeal toast cut into triangles.

Directions

Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk.

Add the grated cheese and the chopped herbs and mix together.

Season with some freshly ground salt and pepper.

Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and when melted add the egg mixture. It’s important NOT to let the butter brown as this means the pan is too hot.

While the mixture is cooking use a spatula to lift the edges of the omelette so that some of the uncooked mixture runs underneath.

When the omelette is set (or a golden brown colour) underneath it’s time to flip it over. It will still be slightly runny on top and as you flip it, it will finish cooking through.

This is usually where I cross my fingers and hope for the best (or more likely I call my husband in to deal with it so that I can go and pour the wine!)

NOTE: Tonight I finally realized where it was all going wrong. For too long I was trying to cook ‘Kent’s biggest omelette’ in my kitchen. This is NOT a good idea and it makes omelette management very tricky. More often then not a large portion of it ends up on the stove top (which I then have to clean – not fun!). So the key to success is a smaller pan and cooking each omelette individually.

Have fun experimenting with different herbs and above all – enjoy!

Fresh herbs for my omelette; Parsley, Chives, Sage and Tarragon.

Omelette with Fresh Herbs and Cheese.

Chinese Style Chicken Thighs With Egg Fried Rice....

In these tough economic times many of us our counting our pennies and looking for bargains when we do our food shop. Using leftovers creatively is a great way to save money, as is using less expensive cuts of meat. I have become very fond of using chicken thighs which are much cheaper and more flavoursome then chicken breasts.

Tonight I tried a completely new recipe with some chicken thighs and served it alongside some egg fried rice. It was a hit and I will be making this again for sure!

Luna Raye’s Chinese Style Chicken Thighs.

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs with skin and on the bone (I use organic free range chicken).

For the Marinade:

5 Tablespoons of Superior Dark Soy Sauce.
Juice of half a lemon.
2 Tablespoons of runny honey.
2 cloves of minced garlic.
1 Tablespoon of freshly grated ginger.
Drizzle of olive oil.

Directions

Mix all marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.

Add chicken thighs to the bowl and mix thoroughly into the marinade so the thighs are completely covered.

Cover the bowl and allow the thighs to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Add to an ovenproof dish and cook at 200C turning the thighs at least twice during cooking. I like the skin on top to crisp up.

Cooking times may vary but I kept mine in the oven for an hour. Do make sure the chicken is cooked through before serving.

Egg Fried Rice

For the egg fried rice recipe I used Ken Hom’s recipe as a base but made a few changes. This is a great recipe top play around with. Follow the basic directions and try adding different things like bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and prawns. For my version I used:

• 1 cup of cold cooked white basmati rice.
• 2 salad onions (spring onions) chopped finely.
• ½ cup frozen peas (thawed).
• ½ cup frozen sweet corn (thawed).
• 2 eggs beaten with 1 Tablespoon of light soy sauce (I had run out of sesame oil).

Chinese Style Chicken Thighs With Egg Fried Rice

Breakfast for Dinner...

Tonight is one of those nights when I actually don’t feel like cooking. It’s cold and I’ve had a hard day. Right now something simple and easy is exactly what I want.

When I feel like this I often have ‘Breakfast for Dinner’. Some of my favourites are:

Eggs on toast.
Scrambled eggs with cheese and onions and a quick salad.
Boiled eggs and soldiers.
Eggs, chips and baked beans.

Tasty, comforting and easy to make!