SRKitchen school: The never fail omelette

The year was 2005. I'd decided to leave my big country town of Brisbane and take up residence in the metropolis of London; where the closest person I knew at the time was living in Windsor (a few hours away on a train). 

So, it was just me, my backpack and 20 million Londoners. Scared? Hell yeah!

Within five days of landing at Heathrow, however I met my other half, Asha. She was (is) also an Australian and had also just arrived in London from Brisbane. The irony! She was effervescent, friendly and just made you want to love life. We became inseparable.

We both went through so many challenges and adventures living there. Some things like homesickness, joblessness, banklessness and shelterlessness was all part of the adventure of living in the UK. Other challenges, like the 2005 London bombs and having an operation to remove a gallbladder, were not quite what we had signed up for. 

But together – along with lots of wine, laughter, tears and hugs – we got through everything that was thrown our way. I can honestly say that I would not have been able to get through what I did there without Asha always by my side and ready to give me a hug and a smile…even if she could/can talk under water with a mouth full of marbles…hehehe (which I can too).

Now Asha has been wanting to improve her cooking skills for a while and asked if I would help her out. How could I refuse. The other day we were heading off to an orchestra concert and Asha had spent the day down the Gold Coast at her friends amazing festival, Bleach* (it's going until Feb 26 so check it out). We therefore needed a quick and easy dinner option. So the omelette - the perfect quick, healthy and yummy option - was the go.

The omelette - bacon, mushroom and cheese

There are so many different ways to make an omelette. This is a never fail way my dad taught me. Feel free to change the ingredients with whatever is in your fridge. That's the best part about omelettes, as long as you have the eggs, the rest you can have fun with. However, if you're a bit nervous, I'll give you some guidelines, but you don't need to be exact, if you like more bacon, put more bacon in it. You can't stuff this up, I promise.  You will NEVER have a scrambled looking omelette again.

Bacon, mushroom and cheese omelette
made by Asha

Ingredients

4 free range eggs (the rule is to allocate 2 eggs per person. You can always add 1 extra for good luck)

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1/2 brown onion, chopped

200g bacon, sliced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup grated cheese (we used mozzarella)

1/4 cup milk

knob of butter

*you need to use a non-stick fry pan for this omelette and a grill.

Method

Heat some oil in a pan and start frying the chopped onions. After about 1 minute add your bacon and mushrooms. Fry until mushrooms have wilted and cooked. Set aside.

Asha chopping the parsley

In a bowl crack the eggs. Add the milk and chopped parsley (or herb of your choice) and whisk gently. Add in the cheese, bacon, onion and mushrooms and give it a quick mix.

Whisking eggs with milk and herbs

Heat up your fry pan again and add the knob of butter. Turn your grill on. Once the pan is hot add your omelette mixture to the pan. You may need to move the ingredients around the pan to make it an even looking omelette. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on a medium heat, you don't want that bottom burning.

Adding the mixture to the fry pan

Now this is how you make a never fail omelette. Place the half cooked omelette under your pre-heated grill (with your handle sticking out if it is plastic, like mine). No flipping, no fuss. I normally grill it on high but keep an eye on it. I assure you, the moment you walk away and forget about it…it will burn. Trust me! To test if the omelette is cooked, pull the pan out and tip it to one side. You should not see any movement from the mixture.

The never fail omelette

With this size pan I always cut the omelette in half for two people. Asha and I had ours with a very basic rocket, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar salad.

Asha's omelette with a rocket salad

I think you will all agree Asha did a sensational job. And it was delicious, too.

The next morning I made a smoked salmon, feta and spring onion omelette for friends. This one is even easier as you can miss out the first step and just add all the ingredients straight into the egg mixture and cook away. Easy!

Smoked salmon, feta and spring onion
omelette with toasted turkish bread.

What ingredients do you like in your omelette?