Easter
Parmesan Omelette with Green Team Pesto
- Serves 1
Author Notes
Ah, breakfast. My life force. My rock. Lying in bed at night, I fantasize about what to make for breakfast in the morning. Often times, the only thing that gets me out of bed when my alarm clock buzzes is the guarantee of hot coffee and a hot breakfast. But, like most of us, I don't always have time to prepare a gourmet meal in the mornings. Or do I...?
This is a simple and quick solution to the "I'm-running-late-but-refuse-to-eat-a-piece-of-toast-with-peanut-butter" problem (don't get me wrong...peanut butter toast is delicious).
My Green Team Pesto is perfectly simple, delicious, and flexible for minimal stress in the mornings. Pestos are like a blank canvas. And what better to pair a blank canvas with than another blank canvas? Yep. Enter the omelette.
My "Green Team" consists of the fresh herbs I typically have on hand: Cilantro, Basil, Chives, Parsley. But maybe your Dream Green Team is different. That's fine. The sky's the limit! Like I said, Pesto is a blank canvas. I also prefer cashews in this pesto recipe. They provide the perfect amount of creaminess for your omelette, without having to pile on the melted cheese. But if you like melted cheese (who doesn't!), you can use almonds, roasted pumpkin seeds or traditional pine nuts to forego the pesto creaminess. The parmesan is omitted from the pesto itself, and is instead infused right into the eggs for the omelette. Yummy. And all you have to do is throw the ingredients into a food processor, turn it on, and let it do its magic while you whip up a couple of eggs for your omelette. You don't even really need to measure anything. Just pay attention to consistency and taste as you go!
This dish would also be delicious served with some fresh tomatoes, or perhaps a small mixed greens salad with a drizzle of oil and balsamic. Or, forgo the omelette completely (boo, hiss!), and spread the pesto on a nice hunk of whole grain bread.
There you have it...quick gourmet breakfast with tons of flavor and flexibility. It's also fairly healthy, so you can start your day off right. If you are cooking for more than just yourself, the pesto will go a long way --- but you will need to double the amounts for the omelette. Now if only I could find a shortcut for putting on my makeup in the mornings... —Alexandra Jensen
Ingredients
-
1 handful
fresh Basil, coarsely chopped
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2 tablespoons
fresh Chives, coarsely chopped
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2 tablespoons
fresh Parsely, coarsely chopped
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1/4 cup
fresh Cilantro, coarsely chopped
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2
cloves Garlic, coarsely chopped
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1/2 cup
raw Cashews
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1/2 cup
extra virgin olive oil
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1/4 cup
lemon juice
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salt & pepper to taste, for pesto and omelette
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2-3
large eggs
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1 tablespoon
oil of your choice (for cooking the omelette)
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1 tablespoon
grated parmesan cheese
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1 tablespoon
milk or heavy cream
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sliced tomatoes (optional)
Directions
- Heat a small pan with a little oil. Meanwhile, smash, peel, and coarsely chop the garlic. Throw it in the food processor along with the cashews. Pulse until chopped into small pieces.
- Coarsely chop or tear fresh herbs. The measurements are more like guidelines, so feel free to improvise one way or another. Throw them into the food processor with the lemon juice, and pulse until incorporated with the nuts.
- Add olive oil slowly while processing, making sure the consistency is to your liking. The cashews will sort of soak up a lot of the oil, so it might not seem like you've added a lot of oil, but you probably have. So just remember to taste as you go.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Depending on the size of your garlic cloves and how virgin your olive oil is, you may want to add a bit more lemon juice to cut those intense flavors. Continue to process until you reach desired consistency. You will end up with more pesto than you will use on your omelette, but you can always use it on a myriad of other things, too!
- Crack two or three eggs in a bowl. Add milk or heavy cream. Whisk with a fork or whisk until yolks and milk are all incorporated. Add salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese, continuing to whisk.
- When pan is hot, pour egg mixture in. Once bottom has begun to set (30 seconds), lift the sides and guide the egg liquid from the top of the omelette to the bottom of the pan. Continue to do this over the course of several minutes, until no more egg liquid will run. I prefer to flip my omelette in the air (make sure you have enough oil!), but you can easily lift it with a large spatula and flip it so the top finishes cooking. The top will not need long to cook (~30 seconds).
- Slide omelette onto plate, and spread pesto. If you'd like to add tomatoes, do that now as well. Fold it over with a fork (be careful, it's still hot!), and eat!
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