Eggs (Recipe: Italian style omelet appetizer) {vegetarian, gluten-free}
Brown eggs are local eggs,
and local eggs are fresh.
If you're not singing along, you're not from here.
Here is New England, where our Rhode Island Red hens lay brown eggs, and where we've heard that jingle on radio and television ads for almost forty years. There's no difference in nutrition value, or in taste, between white eggs and brown; they just come from different breeds of chicken. Hens with reddish-brown feathers and earlobes (yes, chickens have ears!) lay brown eggs.
If brown eggs aren't your local eggs, you might pay more for them, because chickens that lay brown eggs tend to eat more than chickens that lay white eggs.
Who knew?
Unlike batteries, AA eggs are not the smallest. They are the highest quality, followed by A and B graded eggs. There's no federal requirement for egg labeling, so whenever you can, buy local, and from a farmer or market you trust.
Who knew?
If you're not sure whether a raw egg is fresh, drop it gently into a glass of water. If it sinks, it's fresh. If it floats, it's stale. And if you can't remember whether the egg you grabbed from the refrigerator is raw or hard-boiled, give it a spin. A raw egg will wobble; a cooked one will spin evenly.
Who knew?
The world's largest Easter egg isn't an egg at all, nor is there any egg in it. Made from 50,000 chocolate bars (more than 4,000 pounds), the 27.3-foot-tall egg was made by Belgian chocolate company Guylian in 2005.
Who knew?
Eggs age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the refrigerator, so store them in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. Don't wash them, or you'll remove the natural protective coating.
Copa Room frozia (Italian style omelet appetizer)
Recipe adapted from the cookbook Restaurant Recipes of Kansas City, a gift from Sandie, I asked her to choose a favorite recipe for me, and this rich, puffy, cheese-y omelet was it. Now I can't wait to eat at the Copa Room. This dish, by chef Kathy Fiorello (mother of the restaurant's owner), serves 2 as a main course for lunch or dinner, or 4 as an appetizer.
Ingredients
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped raw vegetables of your choice (mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, peas, zucchini, etc. -- I used mushrooms and zucchini)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh basil
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 heaping Tbsp chopped garlic (I omitted this)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Heat a 6-inch nonstick skillet over low heat. Add the olive oil and vegetables, and sauté on low heat for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked (might take more time, depending on which vegetables you're using). In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the remaining ingredients until the eggs are fluffy. Pour eggs over the vegetables in the pan. Run a spatula along the edge of the skillet until the bottom of the egg mixture sets.
Once the mixture is set, take a flat plate, put on top of the skillet. Flip the frozia over onto the plate, them slide the uncooked side back into the skillet. Put in the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through (mine took 15 minutes). Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Oven-baked tortilla Española
Zucchini frittata
Homemade egg salad
Albornia de chayote
Chakchouka
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love eggs in almost any form. this post complements my recent egg curry post so well! hope you are doing well?
at first glance it looks like a pizza. will have to give it a whirl one day. thanks for sharing the recipe and chicken facts
Mmm...this looks so delicious!
Lydia, you know my love for baking, so I always have eggs around. :D
I never knew that about the freshness of eggs. I always pay more for organic eggs, it is so worth it to me. A really good egg, when fried or boiled, the yolk should be so tasty that is never needs salt. An old Italian tale.
I have made a similiar type omelet like this and love it.
thanks for the tips!!!
This looks delicious! Color me confused.. When you add the eggs to the vegetables, are they cooked on stovetop before flipping and putting in the oven, or are they added to vegetables and put in oven before flipping? Thanks for the great dish.
Hard Boiled Eggs
As I read this I realized I had miss the step of reboiling the chilled hard boiled egg...no wonder I couldn't peel them properly!!
from Julia Child
1.Lay the eggs in the pan and add cold water to more than an inch higher than the eggs. Bring just to the boil over high heat; remove from heat, cover the pan, and let sit exactly 17 minutes.
2.When the time is up, transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice cubes and water. Chill for 2 minutes while bringing the cooking water to the boil again.
3.Transfer the eggs to the boiling water, bring to the boil again, and let boil for 10 seconds. Remove eggs, and place back into the ice water.
Chilling the eggs promptly after each step prevents that dark line from forming, and if time allows, leave the eggs in the ice water after the last step for 15 to 20 minutes. Chilled eggs are easier to peel, as well.
The peeled eggs will keep perfectly in the refrigerator, submerged in water in an uncovered container, for 2 to 3 days.
Who knew!!
Lydia, splendid job with this omelet appetizer! Just a splendid job! Looks exactly like something I would dive into anytime of day.
Glad you're enjoying the cookbook and next time you visit Kansas City, a stop by the Copa Room is in order!
I just learned that fact yesterday about how fast eggs age, crazy!
For some reason all of the organic eggs in my area are brown ones. Go figure.
Eggs are amazing, or should I say incredible? And, I know there's no difference between white and brown eggs, but for some reason, I really like the brown ones. I'd probably feel they were extra special if they were green ...
I just bought my first house and I will have chickens one day because I love eggs. I also want to have a garden and a a couple of fruit trees so I can be happy making all things egg. lol
I always have eggs in my fridge - this sounds good! I've never had eggs + tomato sauce but I bet it would be really good.
I've been obsessing with japanese omelet lately. I think I have turned out a a pretty decent one. You gotta love eggs, the wonder ingredient if you ask me.
Meeta, I loved your egg curry recipe. Aren't eggs wonderful?
Milton, Alta: You'll love this recipe, so please give it a try.
Patricia, I can't imagine a cake without eggs, though I know it can be done.
Dawn, I buy either organic eggs, or eggs from one of the farms along my road. I feel fortunate to live near so many farms.
Cary, thanks for the catch -- I'd left a sentence out of the recipe, but it's there now!
Betty, Julia always knew best, didn't she?!
Sandie, thank you so much for the cookbook and for choosing such a delicious recipe. Ted and I really enjoyed this frozia.
Alisa, as they say around here, "brown eggs are local eggs"....
TW, I always envied Martha Stewart's bowls of blue and green eggs from her chickens, so I know just what you mean.
Tania, it sounds like chickens will be very happy at your house.
Maris, it's really a classic Italian combination, and there are lots of variations to make a great one-dish dinner.
Veron, do you have one of those small rectangular pans for Japanese omelets? I love the way the omelet rolls look on the plate.
Who knew eggs could be gorgeous?!?
Who knew, indeed? I used to raise chickens in New Mexico, and had the kind that produced white eggs. Never realized that I was feeding them less than the kind that produced brown eggs.
White or brown, I choose organic and cage free, and can't imagine a week without some wonderful egg dish. This one looks great!
HI BloggerAid friend, I love your blog. I am very happy that I found it.
Another brilliantly-worded and informative post...who knew? I did. I love your work.
Wow that looks great and who knew there was so much to know about eggs! With eggs in your fridge, you can always have a good breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
I just found your site and I think it's just wonderful. The "ingredient first" approach is very appealing and oftentimes very helpful! Thanks for this pretty and practical website.
Regarding the omelet recipe, it's incredibly yummy looking! I used to make quite a few oven-baked omelets but for some reason got away from doing that. You have gotten me back on track with this recipe. It's just too darn pretty and sounds too delicious to pass up! Thanks! I'll be back often to do some more scrolling around.
That omelet looks like a pizza! How yummy!
Bridget, Pam, Hillary: So glad you enjoyed this post. I can't imagine going a week without eating eggs.
Toni, I didn't know about chicken appetites, either. I love learning new things to share with you.
Joan, Cooking Like Mom: Thanks, you are both so kind.
Great post. I thought I knew a few things about eggs, but I learned a lot.
And who can imagine going very long without eating eggs? Certainly not me, and I'm just about to cook some eggs right now.
Ha! I'm totally singing along! I don't think a day goes by that I don't cook eggs. Love 'em!
I LOVE eggs and this recipe looks so good! I just brought my potato omelet to a Sangria party tonight and it was a big hit but I think I'll try this recipe next time. Thanks!
As always a great post. Even though there is no difference in eggs, for some reason I am usually steered to the brown ones.
This looks delicious!! And thanks for the egg facts - I love little bits of info like that. :-)