Enoki mushroom omelette
Good Friday lunch in our household went a little like this...
Ben and I were home snuggled up inside. It was raining out. The memory of our warming breakfast was starting to fade. Our tummies were beginning to grow impatient as the little hand on the clock began to creep towards One... it was time for lunch. Something yummy and nourishing.
Ben was busy studying for his level 3 Chartered Financial Analyst exam in June. I knew I wanted to make him a special lunch, even more so than usual, as he's been hitting the books tirelessly. But what was I to make?...
Recently we've been loving enoki mushrooms, adding them to risotto, pasta, and stirfried broccolini (we’ve got a bit of a whirlwind romance happening). So I thought, "why not extend a good thing?"
I decided to pair our beloved enoki mushrooms with eggs, as we had a whole carton to use up.
Some char-grilled asparagus would finish the meal perfectly. Yes. Lovely.
The power of a gentle squeeze of lemon and a dusting of parmesan should not be underestimated. They completed the picture. And what a pretty picture it was.
Omelette with Enoki Mushrooms and Char-Grilled Asparagus
A little lunch for two
Ingredients
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 gloves Garlic, crushed (1-2 cloves if you're not a huge garlic lover)
1/2 tablespoon Butter
100g (a big handful) Enoki Mushrooms (from Asian or Gourmet Grocers)
1 bunch of Asparagus
5 eggs
A dash of Milk (optional)
A handful of Spinach
1 lemon Good Quality Parmesan Cheese (a scattering)
Sea Salt and freshly cracked Pepper, to taste
Fresh crusty bread, to serve - I imagine lightly brushing pieces with extra virgin olive oil and char-grilling them
Notes: * Some prosciutto would be a lovely addition, but we were out and the shops were closed, being Good Friday and all. I would serve a couple of prosciutto slices on top of the omelette either fresh or quickly panfried so that they deliciously crisp up.
Method
1. First, cook your enoki mushrooms. Prepare your them by cutting the end off (if they’re joined) and discarding any clumpy bits. Heat a small heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and add a generous spray of olive oil. When hot, add the garlic and cook until fragrant and very lightly coloured. Add in your mushrooms, give a good stir and allow to cook for around a minute. Now add the butter and let it cook for another minute or so. Turn off the heat and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, crack the eggs and add the milk, then lightly whisk.
3. Turn your oven on to grill mode.
Now cook the asparagus and the omelette at the same time (i.e. start these next two steps (4 and 5) together)…
4. Heat a skillet over low-medium heat and add a generous spray of olive oil. When hot, add the asparagus. Allow them to cook and adopt a slightly charred appearance, turning the spears every minute or so, so that they cook evenly.
5. Heat a non-stick frypan over medium-high heat and add a spray of olive oil. When hot, add the egg mixture and give the pan a quick shake so that it spreads evenly. Turn the heat down to medium and leave the pan until the edges begin to cook (~2 minutes). Once the egg around the edge of the pan has set, place your pan under the grill to finish off the cooking process - be careful not to burn any plastic that may be on the handle! After around a minute of cooking pull the omelette out and scatter the mushrooms and the spinach leaves on top. Put the pan back under the grill and cook for another minute (or longer if the egg is still gooey).
6. Divide the omelette in two and serve on a plate with the asparagus on the side (and any extra spinach you may have). Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice over the asparagus. Scatter some freshly shaved parmesan over the asparagus and omelette. Season your omelette to taste.
Enjoy.
I would have served this dish with some char-grilled wholegrain sourdough bread, lightly brushed with extra virgin olive oil…but alas, on this day we found ourselves without a bite of bread. Hence the need for an afternoon treat not so long after this lovely lunch…all will be revealed in the next post!