Country Omelette with Gypsy Ham

I was so excited to be making an omelette this morning, as i haven't made one for years. The lack of a good non-stick pan in the house put the kibosh on that! Thankfully i used some gift vouchers yesterday to go out and get a top notch Anolon one and boy did it work well! The omelette just slid from the pan, so easily, i forgot how much of a boon non-stick coatings can be.

The gypsy ham used for this recipe (and for a couple more coming up) i got from my local deli. Gypsy ham and bacon always intrigued me, with the dark coloring on the outside with the richly pink meat inside. It turns out that gypsy hams are double smoked, enriching the porky flavor of the meat. And it was indeed very delicious.

Now, if you haven't made an omelette before, or need some brushing up on your technique, i recommend that you watch this youtube video of Jacques Pepin. This man is a clear expert in omelette making!

Trung Chien Thit Bam - Pork Omelette with Preserved Radish

The more i delve into the cuisine, the more i love Vietnamese food. I think i've only ever been to a few Vietnamese restaurants in my life, and far to many of those were 'Chinese/Vietnamese' hybrids, or dodgy cafes on Swanston St, Melbourne where the food is as Authentic as your average butter chicken.

From my favorite cookbook-of-the-moment, Secrets Of The Red Lantern, comes this beautiful Vietnamese omelette. I think it's the Cai Po or preserved radish that gives this dish it's special, subtle but delicious flavour. You can buy this ingredient at Asian supermarkets (or sucker your Singaporean friend into buying it for you, thanks Darryl!)

Quiche Lorraine

Again, using ingredients i had lying around. And again, one of my favorite foods that my mum used to make for me! Of course, i took the lazy option which my mother never did; i went and picked up a premade flan base from the supermarket. At $3 each these things make life so easy!! But in a recipe soon i'll show you how to make one yourself.

After a very large, very filling christmas dinner, i came home toting a freezer full of leftovers, and two other ingredients: cream, and eggs, leftover from egg nog. This is the first dish that came to mind.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 flan base (premade pie crust)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 cup grated tasty cheese
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 5 short rashers bacon, chopped
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Par-cook the flan base as per package instructions. Remove, set aside and leave oven preheated to 165 degrees.

Set a frying pan over medium heat, and throw in a touch of oil.

Add the chopped onions and saute for 5 minutes or until softened (try not to brown them)

Add the chopped bacon and saute for a further 10 minutes.

Set bacon and onion aside on paper towel to soak up extra grease.

In a large bowl, whisk together cream and eggs.

Add the parsley, cheese and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

Place the bacon and onion on the bottom of the flan base and pour over the cream/egg mixture.

Set into the oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the centre of the quiche does not jiggle when you shake the tin.

Serve at room temperature with a light salad.