Green omelette
I've just been reminded (by eating it) of another of my favourite ultra-quick recipes for using up what's in the fridge. In this case, I first met it when doing medieval cookery, so here behind the cut is the original - well, a translation from fifteenth century French for the longer of the two versions.
Herbolat: (“Forme of Curye” 180)
Take persel, myntes, saverey and sauge, tansey, vervayn, clarry, rewe, ditayn, fenel, southernwode; hewe hem and grinde hem smale. Medle hem up with aryen. Do buttur in a trap and do the fars thereto and bake it and mess forth.
One Herbolace Or Two of Eggs (Le Menagier de Paris)
Take of dittany two leaves only, and of rue less than the half or naught, for know that it is strong and bitter; of smallage, tansey, mint, and sage, of each some four leaves or less, for each is strong; marjoram a little more, fennel more, parsley more still, but of porray, beets, violet leaves, spinach, lettuces and clary, as much of the one as of the others, until you have two large handfuls. Pick them over and wash them in cold water, then dry them of all the water, and bray two heads of ginger, then put your herbs into the mortar two or three times and bray them with the ginger. And then have sixteen eggs well beaten together, yolks and whites, and bray and mix them in the mortar with the things abovesaid, then divide it in two and make two thick omelettes, which you shall fry as followeth. First you shall heat your frying pan very well with oil, butter or such other fat as you will, and when it is very hot all over and especially towards the handle, mingle and spread your eggs over the pan and turn them often over and over with a flat palette, then cast good grated cheese on the top, and know that it is so done, because if you grate cheese with the herbs and eggs, when you come to fry your omelette, the cheese at the bottom will stick to the pan, and thus it befals with an egg omelette if you mix the eggs with the cheese. Wherefore you should first put the eggs in the pan, and put the cheese on the top, and then cover the edges with eggs, and otherwise it will cling to the pan. And when your herbs be cooked in the pan, cut your herbolace into a round or square and eat it not too hot nor too cold.
To put this into modern English:
Take that green salad in the fridge that's looking too limp to serve undisguised. If it happens to include rocket, spinach, or anything else either bitter or violently green, that's a bonus. Use up any herbs while you're at it, and the leafy bits from the fennel.
Break two eggs into a baby food processor or blender, add a little salt, put the green things on top. Whizz until you have a green liquid with no big bits in.
Heat some butter in a frying pan, and turn this lot into a thick omelette. Finish off the top under a grill.
Optional extra: put some cheese on top before grilling.
Optional extra I've never tried: the second version of the original recipe suggests ginger going in with the greenery.
Here's a picture from a while back of one I made earlier (sorry, today's is gone).
Herbolat: (“Forme of Curye” 180)
Take persel, myntes, saverey and sauge, tansey, vervayn, clarry, rewe, ditayn, fenel, southernwode; hewe hem and grinde hem smale. Medle hem up with aryen. Do buttur in a trap and do the fars thereto and bake it and mess forth.
One Herbolace Or Two of Eggs (Le Menagier de Paris)
Take of dittany two leaves only, and of rue less than the half or naught, for know that it is strong and bitter; of smallage, tansey, mint, and sage, of each some four leaves or less, for each is strong; marjoram a little more, fennel more, parsley more still, but of porray, beets, violet leaves, spinach, lettuces and clary, as much of the one as of the others, until you have two large handfuls. Pick them over and wash them in cold water, then dry them of all the water, and bray two heads of ginger, then put your herbs into the mortar two or three times and bray them with the ginger. And then have sixteen eggs well beaten together, yolks and whites, and bray and mix them in the mortar with the things abovesaid, then divide it in two and make two thick omelettes, which you shall fry as followeth. First you shall heat your frying pan very well with oil, butter or such other fat as you will, and when it is very hot all over and especially towards the handle, mingle and spread your eggs over the pan and turn them often over and over with a flat palette, then cast good grated cheese on the top, and know that it is so done, because if you grate cheese with the herbs and eggs, when you come to fry your omelette, the cheese at the bottom will stick to the pan, and thus it befals with an egg omelette if you mix the eggs with the cheese. Wherefore you should first put the eggs in the pan, and put the cheese on the top, and then cover the edges with eggs, and otherwise it will cling to the pan. And when your herbs be cooked in the pan, cut your herbolace into a round or square and eat it not too hot nor too cold.
To put this into modern English:
Take that green salad in the fridge that's looking too limp to serve undisguised. If it happens to include rocket, spinach, or anything else either bitter or violently green, that's a bonus. Use up any herbs while you're at it, and the leafy bits from the fennel.
Break two eggs into a baby food processor or blender, add a little salt, put the green things on top. Whizz until you have a green liquid with no big bits in.
Heat some butter in a frying pan, and turn this lot into a thick omelette. Finish off the top under a grill.
Optional extra: put some cheese on top before grilling.
Optional extra I've never tried: the second version of the original recipe suggests ginger going in with the greenery.
Here's a picture from a while back of one I made earlier (sorry, today's is gone).