A Taste Of My Own Medicine

My friend Irene is in Hawaii on vacation and she keeps posting on Facebook about all the Island food and drinks she is enjoying, making me envious and hungry - and making me realize that I did that to others when I was there. I'm getting a taste of my own medicine.

Well, the other day she mentioned that she had enjoyed a fried rice omelet with Spam and that idea resonated so strongly with me that I immediately got out a pan and made some rice, knowing I already had a can of Spam in the pantry. When it was done, I made fried rice with Spam in it, then folded that into an omelet. I have no idea if this is in any way similar to what she ate - there was no photo of her plate in her post - but this is what came to my mind when I read that.

It was good in that down-home-but-not-very-healthy way that Hawaiian food often is. Comfort food if you grew up eating rice and Spam, a little bland but nicely rich and filling. Irene says we must go to the Hukilau restaurant in San Francisco so I can try the real thing without going to Hawaii. Me, I'd rather go.

Fried Rice Omelet with Spam

Filling:

1/2 can Spam, cut into small dice

1 cup cooked white rice

a handful of fresh or frozen peas, about 3/4 of a cup

1/2 onion, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 Tablespoons Aloha brand teriyaki sauce (marinade)

This will make enough filling for at least four omelets and perhaps six.

For each omelet:

3 eggs

1 Tablespoon water

1 teaspoon of butter

In a wide frying pan, sauté in the toasted sesame oil the onion, celery and Spam. When onion is soft, add the rice and stir to distribute evenly. Add the fresh peas and cover to let them steam until tender. Add the teriyaki sauce and mix together, letting it all cook for a few minutes. You can stop here and refrigerate the rest if you want, making omelets later. You can add pepper but no salt - both the Spam and the shoyu in the teriyaki sauce will add salt to the dish.

When you are ready to make the omelet, heat the fried rice mixture. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs and the water until well incorporated. Using a small frying pan or omelet pan with a non-stick bottom, add the butter over medium heat until it foams and subsides. Pour in the egg mixture and let it set for a minute or two. Gently lift the edges of the omelet and let the egg in the middle run underneath. When most of the egg is set, add the fried rice mixture, cover and cook for a few more minutes, until the center of the omelet is as firm as you like it.

Slide the edge of the omelet onto a warmed plate, folding the second half of the omelet over onto the first half.

Mismatched Lunch

Leftover shrimp soup and a Swiss cheese omelet with duxelles made for a mismatched lunch.

The flavors, however, were great together. The soup had gotten tastier and a little spicier overnight. I lifted the shrimp from the broth while it reheated, as they didn't need any more cooking, then slid them back in to serve and added a big squirt of fresh lime juice. The duxelles paired wonderfully with the Swiss cheese in the omelet, bringing an earthy note to the nutty cheese.

Oh, baby! The china may have been as mismatched as the food but the whole meal was a smooth symphony.

Protein Hit

I don't eat a lot of eggs. I can't face them early in the morning and usually by lunchtime I'm looking for something I don't have to cook. Every now and then, however, I'm in the mood for their rich protein and breakfasty goodness.

My Beloved was hungry around eleven one Sunday morning recently, so I decided to whip up an omelet with some Black Forest ham and Jarlsberg Swiss cheese we had in the reefer. When I went to take those out, I noticed a carton of creme fraiche that had sat, neglected and lonely, in the fridge for quite some time, so I had the idea of adding some of that, too.

The result was one of the best omelets it has ever been my pleasure to devour. All I did was plop four teaspoons of creme fraiche here and there in the four-egg omelet we shared. The mild ham and cheese were lent a creamy richness by the creme fraiche, which melted and swam around a bit, leaving just the slightest hint of a tang everywhere it went. It seemed to slow the cooking down a bit, too, so when it was finished the omelet had a golden brown bottom and a fluffy, creamy center fit for a food stylist's camera.

Next time you have an urge for a serious protein hit, think about adding creme fraiche to turn your omelet from plain to patrician.