Aline and I created this dish together one sunny, hung over, morning in Zimbabwe. We were desperate to get something hot and delicious, as fast as possible, into our bellies after a night of partying in Shebeens (local dingy bars) and night clubs in the vibrant and tiny forgotten town of Masvingo. We were staying at a lovely lodge, sadly now closed, called Hippo Creek, on the banks of Kyle Dam. Taking morning walks or having picnic lunches with the happy Hippos was the normal thing to do that weekend – along with being the backup signers for the local band… “mama don’t you worry, I’m gonna make that stew., la la la la la la”…
Ingredients
4 eggs
5 table spoons of milk
Grated cheddar cheese
1 small chopped tomato
(or 6 quartered cherry tomatoes)
½ small Chopped red or
yellow pepper
½ small chopped red onion
Sliced garlic
Chopped fresh basil
1 table spoon butter
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Essentials
Thin base non-stick pan with a lid
This is a NO FLIP OR FOLD omlette – so we want it to just slide out of the pan before cutting.
Serves 2 hungry people – can be sliced into 4 and served with toast for the less hungry
Directions
Beat the eggs and milk together well. The more small bubbles – the fluffier your omlette will be.
Heat your stove to medium temp and melt a bit of butter in the pan. Add your onions and garlic and gently fry until fragrant. Add the peppers and tomatoes and fry for 1 minute or less.. keep those veggies fresh, don’t let it turn to mush. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour in the egg mixture and make sure all ingredients are evenly spread. Now it gets fun. Keep an eye on the cooked edges, and pull them to the middle of the pan gently, letting the liquid egg mixture flow into the spaces.
Once you have spread the mixture as much as possible and you still have a nice runny texture on top, sprinkle your cheese and basil evenly over the omlette. Cover the pan with the lid (or use tin foil if your pan has no lid), and reduce the heat to low to avoid burning the bottom of the omlette. The heat will circulate and begin to melt the cheese and cook the top of the omlette, technically steaming your breakfast (healthy right!!!). When it starts getting big bubbles on top, it’s ready.
Get a plate ready and loosen the edges of the omlette. Nudge your spatula under the omlette in case it is stuck to the pan in any places… Once loose, tilt the pan gently over the plate, letting the omlette slide off… cut in half or in quarters. (you’ll need to make 2, or increase your ingredients appropriately, if you are going to feed more than 4 people)
We like it with crispy bacon on the side and toasted bread if you are in Africa… we’ve been lucky enough to have it with freshly baked Suisse bread from the bakery in Steckborn, Switzerland a few times 🙂 and as they say there…
En Guete 🙂
