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There is no country in the world that doesn't use eggs. Eggs are one of the most versatile ingredients and it should come as no surprise that there are endless egg dishes from around the world. Each dish represents a culture's signature spices, herbs or other ingredients that are unique to that region. Some are simple while others are more complicated and require time to make and definitely aren't meant to be exclusive dining experiences solely for breakfast or brunch.
My family loves breakfast for dinner; in fact, my son Thomas claims this is his favorite dinner. Since we began raising our own chickens, we have breakfast for dinner quite often. Please read here the story of how my husband became a chicken lover!
I'm always on the search for a new way to eat this healthy, versatile and inexpensive protein and how to create fun ways in which to attract the kid's appetites.
Here are my favorites blogs on eggs that are easy and delicious:
Today I wish to surprise you with a savory egg dish (baked omelette) that is my absolute favorite and includes two ingredients that I love to use in my daily diet: nuts and herbs.
Sounds unusual, but I promise you will love it. As I have previously mentioned in my blogs, I do love to travel around the globe from my kitchen.
This dish has a deep history and roots derived from a traditional dish from Azerbaijan cuisine and also many other countries have cooked this type of omelette for centuries. The original name is ku-ku, which is comparable to the Italian frittata with herbs and nuts.
What do I need to make this baked omelette?
Eggs - Fresh and good quality is my standard recommendation. Why? It is simply because you prepare meal for yourself and those who you love.
Herbs - Any combination of herbs is fine. In the video, I gave myself a very simple pass and used Italian parsley and scallions, which everyone can enjoy. However, you are the boss of your plate, chop up whatever you can find in your garden or grocery store (tarragon, cilantro, chives, sage, basil, etc.). The idea of adding herbs to this dish is to provide intense flavor and glamorous color.
Walnuts - If you don't have or don't like walnuts, please substitute with any of your favorite nuts or skip all together. That's fine too.
Ghee - I highly recommend using it here and in your everyday cooking. Why? Please continue to read my blog. My second choice would be brown butter at room temperature.
Why ghee, and what it is?
Possibly you haven't heard of ghee, but you may be familiar with clarified butter that can be substituted for the ghee in this recipe, however it's not the same.
True ghee vs. clarified butter, is a tastier product in my opinion. In the process of creating ghee, due to the result of being simmered longer, this brings out its intense nutty flavor and causes it to have a higher smoke point than regular butter. What is the importance of having a higher smoke point? It means that ghee can be heated to a higher temperature before it starts to smoke. Ghee isn't like other fats that break down important phytonutrients and causes the fat to be oxidized and form harmful free radicals of which everyone fears. Also, ghee is free of lactose (dairy sugar) and casein (dairy protein), and this is great news for those folks with dairy intolerance. Lately with the new ketonic movement, ghee has become very popular in the market and is easily found at your grocery. Another great thing about this form of butter is the high numbers of co-vitamins for calcium absorption, such as vitamin K, D, and A. It's so important to keep your bones strong! Last but not least, for why I personally prize ghee, is its great source of butyrate, short-chain fatty acid. It is extremely important to have enough in your body to create a healthy digestive system that keeps all bad pathogens away from your gut. Butyrate preserves the integrity of the gut lining, which acts as a barrier between your intestinal environment resulting in a happy and healthy gut. It further promotes good and healthy growth of good bacteria. Please check my blog on butyrate acid here and find out more about a food that assists you in reaching your daily needs of butyrate and why it's so important.
Can I substitute ghee?
Good news: Yes, you can use good quality butter and for a better result, brown the butter. No matter what you choose, make sure its room temperature so you can easily apply it to the surface of the ice-cold baking dish. How to easily make brown butter, please visit this post.
How to serve this baked omelette?
This might be the most unusual omelet you have ever tasted. The walnut bottom crust puts this omelet in a class all by itself. The herbed egg batter gives you an almost airy, light and very puffy consistency that can work as a vehicle to soak up any sauce, except this recipe calls for a topping of creamy yogurt, crème fraiche or sour cream. Whichever you can have on hand will work perfectly for this omelette dish craves the creaminess of one of these dairy delights. Overall, it is a well-balanced meal and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Let's do it...
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
8 large eggs
1 bunch of parsley, chopped (about 1 cup, stems removed)
1 bunch of scallions, chopped (about one cup, green part only)
1 tablespoon ghee
1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons of pink salt
1 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
Greek yogurt, creme fraiche, or sour cream for serving
Directions
Place your baking dish (I used a 10-inch glass pie dish) in the freezer for at least an hour before baking. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Prepare your herbs: Wash and chop and set aside. Now, separate egg yolks from egg whites.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of white pepper into the egg yolks. Whisk until the eggs are very fluffy and slightly foamy. I used a hand whisk. Now, add the herbs and mix everything thoroughly with a spatula. Make sure all herbs are incorporated equally with the egg yolk mixture.
4. Next, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the egg whites and using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk until stiff peaks form. It is very important that the peaks are not soft. Start with low speed and increase as you go monitoring your progress to get the desired results.
5. Fold egg yolks and herb mixture into the egg whites, slowly adding one spoonful at a time until all of the yolks and herb mixture are evenly incorporated into the egg whites. Don't rush and when it's all completed, set aside.
6. Place walnuts into a big Ziploc bag, seal and use a rolling pin to beat the nuts until they are broken up into small pieces. A food processor can be used for this step but beating them is rather fun!
7. Take the baking dish out of the freezer, and with your hand smear the ghee all over the inside of the dish. Next, press the nuts into the bottom and the sides of the dish, in order to create a crust for the pie.
8. Gently spoon the egg mixture one spoonful at a time into the prepared baking dish. Place the dish into the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
9. Take out and slice the omelet like a pie and serve with Greek yogurt, creme fraiche or sour cream.
Enjoy!
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