Baking

Jaisinh mama, my dad’s uncle, lives in Bombay but spends about half of every month in Mahabaleshwar. He’s mighty cool (keep in mind, he’s old- he’s my grandmother’s brother). He’s a talented gardener, painter, and cook; he reads a ton and takes three hour walks everyday; he listens to Indian classical music in the mornings and evenings and volunteers with the youth and farmers in Mahabaleshwar. His strawberries, cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes are known to be the best in Bombay. He even supplies sun-dried tomatoes to Bombay restaurants like Moshe. A wish: I want to be like him when I grow up. I don’t like regular omelettes, made in frying pans, because they are heavy. I feel like a lump after eating one. But this baked omelette- or baked egg dish, I should say, since omelettes are usually made with butter or oil in a pan, is fluffy, light on oil, and chock-full of vegetables. Each slice oozes with delicious bits of asparagus and pepper, juicy tomato, and smooth, salty cheese. You only use oil to sautee the veggies and brush the baking dish, and if you didn’t add any cheese, this omelette would be really healthy. But we love cheese and added a solid handful of creamy goat’s milk cheese cubes to ours.We’ve made some changes to Mama’s orginal recipe* but this omelette is still so simple. Beat some eggs and mix them with chopped, sauteed veggies, cilantro and a small amount of soft, mushy rice. Mama adds the rice to his omelette to give it body while keeping it light and easy to digest. Pour the mixture in a baking dish, top with cheese and chilis and olives if you like, and bake for about 20 minutes, until the omelette is just set.

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