You'll need
70 ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fresh bay leaf
1 cinnamon quill
150 gm lean minced lamb
100 ml dry white wine
100 gm canned crushed tomatoes
2 potatoes (about 60gm each)
6 eggs, lightly beaten
To serve: Kewpie (Japanese) mayonnaise, coarsely grated kefalograviera and chopped flat-leaf parsley
Pickled eggplant
1½ tbsp olive oil 2 small Japanese eggplants, cut into 2cm-thick rounds
50 ml white wine vinegar, such as chardonnay
25 gm brown sugar
2 cloves
1 star anise
Method
- 1. For pickled eggplant, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add eggplant and turn occasionally until browned (4-5 minutes). Add remaining ingredients, season to taste and simmer, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender (5-6 minutes). Set aside.
- 2. Heat 30ml olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add onion, garlic, bay leaf and cinnamon and stir occasionally until onion is tender (5-6 minutes). Add lamb and stir, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until evenly browned (6-7 minutes). Deglaze pan with wine and simmer until almost reduced (1 minute). Add tomato, season to taste and simmer until thick (1 minute).
- 3. Meanwhile, cook potato in a small saucepan of boiling salted water until tender (15-20 minutes), drain and set aside to cool, then dice and set aside.
- 4. Heat grill to high. Heat 2 tsp of remaining olive oil in a 12cm-diameter ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat, add quarter of the diced potato and stir occasionally until golden (2-3 minutes). Add quarter of the lamb mixture and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, add a quarter of the eggs, season to taste and cook for 1 minute.
- 5. Place pan under grill (not too close to the heat) and cook until just set (1½-2 minutes). Transfer omelette to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 3 more omelettes. Serve hot topped with pickled eggplant and Kewpie mayonnaise (onion rings optional), then scattered with kefalograviera and parsley.
