Antipasto...in an OMELET?! (Recipe)

What started off as a harmless little experiment, soon turned into one of my favorite breakfasts. Here's the story: one Thursday ago, my mother had purchased a pretty large amount of cold cuts and cheeses for an antipasto she was to bring to my grandmother's house. Fortunately, she didn't have to use a good deal of the stuff for the dish, which left me to profit from her leftovers. While the concept for the interior of was that of my own design, the egg mixture was inspired by a little tip my best friend, Wesley, told me one day. The dude is a genius. Anyway, enjoy!

ANTIPASTO OMELET

2 large eggs

1/2 cup prosciutto, chopped

1/4 cup pickled hot cherry peppers, chopped roughly (TIP: To prevent too much pickling liquid from getting into the omelet, pat them dry with a paper towel before chopping)

1 Tbsp milk or half-&-half

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp smoked mozzarella cheese, grated

Dash salt and pepper

For egg mixture: Combine eggs, milk/half-&-half, salt, pepper, and herbs in a small bowl. Beat with fork until well combined. Do NOT let it become too frothy.

Stove Preparation: Spray pan with cooking spray, or let 2 tsp of butter melt. Set the heat beneath the pan to medium-high. After butter melts completely and pan heats, pour egg mixture in the pan and allow them to set for several seconds.

Cooking: As the edges of the egg mixture in the pan begins to turn light and appears dry, use a spatula to push the edges in, allowing more of the wet egg mixture to flow into the empty pan space and cook. Continue until most of the mixture is set, but the top is still slightly moist. Bring the heat down to medium. (The egg mixture may seem just a teensy bit wet, but this is alright; it will cook once folding occurs.) Place 1/3 cup of the cheese, the cherry peppers, and the prosciutto on one side of the omelet. Carefully using a flipper (shut up, it's called a flipper), bring the bare side of the omelet up over the side with the toppings. Let sit in the pan for 1-2 minutes.

Now comes the cool part...

Sprinkle the top of the almost-complete omelet with the remainder of the cheese. Now, you know how that cheese is gonna melt? Take 1 tsp of water and pour it into the pan (not on top of the omelet), and cover quickly with a lid. After 60 seconds, check the omelet. By creating steam in the pan, you can melt the cheese on top of and inside the edges of the omelet without burning it.

Serve up the omelet with a glass of orange juice, or whatever you'd like. I personally like a side of fruit salad and a cup of coffee with my omelet.

NOTE: For those of you who don't necessarily enjoy things too spicy... Have no fear! Cherry peppers have about 20% less heat than your standard jalapeno pepper, with only a medium-hot strength. Try a cherry pepper before using it; if it is too spicy, finely dice the peppers, and reduce the amount by half. This will assure smaller kicks and equal distribution of spice throughout the omelet.

Peace, love, and chocolate

Kayla~