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Spanish Omelet

A Spanish omelet with bacon, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and a savory filling.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Hamilton, Ohio. First Methodist Episcopal church. [from old catalog] · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Spanish Omelet

Ingredients

Directions

Make the egg batter

  1. Beat the egg whites until dry; beat the yolks until light-colored and thick.

  2. Add 2 tablespoons milk to each egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a dash of white pepper to the yolks.

  3. Mix the yolk mixture thoroughly, then fold in the beaten whites.

Make the Spanish filling

  1. Prepare the Spanish filling: put canned tomatoes in a white-lined saucepan and heat.

  2. Cut 3 slices of bacon into cubes and brown them in a skillet.

  3. Pour the bacon fat and the browned bacon into the tomatoes.

  4. Add 3 small onions cut fine, 1 small red pepper broken fine, and a teaspoon of salt to the tomatoes.

  5. Cook until the water has evaporated.

Cook and fill the omelet

  1. Heat a pan over moderate heat and butter it.

  2. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, spreading it evenly.

  3. Let the omelet stand about 2 minutes.

  4. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook the top lightly until a knife inserted comes out nearly clean.

  5. Remove the omelet from the oven.

  6. Fold the part nearest the handle over the other part, covering it with Spanish filling and reserving some for the top.

  7. Fold the prepared filling into the omelet, reserving some for the top.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

350Calories
20 gProtein
17 gFat
30 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Hamilton, Ohio. First Methodist Episcopal church. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together68,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Milk + tomatotop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,226 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  5. Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together88,785 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Whipped whites and yolks provide the structure that sets into the omelet.
Milk
Adds moisture and tenderness to the eggs as they cook.
Bacon
Its rendered fat adds richness and savory browning to the filling.
Tomatoes
Provide acidity and liquid that becomes the body of the filling.
Onions
Add sweetness and aroma as they cook into the filling.

The step that matters

Cook the top lightly in the oven. Eggs turn rubbery and dry when overcooked. Removing the omelet while the top is still slightly moist lets residual heat finish the set gently.

Swap the white pepper

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, pepper, egg, onion, tomato):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Parsleyfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. White pepperthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against milk, pepper, egg, onion, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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