IACP Highlights and a Recipe for a Kale Omelet (Podcast Episode #185)

by The Meal Makeover Moms on April 19th, 2012

What do you get when more than 1,000 professional foodies converge on NYC? The answer: The annual meeting of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. A mouthful for sure …. which is why the organization is affectionately referred to as the IACP. We recently attended their annual meeting, and we share the highlights — the lectures we attended, the celebrity chefs we met, the food we ate, the new friends we made — on this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast. We also serve up a recipe for a Kale Omelet from the gorgeous cookbook by Virginia Willis, Basic to Brilliant, Y’All.

This is the program from the awards ceremony. Our podcast, Cooking with the Moms, was an IACP awards finalist for the best culinary audio program in the broadcast and new media category. We didn’t win but it was cool just to be nominated. Check out our Sneak Preview post from last week for more IACP details.

Yes, that’s Liz posing with the handsome celeb chef from Australia, Curtis Stone. He was spotted at a party we attended after the IACP awards ceremony and was more than happy to pose for a picture. What a nice guy!

This is Sheila Thomas from FRP, the company that printed and now distributes our cookbook, No Whine with Dinner.

Kale is super nutritious. Packed with bone-building nutrients like vitamin K, it blends into this omelet beautifully.

Kale Omelet

Makes 6 to 8 Servings

Virginia Willis was signing her Basic to Brilliant, Y’All cookbook at the CanolaInfo booth. She handed out recipe cards and this one for a Kale Omelet was featured. We gave it a try when we returned and absolutely love, love, love it!

  • 3 slices thick bacon, cut into lardons
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped
  • 5 cups kale, cleaned, stemmed, and chopped
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup ricotta cheese (we used part-skim)

1, Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a plate with paper towels.

2. Heat a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp and brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to the prepared plate; set aside. Pour off the drippings (reserve for another use or dispose).

3. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in the same skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low, add half the kale, and toss until they begin to wilt, about 1 minute. Add the remaining greens and season with salt and pepper. Add the water. Toss to coat. Decrease the heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are wilted and tender, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the greens to a large bowl, leaving any cooking liquid behind.

4. Rinse and dry the skillet. To the greens, add the eggs, 1/4 cup of the grated cheese, the reserved bacon, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Fold in the ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Return the now-clean skillet to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and rotate the skillet to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is shimmering, pour in the egg mixture and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Cook over medium-low heat until the omelet is barely set at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup grated cheese over the eggs.

6. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until set, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using a butter knife or long spatula, loosen the omelet from the sides of the skillet. Give the skillet a shake and slide the omelet out onto a clean cutting board. (Don’t use a knife in the nonstick skillet!) Using a serrated knife, slice into wedges and serve immediately.

* to turn this from basic to brilliant, Virginia says you could also fill 18 prepared tart shells with the egg mixture and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Print Recipe

Next time we make this, we plan to use a 10-inch skillet (vs. the 12-inch we initially used) so it’s not quite as flat.

Basic ingredients come together for a simple yet super-flavorful omelet.

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5 Comments | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Eggs, Lunch, Podcast, Vegetables, Vegetarian 

5 Responses to “IACP Highlights and a Recipe for a Kale Omelet (Podcast Episode #185)”

  1. Catherine McCord on April 23rd, 2012

    Looks delicious and SO easy!

  2. Wendy on April 24th, 2012

    I was listening to your podcast on my walk this morning and I had to laugh when you gave tips for introducing farro to kids. I made farro for the first time ever last night and I was very strategic about how I approached introducing it to my kids because I knew it was going to be a tough sell. I had actually wanted to try a recipe with kale and coconut from Heidi Swanson’s Supernatural Every Day, but I knew that would NEVER fly with my boys so instead I went a more kid-friendly direction and mixed grapes, toasted almonds and a little lemon vinaigrette into the farro. When we sat down at the table I told the kids that we were *all* going to try a new food with our dinner and let them know I was excited about it. Then, I asked them if they could guess what kind of plant farro came from. My three year old guessed “a cow” (ha!) but my seven year old was much closer when he said it looked like rice or a seed. When I told him it was from a plant we eat every day he figured out it was wheat. I can’t say that they ate it all up with a smile, but they did both try it and that’s half the battle, right?

  3. Liz on April 24th, 2012

    Great story Wendy. Thanks for sharing it. Glad to hear your kids tried the farro! Have you seen the recipe we blogged a few months ago for Farro Risotto? It’s yummy! http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2011/11/21/recipe-redux-challenge-for-whole-grains-a-recipe-for-carrot-zucchini-farro-risotto/

  4. Wendy on April 24th, 2012

    Yes! That’s recipe was what prompted me to buy the farro in the first place. Thanks for the reminder.

  5. bella on April 29th, 2012

    Hi! I usually use kale or any greens along other vegetables but as a Frittata is so good!

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