Little Green Onion & Ricotta Omelettes with Asian Dipping Sauce

Little is always more fun to eat. These Little Green Onion & Ricotta Omelettes by Nigel Slater are a good example. Savory little egg pancakes studded with green onion and cilantro and served with an Asian Dipping Sauce, they are a good little starter for a light summer meal. 

Nigel says, "Tiny, free-form omelettes the size of a large biscuit. Let them form their own shape in the pan. Eat them as they are, or with the simple dressing below."

Little Green Onion & Ricotta Omelettes
Adapted from Notes From the Larder by Nigel Slater
(Makes 6, Serves 3)

ricotta cheese: 1 cup (250g)
eggs: 4
green onions: 3
cilantro leaves: a handful
butter: 1 1/2 Tbsp (20g)

Mash the ricotta with a fork. Lightly beat the eggs and stir into the ricotta. Finely chop the green onions, then mix with the cilantro leaves. Fold them into the ricotta and egg mixture with a generous seasoning of salt and a little black pepper.

Melt the butter in a frying pan. When it starts to sizzle gently, pour a spoonful of the mixture in and let it settle into a small pancake, about 2 1/2 inches (6cm) in diameter. Add as many others as you can comfortably fit in the pan. Let them cook for a couple of minutes till lightly colored on the underside, then flip gently over and cook the other side for a minute. 

Lift the omelettes out onto warm plates and serve immediately.

A very simple dressing for the omelettes can be made by mixing a tablespoon each of fish sauce, lime juice, and soft brown sugar with a little chopped red chile and grated ginger to taste. (Note: I didn't have a red chile so I used a squirt of Sriracha sauce instead.)

Notes/Results: These are light little omelettes, kind of a little fritter / pancake sort of thing. They remind me of the scallion pancakes at a favorite Chinese food restaurant. The ricotta makes them light and they have plenty of flavor from the green onion and scallion. The dressing goes well with them and adds a good combination of salt, sweet and heat. I made a half batch and used a medium ice cream scoop to make three of them. They did spread a bit and I probably could have scooped smaller and made four or six but two on a bed of spinach, with the sauce worked well as a starter. Quick, simple and tasty, I would make them again.

The theme this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs is Starters and Nibbles. You can see what everyone made by checking out the picture links on the post.