Cuisine Nicoise Cookbook Review & A Swiss Chard Omelet

Hillary Davis, a food journalist from New Hampshire, spent over 11 years in France where she learned to cook Nicoise cuisine from her village neighbors and local chefs. Tales of Sundays spent cooking with family and friends come to life in her new cookbook Cuisine Nicoise.

With over 200 pages of tantalizing recipes, exquisite photos and stories that describe life in a small French village, this cookbook is perfect for armchair travelers and cooks alike. I enjoyed flipping through my copy and reading the wonderful anecdotes while trying to decide what to cook or rather...where to start.

I decided on this delicious Swiss Chard Omelet.  I've never had Swiss Chard in an omelet before so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I loved it...the Parmesan really added to the flavor. Of course anything with chopped tomatoes is a winner for me...so I was smitten from the start.

Swiss Chard Omelet
(printable recipe)

3 cups fresh Swiss chard leaves, lightly packed
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
2 medium shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 medium eggs, room temperature, beaten
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
6 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped

Wash the Swiss chard leaves. Squeeze them in a paper towel until they are very dry, then roll, slice into thin pieces and coarsely chop.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet and cook the shallots and garlic for 3 minutes. In a large bowl place the eggs, Swiss chard, cheese, basil, pine nuts, salt, lots of pepper and the onion-garlic mixture. Mix well with a fork.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet until quite hot, then pour in the egg and char mixture and cook over medium-low heat. With a spatula, press the chard leaves down, then cover the skillet and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the underside is golden brown. Check by lifting up the edges with a spatula.

Remove the lid, place a large plate over the skillet, and turn upside down. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and slip the omelet back into the skillet from the plate to cook the other side for 10 to 15 minutes. Slip the omelet out onto a large plate, slice, and serve with a topping of the raw chopped tomatoes.