Oscar and I work in the evenings and often don’t get home before 10 pm during the week. With only a bit of fruit between lunch and then, dinner is always a bit of a desperate affair, often involving bits of cheese, salami, avocado…in short, anything that doesn’t require cooking and can be shoved quickly into a roll or forked hastily into a hungry mouth.
Pre-cooking an omelette and leaving it to cool while we are at work means that we have something more substantial to accompany our bread, and one of our favourites is Iaia’s spinach omelette, to which she usually adds ajos tiernos (spring-garlic). As I find the ajos a little strong for late evening supper, I prefer to use a small clove of normal garlic to flavour the gorgeously convoluted dark green leaves. I know this recipe is simple, but it is one of Iaia’s staples, so it really can’t be left out!

What you need:
3 eggs
a small bunch of spinach
a clove of garlic
salt, nutmeg
olive oil

What you do:
Wash your spinach carefully and chop it roughly. Wilt in a non-stick frying pan – the water from washing will be enough, no need to add any – then leave to drain in a colander while you get the eggs and garlic ready.  I like to microplane my garlic rather than slice it, but if you prefer little slivers, by all means, slice away.  Once peeled and prepped, gently fry your garlic in about a tbsp of olive oil; make sure you don’t burn it, or it will be horribly bitter.
Add the cooked spinach and continue to fry until there is hardly any wateriness left. Remove from the heat. Beat your three eggs in a medium-sized bowl, adding salt and a little nutmeg or any other seasoning you fancy. Put your spinach into the same egg bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.
Get your pan good and hot, and coat it with a little oil. Pour your egg and spinach mix in. If the mix is very deep in the pan (ie. you have a small pan), you will need to gently push it around (without disturbing the edges) so that the omelette cooks evenly, but take care not to turn it into scrambled egg. After a few minutes, you will have a browned bottom and edge with a curd-like centre. It is time to flip.  Take your pan off the heat and cover it with a plate. Wrap a tea towel over the top and base of the pan to avoid burning yourself, and grip firmly from either side. Flip everything over with conviction so that the omelette flops out onto your plate in one piece. Put your pan back on the heat and slide your now raw-side-down omelette back into the pan to finish cooking. I like to use a spatula to tuck the edges under a little because it gives a lovely rounded finish, which is especially important if you are cooking a larger omelette. Heat off. Omelette out. Eat hot, or leave to cool for a delicious roll filling.