Gratitude After the Storm: Arugula Omelet with Feta and Raw Tomato Sauce

We are fine. Our windows are fine. The basement is dry. The power is on. The stove works. I could make an omelet for lunch...

Thankfully, our neighborhood was not hit hard at all by the storm. There was some damage around the neighborhood, but New Jersey, Queens and the southern part of Brooklyn weren't so lucky. I'm grateful to be safe, dry, and able to use all of the conveniences of modern life.

I'm pretty good in a crisis. Note the key word: in. Prior to (as you can see by reading my posts from the last two days) I am a wreck. I don't necessarily panic, but I'm not exactly calm either. I'm a worrier. Always have been. D's response to this is generally: "Don't. It's not productive." It's not, but I can't help it. I've always been like this. However, in the middle of a crisis I'm level headed, calm (ok, except for that time I was stuck inside my apartment, but there were extenuating circumstances there). D is not. He's calm, cool and collected up until whatever is supposed to happen happens (unless it involves getting on an airplane), but in the middle of it, he's a mess. Last night he was pretty upset. A tiny spot on the roof was leaking. This lead to: what if the roof falls in? And then on and on to more dire scenarios. At this point though, I was OK and was able to calm him down the way he calmed me down before the storm hit.

My one brilliant pre-storm idea: basil and arugula in glass jars of water
on the counter. That way when the power went out, I wouldn't have
to open the fridge to make a tomato salad.

I am so grateful that D and I compliment each other in that way. One of us is always going to have a clear head. Because this is a blog about food, I often talk about the way in which we don't complement each other (example, I ate this for lunch, he ate dry ramen) but I am so grateful that he's the person I was with before and during this storm. I'm grateful he's the person I'll be with to weather whatever other storms that come our way. And...now I've gone and gotten all sappy on you. All you really wanted to know was how to make an arugula omelet.

Arugula Omelet with Feta and Raw Tomato Sauce

Raw Tomato Sauce:
1 medium tomato
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 c basil, shredded

a pinch of salt
a drizzle of olive oil


1 small bunch of arugula, thick stems trimmed
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil
salt
pepper

2 eggs
a splash of milk
1 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Make the tomato sauce: Core the tomato and cut into chunks. Place in a small bowl with the minced garlic and shredded basil. Mix. Add the salt and drizzle with olive oil. Stir again. Set aside while you make the rest of the omelet.

Wash the arugula well. Dry a bit (spinning in a salad spinner works well). Chop roughly. Put a bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic. Cook for about a minute. Add the arugula. Cook, stirring, until the arugula has collapsed (3-5 minutes). Remove the arugula from the pan. Squeeze out a bit of the water.

Beat the eggs, milk and a bit of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Add another splash of olive oil to the pan. Heat over medium heat. Swirl to coat the pan. Add the eggs. Swirl to coat the pan. Run a spatula around the edge of the eggs. When omelet is just about set, put the arugula, a few spoonfuls of the tomato mixture and the crumbled feta on the center third of the omelet. When eggs are set, fold the the omelet and plate.

Serves one. Double it if your partner actually prefers eggs to dry ramen. But if s/he does, just be grateful that you're together, safe and sharing a meal.