Try An Egg-White Omelet For A Simple Lenten Meal

For those of you who are Catholic, here’s a reminder that today is Ash Wednesday. It’s the start of the Lenten season and a day of fasting for adults.

Fasting, which is traditionally observed today and on Good Friday, has its roots in the rites and rituals of Judaism.

“It was a tradition long established before Christ came on the scene” says the Rev. Ken Rudnick, S.J., a professor of philosophy at Gonzaga University. “And so, all of the famous prophets - Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist and Jesus - fasted.”

Initially, Rudnick says, fasting included eating only one meal a day, preferably in the evening, without any fish or flesh meat. In some places, dairy products also were avoided.

Beginning around the ninth century, says Rudnick, the fast was somewhat relaxed to include fish and eggs. The meal was moved up to an earlier part of the day.

“Then it shifted,” explains Rudnick, “and in the last few centuries, meat was permitted, except on Fridays.”

The meaning of Lent also shifted, with an emphasis on prayer and almsgiving and not just on fasting. “They’re means to prepare the Christian to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord,” says Rudnick.

The Lenten fast itself may have been instituted in the early days when men and women were preparing for baptism at Easter. The desire was to be hungry for the Lord and to be purified.

Meat was avoided until Easter, since lamb is tied to the symbolic meaning of Christ as the Lamb. Used for the highest sacrifices, lamb symbolized purity, humility, simplicity, patience and all other virtues. Christians strived for these virtues, and they remembered Jesus in their Easter meal of lamb.

Here’s a simple egg dish to prepare as you contemplate the virtues you want to cultivate these 40 days of Lent.

Egg White Omelet With Tomato, Herbs and Parmesan Cheese

Adapted from”365 Ways To Cook Eggs” (HarperCollins Publishers).

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 egg whites

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 large tomato, chopped

In a small bowl, mix parsley, basil and Parmesan; keep close to stove. In a larger bowl, beat egg whites, salt and pepper until frothy.

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and tomato. Cook, stirring, until tomato is slightly softened, 2-3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium. Pour in egg whites, spreading evenly. Cook until edges are firm and center is barely runny, about 5-6 minutes.

Spoon herb-cheese mixture over 1 side of omelet. Fold plain side over filling. Cook about 1 minute longer to set.

Slide onto a serving platter. Divide into fourths and serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings.

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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