Fleischomeletten – A Swiss Specialty for Easter

Notes:
1. This recipe makes 8 fleischomeletten, enough for 4 people. To double the quantity, make 2 recipes of the Omeletten batter rather than doubling the recipe. The filling is also better if made in 2 small quantities, rather than doubled.
2. The meat filling for the omeletten may be made a day ahead of time, refrigerated, and reheated briefly. The omeletten are made right before serving.

You will also need:
1. A Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed casserole with a lid.
2. A spatula or wooden spoon.
3. An electric mixer, standing or hand.
4. A crêpe pan or any flat-bottomed pan with sloping sides. The photographed omeletten were made in a 9-inch crêpe pan.
5. A 1/3-cup size measuring cup is useful for measuring out the amount of batter as you make the omeletten.
6. A small saucer of vegetable oil and a paper towel for wiping over the pan as you make the omeletten.
7. A plate on which to stack the omeletten as they are made and a cotton kitchen towel to cover and keep them warm.
8. A second plate on which to roll the meat filling in the omeletten before serving.

For the meat filling:
1. Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it softens and a few bits begin to color.
2. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spatula or spoon, until no trace of pink in the meat remains, all liquid has evaporated, and it is an even, crumbly consistency, without chunks, completely combined with the onion.
3. Add the tomato paste, stirring to combine it with the ground meat mixture. Cook the mixture for several minutes, continuing to stir, until it clumps together into a ball and comes away from the sides of the pot. The bottom of the pot will show traces of fat from the butter and meat and the filling will slide over the pot’s surface freely. Add the water to moisten the filling, salt, and cook a few minutes more, stirring again. The cooked filling is a cohesive blend of meat, onion and paste, not a meat mixture in sauce.
4. Remove the filling from the heat. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover the filling to keep it warm and make the omeletten.

For the omeletten and assembly:
1. Beat the eggs.
2. Mix the flour and salt together and mix half of it into the eggs. Mixing continuously, add half the milk, then the rest of the flour and salt, and finally, the rest of the milk. Continue mixing a little longer to form a smooth batter.
3. Place the saucer of oil and paper towel near the burner on which you will make the omeletten. Place one of the plates and the towel nearby as well.
4. Bunch up the paper towel and dip it in the saucer of vegetable oil. Lightly run the oiled piece of towel over the bottom of the crêpe pan. Heat the pan over medium heat until it feels very hot when you place your hand above it but the oil is not smoking.
5. Hold the pan by the handle with one hand and pour a scant 1/3 cup of egg batter into it, tilting the pan back and forth at the same time so that the batter quickly spreads out and forms a circle over the bottom. (The technique is the same one used for making crêpes.)
6. Cook the omelette on one side for about 1 minute. When the edges of the omelette show a trace of gold around the rim, slide a spatula carefully around the edges and under the bottom to loosen the cooked side from the pan, then slide the spatula around and under the omelette and flip it over. The cooked side will be a light golden yellow with darker spotting. Cook on the second side for only about 30 seconds. The omelette will puff a little as it cooks on the second side. (The second side may be golden-spotted a little here and there, but it is not essential for it to colour—only to cook.)
7. Transfer the omelette to the plate and cover it with the towel.
8. Wipe the pan with the oiled paper towel and continue making omeletten in the same manner until all the batter is used. (Wipe a little oil over the pan’s surface each time before adding batter.)
9. When all the omeletten have been made, place one of them on the second plate. The second, less-coloured side of the omelette should face up.
10. Spoon a scant half-cup of meat filling in a line, a little off-center to your left, down the omelette from top to bottom. (There are photos of the assembly steps on the related link.)
11. Bring the left side of the omelette over the filling to cover it.
12. Roll the omelette to your right to completely enclose the filling.
13. Transfer the fleischomelette to a dinner plate. Roll one for each person and serve them. Reserve the rest of the filling and the second half of the omeletten to roll a second round for everyone after the first has disappeared—which it very likely will.