The Cottage Cheese Comeback

What do cottage cheese, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dr. Pepper, the German dish Case Noodle, Oklahoma, and my Uncle Don all have in common? As it turns out, the nexus of all of these things is a non-conventional but absolutely delicious omelet that you have to try for yourself to believe it. Let me introduce you to “The Donald” Farmer’s Cheese Omelet!

"The Donald" Farmer's Cheese Omelet

Cottage cheese is definitely making a comeback! This cringe-worthy, old school food from our childhood years is suddenly hip and trendy. I recently read that it’s one of the hottest trends on social media, with more than 250 million views for #cottagecheese on TikTok alone. For what it’s worth, I really never liked the stuff. Slightly runny, filled with mushy cheese curds, and bland in flavor, I avoided it unless it was force fed to me as a child. That culinary torture was usually in the form of a lime jello mold that included cottage cheese, pineapple chunks, nuts, and sometimes shredded cheddar cheese as well. What was my mom thinking??!!

Enter Case Noodle, a German noodle dish that my grandmother (known to me and my siblings as Granny) used to make. It consisted of homemade noodles filled with cottage cheese, sauteed browned onions, and homemade breadcrumbs and topped with a cream sauce. Actually, the cottage cheese was what is known as farmer’s cheese, a type of cottage cheese that is firmer in texture, lower in moisture, and more acidic than your traditional cottage cheese (all those are good things by the way!). I and my siblings actually loved case noodle, and Granny always made it for us when we visited.

Which leads me to my Uncle Don, my mom’s brother and only sibling. It turns out that my Uncle Don was one of the world’s greatest organists when he was alive – he was an organist for St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC for 45 years and their Principal Head Organist from 1990 to 2016. He played for Popes and Presidents, as well as hundreds of NYC firefighters and policemen for their funerals at St. Pats after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In fact, the NYC fire department honored him with a ceremony and a beautiful custom honorary NYC fire department jacket with his name embroidered on the front to thank him for his service to the department.

Uncle Don was a temperamental musician and artist, with a biting and witty sense of humor. He was a loner who had a love-hate relationship with NYC where he lived for most of his life – the two (NYC and my uncle that is) were a perfect match for each other. I always loved hanging out with Uncle Don – he was a loving and caring person who was generous with his time and attention when we were together. For some reason, he never smiled for pictures. I once asked him, “Would it kill you to smile for the camera?” and without a beat, he answered, “Well, it might, so I don’t want to risk it!”.

My Uncle Don – his official stock photo from St. Pats and playing the organ at Laurie’s and my wedding in Alexandria, VA

When I was going to graduate school at the University of Oklahoma, he used to come to Oklahoma for a month to spend his vacation time with my grandparents who lived in Oklahoma City. I always went up to visit them while he was there for a couple of nights so I could spend some time with him. One morning, to my complete surprise, he asked me whether I wanted him to make an omelet for me – who knew he could cook? With a healthy dose of skepticism and trepidation, I said, “Sure!”. He proceeded to create and serve me one of the best omelets I have ever tasted, made with leftovers from the case noodle my grandmother had made for dinner the night before. I was shocked he could cook, and actually create something that unique and delicious!

It was basically case noodle filling encased in an omelet instead of a noodle, with the addition of some tomatoes on top – genius! Served with an ice-cold Dr. Pepper (the only thing he drank!), it was the perfect way to start the day! Here’s the recipe for “The Donald” omelet for you all to try and enjoy – embrace the resurgence of cottage cheese with me by enjoying this omelet and drink a Dr. Pepper toast to my fantastic Uncle when you do!

“The Donald” Farmer’s Cheese Omelet (Serves 2)

Bet you have never had a cottage cheese omelet! If not, you’re missing out! This delicious omelet, created by my Uncle Don, is a healthy and yummy alternative to traditional omelets you usually find in restaurants. Make sure to use farmer’s cheese instead of traditional cottage cheese – it’s drier and firmer texture is perfect for heating up in an omelet. And ALWAYS serve this with an ice-cold Dr. Pepper in honor of my uncle!

Ingredients

6 slices bread (any kind will do but I like using Italian bread sliced ¼-inch thick)

6 tbsp. salted butter, divided

½ tsp. garlic powder, divided

1 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, divided

6 tbsp. minced chives, divided

1 large yellow onion, halved and then sliced 1/8 inch thick

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

8 oz. farmer’s cheese (I like the Whole Foods brand version)

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 large tomato, sliced ¼ inch thick

Directions

Make the breadcrumbs. Tear the bread slices into large pieces and place in a food processor. Pulse about 15 times to make bread crumbs. Heat a 12-inch non-stick pan over medium heat, add 4 tbsp. of the butter and heat the butter until sizzling. Add the breadcrumbs along with ¼ tsp. each of salt, garlic powder, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in 2 tbsp. of minced chives – set aside in a bowl to cool.

Make the sauteed onions. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add the oil and heat on medium-low heat until shimmering. Add the onions to the pan along with ¼ tsp. each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl to cool.

Make the cottage cheese mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the farmer’s cheese, ½ tsp. each of salt and pepper, ¼ tsp. of the garlic powder, and 2 tbsp. of the minced chives – set aside.

Make the omelets. Heat a small non-stick pan (8 inches works great for a large omelet) with 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat until butter is sizzling. Add half of the beaten eggs and shake the pan, moving the eggs around until a few curds form. Reduce the heat to low, lifting the edge of the eggs periodically to allow the still-runny eggs to flow underneath. Let the omelet cook until the eggs are fully set, 2-3 minutes, then gently transfer the omelet to a plate. Repeat with remaining eggs to make second omelet. Spoon about 4 oz. of the farmer’s cheese mixture onto one half of each of the omelets, leaving a ½-inch border. Top with sauteed onions and bread crumbs. Fold over the top half of the omelets and top each with tomato slices. Garnish with remaining minced chives and enjoy!