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SAUCE:
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1. First prepare the sauce in the following manner: In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over moderate heat until a light haze forms above it.
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2. Add the onions, celery, green peppers and garlic and, stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft but not brown.
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3. Stir in the coarsely chopped tomatoes and their liquid, 2 tablespoons of parsley, the bay leaf, thyme, red pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt.
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4. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer, tightly covered, for 20 minutes.
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5. Remove the skillet from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Taste for seasoning, then set the sauce aside in the skillet.
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FILLING:
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1. Meanwhile, shell the shrimp. Devein them by making a shallow incision down their backs with a small sharp knife and lifting out the black or white intestinal vein with the point of the knife.
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2. Wash the shrimp briefly in a colander set under cold running water and pat them completely dry with paper towels. Chop the shrimp into small bits.
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3. To make the filling, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy 1- to 1½-quart saucepan set over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, add the shrimp and scallions and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and the scallions are soft.
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4. Add the finely chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of parsley, the white pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stirring constantly, cook briskly over high heat until all of the liquid in the pan has evaporated.
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5. Taste the filling for seasoning and set the pan aside off the heat.
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OMELETS:
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1. For each omelet, break three eggs into a small bowl, season with a little salt and a few grindings of black pepper, and stir briskly with a table fork for 20 to 30 seconds, or until the whites and yolks are blended together.
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2. Heat an ungreased 7- to 8-inch omelet pan until it is very hot, drop in 1tablespoon of butter and swirl it in the pan so that it melts quickly and coats the bottom and sides. When the foam begins to subside but before the butter browns, pour in the eggs.
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3. Working quickly, stir the eggs with the flat of the fork, at the same time shaking the pan back and forth vigorously to prevent the eggs from sticking. In a few seconds, the eggs will form a film on the bottom of the pan and the top will thicken to a light, curded custard.
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4. Still shaking the pan with one hand, gently stir through the top custard to spread the still-liquid eggs into the firmer areas; try not to pierce the bottom film.
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5. Spoon about ¼ cup of the filling in a band down the center of the omelet. Then lift the edge closest to you with the fork and gently fold the omelet in half.
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6. Let it rest for a moment on the lip of the pan, then tilt the pan and roll the omelet out onto a heated plate. Immediately wipe the pan clean and prepare three more omelets in the same fashion.
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7. Reheat the reserved sauce briefly and ladle it over the filled omelets, dividing the sauce equally among them. Serve at once.
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