We had a Bring and Share supper to start off our Eating Local project last week and my offering was a Frittata. This was a new recipe to me and turned out to be very simple, just a sort of Spanish Omelette using whatever vegetables you happen to have. At present our allotment has leeks, sprouting brocolli and chard so I used these.
Wash 3 leeks well, then shake dry before cutting then all up small. Repeat with 4 leaves of chard – including the thick stems of the chard as well which is a bit like celery – and half a pound of brocolli. Splash one or two tablespoons of rape seed oil (Munns from Westmore Farm at Chatteris) into a frying pan and a teaspoon or so of the spices you like. This is OK under the Eat Local rules since we chose spices as one of our exemptions. My spices of choice are chillie and paprika. Fry the spices for a few seconds.
Fry each veg separately til half cooked and a bit browned, then set these aside. Pour another spoonful of oil into your frying pan and swirl around to cover the whole surface. Whip up 6 eggs with salt and pepper and a dash of water, stir in your veg and pour gently into the frying pan. Cook on your lowest light for 20/25 minutes until no liquid is left. You can pop this under the grill to cook the top if you like OR try the tricky business of turning the whole thing over by sliding the omelette onto a large plate, upturning your frying pan over it and whipping the whole thing over back into the pan. I did say it was tricky. Only fry the second side for a minute or two, then slip onto a cooling tray.
Frittata is like a quiche without the pastry case which makes it much simpler and quicker to make. You could add cheese if you want or any other kind of veg. The Spanish of course make theirs with potato. The secret is in frying it very slowly.
Posted by Sue