28 June, 2008

June recipe: Frittata




A frittata is a sort of cross between an omelette and a souffle. It makes an ideal dish for the summer months, being quick to cook so you don’t have to hover over a hot stove for too long, and susceptible to variation according to the available ingredients. This variant uses spring onions and mushrooms and is good served with a green salad. Later in the season you can use courgettes and sweet peppers and serve it with a tomato salad.









Bacon and spring onion frittata

Serves 2

Four spring onions (or half a small onion)
2 oz (approx 50 g) mushrooms
2 oz (approx 50 g) bacon
2 oz (approx 50 g) hard cheese (Cheddar works well), grated
3 eggs
Fresh herbs of your choice (I usually use parsley, thyme, marjoram or basil, depending on what’s growing well at the time), or dried mixed herbs if fresh herbs aren’t available

Trim and chop the spring onions.
Peel and slice the mushrooms.
Chop the bacon into narrow strips.
Beat the eggs in a jug, and stir in the grated cheese and chopped herbs.
Fry the onions, mushrooms and bacon in cooking oil in a frying pan over a medium heat until softened and starting to brown.
Season with salt and black pepper, and spread the mixture in an even layer over the bottom of the pan.
Pour in the eggs and cheese, and tilt the pan if necessary so that the egg mixture runs out to the edges. Cook for 2-3 minutes over a medium heat until the bottom is set (you can tell by lifting the edge with a spatula and peeking underneath).
Remove from the heat, and place under a hot grill for a further 2-3 minutes until the top is puffy and golden brown.
Serve immediately with fresh bread and salad.

Best eaten in the garden on a warm summer’s evening, with the swifts screaming overhead like black-clad bikers roaring through a sleepy resort, blackbirds feeding their fledglings shoulder-deep in daisies on the uncut lawn, and a kamikaze wasp doing ineffectual backstroke in your wineglass before expiring with a slurred alcoholic buzz.

10 comments:

Meghan said...

"and a kamikaze wasp doing ineffectual backstroke in your wineglass before expiring with a slurred alcoholic buzz."

LOL. I hope it died happy. That recipe sounds delicious and fairly simple. Now I'm hungry!

Marg said...

I love frittata! The last one I made had mushrooms, chorizo sausage, red onion and potato in it, and tasted great!

Bernita said...

Like an easy omlette.
Sounds delicious, must copy.

Carla said...

Meghan - I can think of worse ways to go :-) Drowned in a butt of malmsey, like Richard III's brother.
Most of the things I cook regularly come under 'delicious and fairly simple' (at least in my opinion) - any that aren't don't get repeated!

Marg - it's a wonderfully accommodating dish, isn't it? Almost any combination of ingredients seems to work! I must try it with chorizo some time; I nearly always use bacon for some reason.

Bernita - exactly, and much less fussy than an omelette about having to be folded at exactly the right time within 2 microseconds.

Gabriele Campbell said...

German wasps are hardier. I picked one out with a spoon and it flew away. A bit zigzaggy, and I'm sure he was in for a scolding by wife wasp, but with a good chance of survival. :)

Carla said...

British wasps have some sort of death wish. No matter how often I pick them out with a fork and flick them into the flower bed, back they come.

Barbara Martin said...

Looks like an easy recipe for me. I found my way here via Bernita's blog. I took some time to browse, found it interesting and will be returning.

Carla said...

Hello Barbara and welcome. I'm glad you find the blog interesting and hope to see you again!

Elizabeth Chadwick said...

Frittata is one of my quick meal standbys at any time of year. Great for using leftovers too. We had one last week with the previous day's peas and green beans plus bacon and spring onion. Versatile as to what you have with it too. Dh who has a tendency towards greasy spoon living likes his with chips and baked beans if he can get away with it, whereas I prefer it just with salad.

Carla said...

Elizabeth - Versatile about sums it up. Almost any combination of ingredients seems to work :-)