Morning After Frittata

We have all said it and many times " there is no food in the house " or for the children we have all heard them say many times " there is nothing to eat " . Of course there is, just nothing instantly gratifying that perhaps comes out of a packet .

My 25 year old son James, came into the kitchen on Sunday morning and announced the fridge was emptier than his wallet after the day at the races ! Never one to shy away from cooking and perhaps aided by the fact he had a raging hangover, he proceeded to pull ingredients out and set to work!

He is a very good cook and from "nothing to eat"   he concocted this fabulous frittata. He has given me the recipe to share. Fixes a hangover in no time, he assures me!

Ingredients:

5 Eggs

½ Sweet Potato
2 Bacon Rashers

7 Cherry Tomatoes

½ Cup Peas
2 Knobs of Butter

Boil the kettle and get a saucepan ready on the stove. Halve the tomatoes and set aside. Peel and dice the sweet potato into bite size chunks. Pour the water into the saucepan, add the sweet potato and continue to boil on high, till cooked.
 

Handful of Parsley

1 Tblsp of Caramelized Onion

1 Clove of Garlic

50g of Feta

Salt and Pepper

Method:

Turn the grill on high (or the oven to grill mode)

In a medium sized pan-fry the bacon until cooked but not crispy, and set aside.

Once the potato is tender, drain it and throw it into the pan with the bacon fat and add some S&P. Whilst the potato is frying give the bag of frozen peas a bang on the bench to loosen them up, after the potato has had a few minutes pour your peas on top of the potato, add a knob of butter and keep frying until cooked through. Set the potatoes and peas aside.

I used caramelized onion I found in the fridge. If you don’t have any, it’s easy to make, slice some onion, throw it into the pan, and add some balsamic vinegar and brown sugar – done. If you couldn’t be bothered some raw red onion will suffice.

Finely chop the parsley and the garlic clove. In the same pan you’ve been using melt another generous knob of butter, add the parsley and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the potato and pea mix, the tomatoes and the onion and give it a stir. Tear the bacon rashers up and throw them on top and let the ingredients cook for a moment while you prepare the eggs.

Crack 5 eggs into a bowl and whisk together, then pour straight into the pan over the ingredients. Now you have to let the frittata sit and cook, turn the heat down to medium and don’t stir it. You’ll notice it start to cook around the edges.

At this point I went for a forage in the fridge and found some Feta cheese, goats cheese would also be excellent but I’m guessing that’s not going to be in a lot of fridges. I crumbled the Feta into the pan (you could sprinkle any cheese in) and waited until the sides were cooked through. Now the sides will look cooked but you will notice the middle is still very runny, take the pan off the stove and put it under the grill, for 1- 5 minutes depending on the heat of your grill. This will finish off the middle of the frittata and melt your cheese. 

Eggplant Frittata

I am not sure where I got the original idea for this recipe. Maybe a very old Gourmet Traveller, its a  variation on the American Eggplant Parmigana. I have been making it for so long and it has become  another family favourite. It can be made ahead and reheated. It is delicious and some have even thought it contained meat!!! This will make enough for 8 people cooked in a large rectangular ceramic baker which you can take to the table. A great vegetarian dish.

3 - 4 large Eggplant thinly sliced

Tomato sauce

Olive oil

100 gram mozzarella
100 gram parmesan

8 eggs, beaten together with some S&P

Extra parmesan to serve

Spray a large rectangular baking dish with oil to stop frittata from sticking. I salt my sliced eggplant, and leave to sweat. There are two schools of thought on this procedure, but I do find it removes the bitterness especially if they are slightly seeded. Rinse and pat dry with paper towel.

Flour the eggplant, heat the oil in a large fry pan, and fry the eggplant, until golden and drain on paper towel.  Cover the bottom of the baking dish with some of the tomato sauce, and layer the eggplant, sauce, a small amount of the beaten egg, and mozzarella, repeating layers and top with remaining egg mixture and mozzarella.  Cook in 180C oven for 30 - 40 minutes.  Serve with parmesan cheese and green salad.

                                                          
  Tomato Sauce

1 Large Onion finely chopped

3-4 cloves Garlic finely chopped  

Fresh tomatoes 1 kilo chopped or tinned tomatoes 2-3 tins

Fresh Basil, Parsley, Chives

Play around with the amounts it’s better to make more than you need. It is also great in a pasta dish.

Gently cook garlic and onions until soft and add tinned tomatoes, salt and pepper, chopped basil etc.  Cook gently for 15 minutes.  If quantity needs to be increased add tomato puree, like Pomi, Sugocasa etc.

.