Friday 31 May 2013

It's the Little Things That Matter.

Frittata Rustica di Peperone & Funghi
Rustic Frittata with Peppers and Mushroom


Oh yes, the little things. To be honest... that was all I had left in the fridge this evening after my week of quarantine, solitary confinement, or call it what you will when you are shut-off from the world with a cold for a week! And it rained and it rained and it rained again the whole day, which made sure that I stayed in my room and resigned myself to my fate...

But, obviously, as you can all see- things could have been a whole lot worse! Just 15 minutes, 2 eggs, a couple of sweet, mini bell peppers, a handful of mushrooms and the last few flakes of Feta cheese later, this yummy frittata was ready, sizzling hot and delicious and as easy as could be to make. Oh yes, things could have been a whole lot worse indeed!


I started off by sautéing the mushrooms, onions and peppers in advance in a little clarified butter, which of course is much better suited to high temperatures than olive oil for example as  it will not burn and smoke- and I wanted to flash-fry the vegetables briefly, to get them half done, before adding them to the egg. So in they went, with a little crushed garlic, salt, pepper, a little paprika powder and a hint of nutmeg. And after 2-3 minutes, out they came again!

In the meantime, I beat 2 eggs together with some chopped parsley, salt, pepper and again a hint of nutmeg, added a small splash of milk and a small handful of crumbled Feta cheese. The cheese helped bind the mil with the eggs more smoothly and this mixture was what would go to be the base for the frittata...


So, as soon as the vegetables came out, the egg went straight back in. I let it begin to set slightly and then began adding the half- cooked vegetables back on top, trying to get them spread out nicely and evenly. I then added a sprinkle of both crumbled Feta cheese and finely chopped parsley on top and let the egg continue setting for another 2-3 minutes on a moderate heat. Whilst that was happening, I turned on the broiler in the oven and gave the frittata its last grind of fresh pepper, before sending it on its way to finish cooking with a nice blast of heat from above. This was great for melting the cheese of course, but also for browning the peppers and mushrooms and for making sure the egg had set properly. And 2-3 minutes later, guys and gals, I was tucking into a lovely cheesy vegetable treat. Just try it... you'll like it. because... what's not to like?

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