Frittatas

Vegetables Asparagus Artichokes Broad Beans Butternut Squash Carrots Courgettes Green Beans Onions Mushrooms Peas Peppers (Sweet) Potatoes Shallots Spinach/Chard Sweetcorn

Meats Bacon Beef Black Pudding Chicken Chorizo Corned beef Ham Lamb Sausages Smoked Salmon

Seasonings Cayenne Pepper Chillies Chilli Powder Fresh Basil Fresh Chives Fresh Chervil Fresh Coriander Fresh Parsley Fresh Oregano Fresh Thyme Garlic Pepper Salt

Others Black-eyed beans Cannellini beans Cheese Noodles Pasta Rice

 

The Eggs
It doesn't really matter if the eggs are cold or at room temperature. Simply crack them into a mixing bowl and beat well, preferably with a whisk, adding salt and pepper.

Vegetables
Whatever vegetables you add should be cooked first as the actual frying time is relatively short in addition to which the solid ingredients will be partly shielded from the heat by the eggs.
 

As the object of a frittata is to have the ingredients evenly distributed amidst the eggs, most vegetables should be cut into dice no larger than 12mm/½-inch. The smaller the dice, the quicker the vegetables will cook before adding to the eggs which cuts down the cooking time.

 

In general if using onions, these should be sautéed gently in the frying pan until soft but not browned.

 

Aim to cook all vegetables until they are just tender before adding to the eggs: this is particularly important when it comes to potatoes. Depending on the vegetables being used, they can be partially boiled,  steamed or sautéed then added to the onions in the frying pan to finish cooking. This little bit of sautéing adds to the flavour.

 

Meats
Whatever meats you add should also be thoroughly cooked first,  apart from items such as ham or corned beef which in their very nature, are already cooked and ready to eat.  As a rule of thumb - if you can't eat it as it is, then it needs pre-cooking.

 

Once again, meats should be cut into quite small pieces to ensure they are evenly distributed through the frittata and heat through whilst cooking in the egg mixture. Most meats will benefit from a little sautéing before being added to the frittata.

 

Herbs and Seasonings

Roughly chop fresh herbs and finely chop chillies and garlic.

 

In most cases, herbs and seasonings such as cayenne pepper can just be stirred into the eggs in the mixing bowl or sprinkled evenly over the egg mixture as soon as it goes into the frying pan.  Chillies and garlic will have a better flavour if lightly sautéed beforehand.

 

Cheese

Cheese should be grated or crumbled.

 

Pasta, Rice, Noodles and Pulses

These should all be pre-cooked and cooled. Pasta should be cut into short lengths no longer than 2.5cm/1-inch. A great way to use leftovers from a previous meal.

 

Cooking the Frittata

Here's a short video showing the steps for making a Frittata which are:-

 

How to make a frittata video   Click here for full size video

Heat enough oil in the frying pan to just cover the base and sauté onions until softened, turning frequently Do not brown   Add other cooked vegetables, meats or pasta etc.,  and sauté very gently, turning, for 2-3 minutes or until just heated through. Do not brown   Beat the eggs with a whisk in a large mixing bowl, adding salt, pepper and any remaining seasonings

• At this point you have a choice as to how to continue.  You can either

a)  Recommended  Remove the ingredients from the frying pan with a slotted spoon, allow to cool a little then stir into the beaten eggs before returning to the reheated frying pan. This ensures the ingredients are well distributed throughout the egg mixture  OR

 

b)  Just pour the egg mixture over the hot ingredients in the frying pan

•  Cook over a low to medium heat for 2-3 minutes, gently stirring until large "curds" begin to form

• Continue to cook, without stirring until almost set -only the very top should be slightly gooey.
   

•  Finish cooking under a hot preheated grill for 2-3 minutes. Alternatively you could slide the frittata onto a plate then return to the frying pan top-side-down and cook for 2-3 minutes.

If you happen to be cooking something else in the oven, you can also finish setting the frittata in the oven however it needs to be very hot and care should be taken with frying pans which must have metal handles.

 

Serve immediately or allow to cool at room temperature.

 

 

Frittata Recipes

Most frittatas can be served hot or cold making them great for  breakfasts, lunch or dinner plus picnics and packed lunches: they make an interesting and novel addition to children's school lunch boxes, providing a good source of protein and vitamins, with the added benefit that they can be cooked the evening before and refrigerated.

 

Following the above basic tips, you can use a multitude of ingredients to make delicious and interesting Frittatas, but below are some full Frittata recipes to get you started.

 

Pepper Frittata   HT  MC  Italian  10mins

Provolone Frittata   Veg  HT  MC  15mins

Spinach Frittata    HT  MC  Italian  15mins

Chilli Pasta Ham Frittata    HT  CD  MC  PIC  Italian  25mins

Asparagus Frittata    Veg  HT  MC  30mins

Chorizo and Potato Frittata    HT  CD  MC   Italian  30mins

Gorgonzola Frittata    Veg  HT  CD  MC  30mins

Roquefort Onion and Basil Frittata   Veg  HT  CD  MC  30mins

Picnic Frittata    CD  PIC  55mins plus chilling