VEGETABLE FRITTATA, WILD GARLIC & WALNUT PASTE
Using British Herb Kitchen’s Wild Garlic and Walnut Paint
SERVES: 4 PREP TIME: 15 mins COOK TIMES: 30 mins
Vegetarian
INGREDIENTS
8 eggs
50g hard pecorino or parmesan-style cheese, grated (we use a vegetarian, non-animal rennet cheese)
6 small new potatoes
6 tenderstem broccoli spears
6 asparagus spears (if seasonal)
12 French beans
A handful of rocket
1 jar Wild Garlic and Walnut Paint
1 onion, finely chopped
2/3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil or cold-pressed rapeseed oil
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water until cooked through but still holding their shape. 2 minutes before they are cooked, add broccoli, beans and asparagus to the boiling water. Drain and refresh under the cold tap to stop the cooking process and retain the colour.
Gently heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan large enough to cook the whole frittata. It’s easier, when you come to turn over your frittata, if the sides of the pan are not too sloping.
Add the onions and slowly soften without browning. Allow 15 or 20 minutes to slowly soften the onions and after 10 minutes add the garlic. Keep a close eye on the heat so that the garlic doesn’t burn. Keeping the heat low, add in all the veg, the rocket and the Wild Garlic and Walnut Paint. Stir through until all the veg are coated and the pan is just starting to sizzle.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and cheese until well combined. Season the mixture to taste. Tip the cooked vegetables into the eggs, leaving as much of the cooking oil as you can in the frying pan, and mix thoroughly. Place the frying pan back on a low heat and when the oil is just starting to sizzle tip in the egg and veg mixture. Proceed as with an omelette, pushing the cooked egg towards the centre and letting the uncooked egg come into contact with the base of the pan. Continue until all the egg is just set. I cover the pan with a lid for a few minutes just before the egg is set as it helps with the setting and makes the eggs fluff up a bit. You don’t have to if you prefer to keep a close eye on it.
So far so good. Now here’s the challenging bit!
Find a plate at least as wide as the frying pan. Place the plate, upside-down, over the frying pan and holding the plate in place very firmly with one hand and the frying pan very firmly in the other, turn over the frying pan so the plate is underneath and the frying pan on top. The frittata will have dropped out onto the plate, cooked side upwards. Slide the frittata back into the pan, uncooked side down. Push any messy, side bits down into the pan with a spatula so you have a neat looking ‘cake’. Leave to cook for a few more minutes until the underside is lightly browned. Slide onto a plate, leave to rest for 5 minutes, cut into wedges and serve.
It’s delicious cold too!
