Sunday, December 27, 2009

Vegetable Frittata

Copious amounts of animal protein aren't the only type of leftovers we're dealing with during this part of the year - there's also usually a surplus of vegetables to be found and this next recipe puts these often discarded items to a very tasty use.

Frittata is one of those truly great recipes and I'll be adding a bit of luxury in this leftover version by delving into my supply of these - Truffled eggs!

truffled eggs© by Haalo


Be it white or black, the most satisfying way to store those truffles are with eggs. I know some will say rice but I've found that rice can tend to dry out the truffle and unless you actually use a good proportion of truffle in your rice dish, the truffle aroma just doesn't seem to stay in the rice.

Egg shells are porous so they are just like a sponge, taking in all those lovely truffle aromas and flavour. This certainly extends the life of your truffle in that you don't have to use it to get that satisfying hit. Serve these eggs soft-boiled for breakfast and I guarantee this will bring a smile to your face.

Returning to the frittata - this one is purely veg version though you could easily add your leftover ham or turkey to it.

vegetable frittata© by Haalo


Leftover Frittata

3 eggs
½ cup cream
½ cup milk
leftover vegetables - I used:
roasted potatoes, shallots, garlic, parsnips
cauliflower in béchamel sauce
fresh tomatoes, diced

You can add whatever vegetables you have on hand - carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, peas, beans, zucchini, celery, mushrooms, fennel. You could also add fresh herbs and if you have leftover cheese from that cheese board, add that to the frittata.

For this version, I've roughly chopped up the potatoes and parsnips into bite sized pieces. I've also sliced the roasted shallots and garlic. Tumble these together in a bowl.

Heat a good sized knob of butter in a large skillet (I used a paella pan) over a low heat - when the butter has melted and is starting to sizzle add in the prepared vegetables. Give this a stir and then tumble in the cauliflower - use a wooden spoon to roughly break down the cauliflower. Because I'm using cauliflower that's been cooked with a béchamel sauce I won't be adding any extra cheese to this dish.

Break the eggs into a bowl, add in the cream and milk, a little freshly ground salt and white pepper and whisk until amalgamated.

Give the pan another stir to evenly distribute the vegetable ingredients and then pour over the egg mixture.

vegetable frittata© by Haalo


Turn the heat up slightly and let it bubble away just long enough to start to set the sides - when you see that solidification, put a lid on the skillet and place in a preheated 160°C oven until the eggs have almost completely set - the time taken depends on the thickness of your frittata, this took about 15 to 20 minutes.

At this stage there won't be a lot of colour on the top of your frittata - take the lid off, place the skillet on the top shelf, increase the heat to 180°C and cook until golden.

vegetable frittata© by Haalo


Let it sit for a couple of minutes before slicing.



vegetable frittata© by Haalo


Serve this with a simple green salad and you've easily got yourself a tasty lunch for 4.

5 comments

  1. lovely way to use leftover roast vegies and cream is another thing I often need to use up after a big meal so I like the idea of it in here - hope you had a nice christmas

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  2. Yum!

    Happy New Year!

    Paz

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  3. I had no idea that the truffles would flavor the eggs like that!

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  4. Wow! This looks like a fun and delicious way to get rid of my leftovers! Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year!

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  5. Thanks Johanna - had a lovely time hope you did too!

    Thanks Paz - a most happy and wonderful new year to you!

    Indeed they do Pam!

    Thanks Small Cabin - happy new year to you

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