One of my favourite summer lunches
Angelo's veg garden always treats us to an endless supply of courgettes throughout July and August and into September. Round ones, white ones, dark green, pale green, they are all perfect for this recipe. Over the years I have tried to come up with lots of ways to use them.
This fresh, minty courgette frittata is great for lunch and picnics on the beach.
Minty Courgette Frittata - The Recipe
Makes Enough for 4 as part of a light lunch
Takes About 30 minutes to make.
The Ingredients
3 large or 4 medium courgettes
1 large onion - red or white
5 eggs
2 handfuls of grated parmesan
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
A handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
2 generous tablespoons of fresh ricotta cheese*
Salt and pepper, as usual, to taste.
* If you have access to freshly made ricotta then I would definitely recommend using it. And if you can only get hold of the supermarket variety, I'd leave it out. It's just as delicious without it.
The Making
Step 1
Prepare the vegetables: Slice the courgettes in half lengthways, then slice each half into half moon slices. It doesn't really matter how thickly or thinly you slice them, the important thing is that they are all the same thickness. Slice or chop the onion, either is fine. And finally, chop up the fresh mint.
Step 2
Grate the parmesan and crack the eggs into a bowl.
Step 3
Put a xcm nonstick frying pan onto the hob (it has to be properly non-stick or the whole frittata will, well, stick!), and pour in the olive oil, you want to make sure that the oil covers the whole of the bottom of the pan. Turn on the heat to medium high, around 7 on an induction hob.
Step 4
When the oil is hot, add the onions and cook for about 5/7 minutes stirring often to stop them burning. Then add the courgettes and a little salt and keep stirring until they are softened but not too mushy. You want them to still be vibrant and green.
Step 5
Meanwhile... Beat the eggs, season them with salt and pepper and mix in the chopped mint. If you are using ricotta, whisk it into the eggs now. It's fine if there are little lumps of ricotta in the egg.
Step 6
Turn the heat down a little under the vegetables and pour the egg mixture over them, making sure that the onions and courgettes are distributed evenly. While the frittata is cooking on the stovetop, turn on your grill and set it to high. Keep an eye on the frittata, you don't want the bottom to burn so, you may need to turn it down to 4, best if it cooks slowly at this stage.
Step 8
Sprinkle the parmesan evenly over the top of the frittata.
Step 9
Once the bottom is cooked (you will see it start to set and brown a llittle at the sides) place the whole pan - except for the handle - under the grill. Leave it until it is golden and the top is firm. It will puff up and you'll see that it looks done. This takes about 5 minutes.
Step 9
Allow it to cool in the pan for about 10/15 minutes and then transfer to a serving dish. The frittata is best served at room temperature, not too cold or too hot.
This frittata is best eaten on the day it is made. It's ok the next day but not as good once it's been in the fridge.
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