Sunday, 19 August 2012

free-for-all frittatas, weight loss


  • Weight Loss - 86.6 kg.  A slight weight gain this week - too many meals at MacDonalds on the road.
 

Frittata


·        A free-for-all frittata can make a quick and delicious meal of what you have in your fridge and pantry. It is a great way to use leftover cooked vegetables and meat.  Here is a basic method of preparing a frittata for 4-6 people.

1. PRECOOKED INGREDIENTS

·        Leftovers can add substance to your frittata especially a cup or two of cooked pasta, boiled or roasted potatoes, pumpkin, or sweet potato.  You can also add 1 - 2 cups of other cooked vegetables such as peas, beans, asparagus, artichokes, broad beans, spinach, silver beet, carrots, corn and zucchinis.  If your vegetables are not pre-cooked steam or boil them and allow them to cool a bit so they do not curdle the eggs when added to them.  You can also add about ½ cup of sliced meat such as cooked sausages, shredded roasted chicken, ham and salami.



2. SAUTE BASIC FLAVOURINGS AND AROMATICS

·        Gently fry your choice of sliced or chopped onions, shallots, spring onions, leeks in olive oil or olive and butter, until tender but not browned.  Leeks might take 30 minutes to cook thoroughly.  You might like to add some chopped bacon and celery or sliced capsicum for more flavour.  Add aromatics such as crushed garlic and minced chilli and any spices and hard herbs such as thyme, and sauté over medium heat for a minute. Allow the ingredients to cool down a little.



3. ADDING THE EGG MIXTURE

·        Lightly beat 6 eggs together and season with salt and pepper.   Add chopped soft herbs such as parsley, dill, fennel, basil.  Add the precooked ingredients and basic flavourings and aromatics. Stir together.  Heat a large heavy based pan on high heat and add the egg mixture.  Allow the bottom to brown for a minute and then turn the heat down.   You can make the frittata as thick or thin as you like by your choice of pan but remember the thicker the frittata the lower the heat you should use and the longer you should cook it to make sure that the bottom doesn’t burn while the middle is raw. It could take between 15-25 minutes to cook, meanwhile heat the grill or oven up to brown the top of the frittata.

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4. FINNISHING OFF THE FRITTATA

·        When the top of the frittata is still moist but with only a little runny egg mix on top sprinkle it with about ½ cup of grated cheese of your choice and put the pan under a hot grill for about 30 seconds or in a hot oven to quickly brown the surface (don’t leave it too long or it will be dry and tough).  The frittata should have a golden crust but still be creamy inside.  It is lovely served warm with a salad.



Some good combinations for frittatas

1.       broad beans, artichokes, spring onions, anchovies, parsley, percorino cheese.

2.       asparagus, peas, chives, bacon, capers, parmesan cheese.

3.       Leeks, mushrooms, ham, spinach, nutmeg,

4.       Peas, chorizo sausage, onion, red and green capsicum, a little smoked paprika

5.       zucchinis, red capsicum, onion, salami, basil, parmesan

6.       pasta, silver beet, chives, parsley, ham, anchovies, fetta

7.       French beans, garlic, potatoes, dill, parmesan

8.       Carrots, garlic, bacon, cumin, coriander

9.       sweet potatoes, sausage, onions, broccoli, chillies, garlic, ginger

10.   Fennel, zucchini, leek, smoked salmon, camembert,

11.   A variety of mushrooms, artichokes, bacon, chives, goats cheese,

12.   Pumpkin, blue cheese, bacon

13.   pumpkin, sausage, broccoli, blue cheese, coriander, parsley

14.   Potato, speck, garlic, cabbage, fennel seeds,

15.   Beetroot, onion, feta, dill

16.   Chinese greens, Asian noodles, onion, ginger, garlic

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