- 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.
·
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
