The waste-not Frittata

Known as an Italian style omelette, frittatas are eggy delights with endless ingredient options, transforming scrap to scrumptious.

This humble crustless ‘pie’  incorporates leftovers with egg and cheese….enough to bind just about any combination of ingredients you can conceive!  It’s a perfect side dish, snack or main meal and a great use of day-old leftovers or stray vegetable that need re-invigoration.

Now this recipe can either be baked in a cast iron fry pan (sauteing on stove top, then baked in the oven); baked in a flan or pie dish to slice and serve; or baked in muffin tins for a snack-sized morsel.

These recipe suggestions are all vegetarian or pescatarian (given I don’t personally eat meat) but you can use your imagination to adapt the ingredients to suit your favourite vice. Personally I love a thin layer of cold smoked salmon on top (just before baking) as my piece de resistance.

The basic frittata ‘glue’

This helps bind all the other ingredients. Early in the peace I will add a disclaimer that there are many recipes that don’t include cream or garlic and still manages to taste amazing. Like most things — understand the rules, then break them:

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup pure cream
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese or hard cheese
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed (or diced/sauteed onion)
• seasoning to taste

Suggested Fillings

• leek & potato, a dash of lemon zest, with generous garnish of rocket
• peas, mint leaves and feta cheese
• roast pumpkin, haloumi, diced tomato, morrocan chickpeas
• grated zucchini, carrot and parsnip
• sauteed potato, olives, sundried tomato, red onion
• asparagus, artichoke, mozzarella and zucchini
• pasta with broccolini and blue cheese
• kalette, potato, sundried tomato and turmeric
• corn, mushrooms, red onion, black beans, tomatoes

TIPS:

• For an extra fluffy frittata, beat the egg white separately then fold into the rest of the mixture.
• If using spinach (from frozen or freshly blanched) be sure to squeeze out all the water first.

Mini ‘Waste Not’ Frittatas

Makes: 12 medium sized muffin frittatas

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 capsicum
• 6 small boiled potatoes, diced
• 10 green beans, diced
• 8 eggs
• 100g feta
• generous amounts of fresh coriander
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• grated cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. In a heavy bottomed fry pan saute onion and capsicum for a few minutes until soft. Add diced potatoes and green beans and saute for a further 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in another bowl beat eggs then fold in crumbled feta.
4. Dollop spoonfuls of vegetables into greased mini muffin tins, top with egg mixture, then sprinkle a grated cheese on top.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.