Contemporary Frittata

How often do you open your fridge and discover several vegetables that are about to perish? A few forgotten carrots, a leek that was left from another recipe, half of a cauliflower postponed because it was very large, etc., etc. Today we bring you a traditional Italian recipe that will transform your left-over vegetables (within certain limits. No miracles here, eh?) into a delicious, elegant and clearly healthy dish: the Vegetable Frittata. The goodness of the frittata is such that it will fix you a first course, a cold supper and, our favorite option, a platter of amazing appetizers. In the picture, our Frittata snacks with ricotta and basil: yum!

During these long days of lockdown, the quotidian cooks have been reading (with dismay) the 2019 FAO Report on Food Waste. In the European Union about 89 million tons of food are wasted per year, about 179 Kg per person. In Spain, eight out of ten households throw food in the garbage because they consider it to be in poor condition. Fruits, vegetables and fresh bread are the most discarded foods, 48.1% of the total food that goes to the garbage. If you want to see the world data in detail, go to the website of Too Good to Go, the leading European company in combating food waste.

Experts point out several causes: lack of weekly menu planning, compulsive and/or temperamental shopping, lack of time to cook at home … we could write a book on that: how much time do we spend each day in front of a digital screen, doing … what? In this modern life we set our priorities to accomplish many things and we forget about our food because we value it low, low.

And yes, there are several tools that can help us throw away less food. Check the guide and toolkits from the United States EPA: Reducing Wasted Food at Home. We can also use several Apps, Food For All, and Too Good To Go, to buy food in restaurants at discount prices; Food Rescue US, to connect donors like grocery stores and restaurants with food rescue groups and local community kitchens; and Olio, an App to connect with neighbourghs and local businesses to share food locally.

Frittata snacks with ricotta and basil

Actually, our grandmas were already experts at cooking without wasting anything. Traditional cuisine is the epitome of food management: croquettes, stews, pasta, rice dishes, etc, etc. Frittata is one of the Mediterranean jewels of zero-waste: an egg base and endless vegetables in varying amounts. In our version, we cook it in the oven (not a single drop of oil required). We add yogurt to the eggs to bring a fresh flavor and use vegetables that we had in our pantry: carrots, onion, spinach, tomato and broccoli. It benefits from infinite variations. The trick to a perfect frittata is to combine vegetables cooked al dente (steamed) with raw ones.

The technique in this frittata results with clean, subtle aromas, individualized vegetable flavors and different textures. A Mediterranean feast of colors with a nod to the tradition of using until the very last leaf of our vegetables.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Contemporary Frittata

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: TQC

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 100 gr carrots, clean and cut into slices
• 100 gr fresh / frozen spinach leaves
• 100 gr broccoli or cauliflower or romanesco florets and their smallest leaves
• 100 gr / 8 pieces of cherry tomatoes
• half medium onion cut into rings
• 6 eggs
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (or vegetable yogurt if preferred)
• 3 tablespoons ricotta (optional)
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Thoroughly clean the carrots and cut the broccoli into small florets. Prepare the steam cooker with mineral water.
2. Place the carrots cut into ⅓ inch slices on the tray and steam. After 5 minutes add the florets / broccoli leaves. Steam 5 minutes more. Total carrot: 10 minutes. Total broccoli: 5 minutes steaming.
3. Immediately chill in a bowl with ice water, strain and set aside,
4. Beat the six eggs with half a tablespoon of salt and the yogurt. Add the crumbled ricotta and mix.
5. In the same container add the vegetables (carrot, broccoli, onion rings, spinach) keeping several pieces of each to decorate the frittata.
6. Pour the mixture into a 9 inch/ 24 cm diameter baking pan.
7. Distribute the reserved vegetables to decorate on the surface harmoniously and add the cherry tomatoes cut in half.
8. Bake for 20 min at 350F/180 C.
9. Grind black pepper on top and serve.

Culinary Tips

Frittata can be made with all kinds of vegetables. The key is to keep a certain balance of flavors. onion, carrot and tomato are a good base to which we can add a type of green leaf (spinach, kale, arugula) and a cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, etc.). It blends very well with peppers, zucchini, eggplant, squash, etc., etc.

Experiment with your own variations, always keeping in mind that textured vegetables (carrots, zucchini, eggplants, etc.) must be cooked beforehand and left al dente (steaming preferably).

We steam them because they do not need salt and result al dente. Remember to chill them in ice water right after cooking.

3.5.3251