I
fell in love with all things Italian many years ago and so last
April when we were in Roma I made a promise to my self that I
would learn Italian. So far so good – I am still having my lessons
every week and although I can understand more than I can speak,
the last time I was in Italy the man in the gelateria (ice cream
shop) gave me a free gelato for sounding like a native – well
almost. This month is a simple recipe of frittata which is translated
into omelette. You can add what you like and serve it hot, warm
of room temperature. They can be made thick as in this recipe
or thin like a pancake and spread with ricotta cheese, herbs and
chopped tomatoes and rolled up into a cigar. Buon appetito!
Frittata
Buy the best eggs you can find I like to use Italian eggs -
I buy them in London at The Fish Shop Kensington Place.
Serves 4
8 large Italian eggs or failing that organic
120g parmesan cheese finely grated
Olive oil
20g butter
½ tbsp freshly chopped chives
1 tbsp freshly chopped flat leaf parley
100g rocket leaves
Salt and pepper
Pre heat the oven to 200c
Beat the eggs lightly in a bowl and add ½ of the parmesan
cheese and the herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Heat up an
ovenproof cast iron frying pan. Add a little olive oil and swirl
round the pan and heat up. Pour in the egg mix and turn down
the heat if you need to so that it cooks evenly . When it is
still a bit wobbly scatter over the remaining parmesan cheese
and dot the butter on top. Transfer to the oven for a few minutes
so that the cheese melts and the top is golden. Loosen the sides
then either flip or slide on to a plate. Serve with a salad
and some good Parma ham.
Tip:
We love Hendricks’s Gin it is a really different gin and is
served with a slice of cucumber- not lemon. So to complement
this wonderful gin you need an equally fabulous tonic – Fever-Tree
Tonic! Fever-Tree is available from Waitrose www.fever-tree.com