Quarantine Frittata

Name: Frittata
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 large free range eggs; 2 TBS milk; 1/2 TBS butter or becel; 1/4 tsp of chopped fresh herb (I used rosemary); salt and black pepper to taste; 1 slice of deli-ham, chopped; 2 small cooked new potatoes, chopped; 1 handful of baby greens; 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced; 1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped; 1/3 cup (36g) grated strong cheddar cheese, divided; 4 or 5 cherry tomatoes halved

Wednesday, 18 November 2020

One of the first days I was staying here in Quarantine, I decided to make myself a Frittata for my dinner. I was still suffering from jet lag and, although I was hungry, I was lacking in energy and inspiration!

My sister had left me some eggs in the refrigerator. I have always held to the premise that if you have eggs in the fridge, you always have a delicious meal in the making!

Frittata are one of those things that you can whip up with next to nothing. All you really need are eggs and some kind of milk/cream. Add to that any combination of vegetables and proteins, and you have a tasty meal in the making!

They are very similar to an omelet, however there is no rolling involved. Just pop your filling ingredients into a skillet, pour the egg mixture over top, let it set on the bottom and then finish it off in the oven! Easy peasy!

On this particular day I had some leftover cooked potatoes which I wanted to use up and some sliced deli-ham. You can use any kind of luncheon meat, or no meat at all. Bacon, sausage, all work very well.

I chopped the ham and popped it into a skillet along with the potatoes. I had Becel for the fat. But obviously if you have bacon you can cook the bacon first in the skillet and then use the bacon fat to cook anything else.

I also had a big package of baby greens my sister had left for me to use in salads and such. It was a lovely mix of kale, spinach, beet greens, etc. I thought they would work very well in a frittata.

I added them to the skillet along with a clove of minced garlic and a chopped spring onion. One thing about Greens is they wilt very quickly and give a lovely touch of colour.

You can really use any kind of vegetable that you want to use, and what you have to hand. Peppers are very good. Asparagus cuts, mushrooms, green beans, etc.

Pretty much any vegetable works well. Just make sure you use a combination of flavours and textures that will work with each other. You know what you like and what you don't like

Once you have your vegetables cooked you will need to spread them out in the pan in an even layer. You will need enough beaten egg and milk to cover them.

I added some cheese to the egg/milk mixture and some chopped rosemary that my sister had left for me. You could use any soft herb, or even a dried herb if that is what you have! You will need enough milk and egg to cover the vegetables in the pan.

Its okay if it doesn't cover them completely. I happen to think a few bits sticking up here and there add interest!

You pour the egg mixture over and let it cook over medium heat without disturbing it until it begins to set. I like it to be set all around the edges and on the bottom. Make sure you have used enough fat with you cooked your vegetables so that it doesn't stick.

Try not to rush that stage or you may risk burning the bottom of your frittata. You will see when it is just about ready because it will start to look dry and pull away from the edges.

After that you can scatter some more cheese on top. I also added some halved cherry tomatoes.

The whole thing ended up looking quite festive I thought with bits of red and green scattered throughout! I'll be honest here, I could not finish it. I only had half of it and the other half I had for breakfast the next morning.

Don't worry if you don't have potatoes, you can use cooked pasta, or even bread or rice! I have used all before and they all work very well!

I ended up with a meal that was delicious, nutritious and healthy as well as being very simple, easy and quick to make! It was also incredibly filling.

I enjoyed it with a mixed tossed salad on the side. You could also add toast if you are exceptionally hungry. The important thing is to have some fun with it! Just use your imagination and whatever you have availabe to use. You might be very surprised at just what you can come up with!

Quarantine Frittata

Yield: 1 (generously)

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 5 Mincook time: 20 Mintotal time: 25 Min

You can make a frittata out of just about anything you have on hand. Simple and quick to make they make for a lovely light supper or lunch!

Ingredients

2 large free range eggs
2 TBS milk
1/2 TBS butter or becel
1/4 tsp of chopped fresh herb (I used rosemary)
salt and black pepper to taste
1 slice of deli-ham, chopped
2 small cooked new potatoes, chopped
1 handful of baby greens
1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped
1/3 cup (36g) grated strong cheddar cheese, divided
4 or 5 cherry tomatoes halved

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Whisk the eggs, milk, 1/2 of the cheese, and some seasoning together along with the rosemary. Set aside. (If your skillet doesn't have an oven-proof handle, cover it with aluminium foil.)
Add the butter to a medium non-stick skillet and add the potatoes and chopped ham, seasoning them lightly. Cook, stirring occasion until the potatoes have begun to turn golden brown. Add the baby greens, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring until the greens begin to wilt.
Spread everything out in the pan and then pour the eggs over top to cover. Cook without stirring until it begins to set on the bottom of the skillet and around the edges. Top with the remaining cheese and halved cherry tomatoes.
Bang into the preheated oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until set through and the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven. Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve hot. I served this with a salad.

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So what are some of your favourite things to do with eggs? Do you even like eggs? I really want to know!

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Mary Berry's Sage & Onion Stuffing

Tuesday, 17 November 2020

I am so excited about sharing this recipe with you today for Mary Berry's Sage & Onion Stuffing. I don't know about you, but the stuffing is my favourite part of any holiday meal. I could eat just a plate of stuffing and nothing else.

I had always made my mother's stuffing and loved it, but I discovered Mary Berry's stuffing a few years ago and fell in love with it. I have been making it Mary's way ever since!

Mary Berry is not only an expert baker, as her reputation from the GBBO suggests. She is also an expert in all types of cooking. I trust her recipes implicitly. They are impeccable.

I don't know about you, but I miss her on the GBBO. In my opinion, although it is still a good show, it just has not been the same without her on it. She was the best.

One reason I have fallen in love with this stuffing is because of the simplicity of its preparation. It takes relatively few ingredients and goes together very quickly.

Simple ingredients put together in an incredibly delicious way, but then again, you would expect nothing less from Mary Berry. Just the name implies perfection.

For this you will need to peel and chop some onions. One pound to be exact, which may sound like a lot, but trust me, this is the perfect amount. These are covered with cold water and brought to the boil.

You then simmer them for about 15 minutes, until they are meltingly soft. You will need to drain them at that point. Make sure you drain them really well so that you don't end up with soggy stuffing.

Stuffing should be moist, but never soggy. Soggy is a big no, no. I return the well drained onions to the saucepan and then I add the butter, melting it into the onions. Perfection . . .

I make my own soft light bread crumbs. You can remove the crusts if you want, but I never do. I have never minded the crusts. I make them into crumbs in my small food processor, crumbing about 2 slices at a time.

Other than that all you need is some fresh sage, salt and pepper. Simple. You can use dried sage if you want to. I have had to before. Dried sage works very well actually. Just use half the amount as fresh.

I always taste and then season or add sage according to my taste. Sometimes it will need more. I am not sure why that is.

Most of the time I cook my stuffing in a buttered casserole dish rather than inside the bird. I have read that it is safer to do that. But in all honesty that is not why I choose to do this.

I like the crispy edges that the stuffing gets when you bake it in a casserole dish. It gets a buttery crispness on the bottom and on the top.

I like to stir this buttery crunch through the finished stuffing when it is done. But you can do whatever you wish. I just like the buttery crispy bits to be everywhere!

I am a nut for buttery and crisp. Sometimes I do bow to my mother's stuffing and stir some mashed potatoes into the bread crumbs prior to baking. This is a very New Germany, Nova Scotia thing.

On this particular day I didn't, but I can assure you it is very delicious with potato in it as well, although it is not as dry. It will be much moister. And heavier.

I suppose they started doing that to help to extend the amount of stuffing and then enjoyed it so much that they just kept doing it.

It is very much a Maritime tradition. I love it both with the potatoes and without. I just love stuffing, full stop.

I have never met a stuffing I did not like. When I worked at the manor I used to have to make a cornbread and sausage stuffing, which was what they preferred as a family. I suppose it is very much a traditional/regional thing.

Although it was still quite good, I preferred the sage and onion simple bread stuffing. It is what I grew up with and it is the flavour I think goes the best with a roasted bird. Its that simple.

In any case I hope you will try this sage and onion stuffing this year! I think you will agree, it is phenomenal. You just cannot go wrong with a Mary Berry recipe. You realy can't!

Mary Berry's Sage & Onion Stuffing

Yield: 8

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 20 Mincook time: 30 Mintotal time: 50 Min

I discovered this recipe for stuffing about 2 years ago and I have been making it ever since. I has become my absolute favourite stuffing to use for the holidays. Its quick simple and delicious! Trust Mary Berry! In one word, perfection.