Melissa Hemsley’s Fridge-Raid Frittata
Trying to cut down on food waste? This adaptable frittata recipe from Melissa Hemsley's Eat Green is a great way to turn leftover vegetables into a delicious brunch dish.
From the book
Eat Green
Feel-good food that helps the planet and saves you money
Full of clever tips on seasonal ingredients and sustainable cooking
With flexitarian recipes to suit vegans, veggies, and omnivores
Introduction
The beauty of a frittata is that anything goes – really, it does! In this case, broccoli is the star, but let whatever is in your fridge take the lead. Always aim for some green as it’s often the green veg that most of us could do with more of. Not only is a vegetable frittata an easy and delicious way to start your day, but in this case you eat the whole broccoli in all its glory – stems and stalks – and, even better, everything happens in the same pan. If you’ve got cooked broccoli ready to go, then skip step 1 and save time. And if you know you’ll be rushing out the door a lot this week, bake it in a 12-hole muffin tray at fan 170°C/Gas mark 5 for 10–15 minutes for a grab-and-go breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
| 1 large | head of broccoli, florets evenly chopped and stem finely chopped |
| 1 | small onion, thinly sliced |
| 2 | garlic cloves, thinly sliced |
| 2 | tbsp butter |
| 10 | eggs |
| 2 large handfuls | grated cheese (I use mature Cheddar or you could use crumbled feta or goat’s cheese) |
| sea salt and black pepper | |
| Optional extras: | |
| A handful | chopped fresh basil, parsley, chives or celery leaves |
| chilli flakes, to taste | |
| 2 handfuls | wild garlic, chopped (when in season) |
Method
Grab a medium-sized, deep-sided frying pan and steam the broccoli for 3 minutes in about 4 tablespoons of water, lid on, until almost tender and just turned bright green. Drain any excess liquid (though the broccoli will probably absorb it all) and set the broccoli aside.
Pop the pan back on the heat and gently fry the red onion rings and garlic in the butter for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs together in a bowl, add salt, pepper and the cheese, plus any of the herbs, chilli flakes or wild garlic, if using.
Preheat the grill to high. Add the broccoli back to the pan to coat in the garlic butter, then pour in the egg mix, stirring so that the broccoli and onions are distributed evenly. Let the bottom and sides cook and start to set over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Pop the frittata under the grill for a further 5 minutes until golden on top and just cooked through (give the pan a wobble to check), then slide it onto a chopping board or plate. Cool for 10 minutes and slice up into quarters.
Waste not: This is divine with cauliflower too and tastes a bit like cauliflower cheese. The day I handed in this book, I made a celebratory clear-out-the-fridge frittata with 2 big handfuls of chopped mushrooms, shredded cabbage, 1 tablespoon of leftover cream, ¼ onion and a big pinch of fresh thyme leaves. It was delicious and too good to not share with you here.
