Often, all you want is a quick and light meal that’s quick easy to whip up – and Jamie Oliver has just the answer with his delicious spring frittata.
The omlette-like dish is doable in only a quarter of an hour with a little practice, according to the celebrity chef. It’s also suitable for vegetarians as the main part is essentially made from eggs, cheese and courgettes, with a few additional side dishes to boot.
“I think if you give it a proper go you’ll really get into it. It’s fun, dynamic, no-nonsense cooking,” says Jamie. He goes on to note: “Yes, the first couple of times you cook this recipe it might take a little longer, but that’s OK, it’s not a race.
“Once you embrace that and get into the spirit of the shortcuts and tips that I’ve given you, you’ll definitely start knocking this recipe out of the park in 15 minutes.” Jamie describes his recipe as ‘not too tricky’ to cook and the ingredients below are enough to serve up to four people. In addition, each serving is just 468 calories.
Everything you need beforehand
Frittata
2 firm medium green or yellow courgettes
1 bunch of fresh mint (30g)
olive oil
8 large free-range eggs
½ teaspoon truffle oil
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
40g pecorino cheese
20g feta cheese
1 fresh red chilli
Toasts
4 slices of ciabatta (2cm thick)
1 clove of garlic
4 ripe cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salad
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
150g fresh podded peas
100g watercress
1 celery of heart
How to cook the spring frittata and side dishes
First up you need need a food processor (with a fine grater and fine slicer) and to turn the oven grill to high. Then place a 26cm ovenproof frying pan and a griddle pan on high heats.
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Next, grate two firm green or yellow courgettes in the processor, put them into a bowl, season well with sea salt and tear in a few leaves from a bunch of fresh mint. Then toss it all together and squeeze to get rid of the excess salty liquid.
Put one teaspoon of olive oil into the frying pan, sprinkle in the courgettes and fry for a few minutes, stirring often. Follow this by beating eight large eggs in a bowl with ½ a teaspoon of truffle oil and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Also add in the leaves from four springs of fresh thyme and 20g of finely grated pecorino and then pour the mixture over the courgettes.
Stir and mix for one minute, then finely grate over 20g of pecorino and put on the top shelf under the grill until cooked through, fluffy and golden (this should take around five minutes). Then put four slices of ciabatta on the griddle, turning when golden.
Pour two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on to a serving platter, squeeze over the juice of one lemon and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Roughly chop the rest of the leafy top half of the mint and scatter over the platter with 150g fresh podded peas and 100g of watercress.
Swap to the fine slicer in the processor, then remove the outer celery sticks from one celery heart (save for another day), slice just the bottom half of the heart and add to the salad with the finely sliced leafy tops. Remove the toasts to a nice serving board, rub each one with the cut side of one garlic clove and squash one ripe cherry tomato onto each
Then sprinkle with a little oregano and one teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Finely slice one fresh red chilli, then slide the frittata on to the board, scatter with the chilli, crumble over 20g of feta and serve with the salad, remembering to toss gently at the last minute.
