Frittata for picnics
Frittata is the perfect picnic food. In fact it's the perfect food and somehow appeals at any time of the day. You can eat it for breakfast, in a panino for elevenses, warm with light salad for lunch, or with boiled potatoes and greens for supper.
It is the easiest and most versatile dish to cook. Use good eggs, organic if possible, and keep it simple. I usually use two or three ingredients to flavour the eggs. You need a good, heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan. Use enough eggs to fill the frying pan so the frittata is nice and thick and cooks slowly. A small 20cm frying pan will make a frittata for two, using five eggs.
You will need:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and a good blob of butter
- 2 medium onions, peeled and very finely sliced
- 2-3 cold, cooked potatoes, diced (saved from the day before)
- 5 organic eggs
- Maldon sea salt and black pepper
Warm the oil and butter and cook the finely sliced onions until they are soft and slightly singed at the edges. Add the diced potatoes, heat them through and turn the heat up to let them crisp up a little at the edges.
Beat the eggs and season them well. Turn the heat down to medium and add the eggs, moving them around so they coat the potatoes and onions. Now let the frittata cook slowly in its own time. As it solidifies at the bottom, tip the frying pan to let the liquid egg seep underneath but other than that let it be.
When it has almost completely solidified and is dry on top, put a large plate over the frying pan. Tip the frittata on to it and slide it, upside down, back into the frying pan. Let it cook for a further 5 minutes or so on the bottom just to finish the underside, and it's done. Serve warm or cold, not piping hot.
Frittata with courgettes, pecorino and mint: Slice 2 medium courgettes finely and cook them in the butter and oil, browning them a little at the edges. Add the eggs, 3-4 tablespoons grated pecorino and a tablespoon of chopped fresh mint.
Frittata with Fonteluna sausage and potato: Skin the sausage by running a sharp knife down the side and sliding off the skin. Cut the sausage thinly and cook it in the butter and oil. Add a couple of chopped cold, cooked potatoes and cook them until they brown a little too. Add the eggs and cook as above.
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