Recipe: Courgette and mint frittata

This Italian dish is like a crustless quiche and, though delicious when hot and fluffy, it refrigerates well and slices best when cooled. Don’t mistake an omelette with frittata. Omelettes are cooked quickly on a high-temperature hob, while a thicker frittata needs cooking-through at a lower temperature.

Serves 4–6

• 20g butter

• 1 onion, sliced

• 450g courgettes

• 2tbsp oil

• 8 eggs

• 400g boiled new potatoes, chilled and sliced

• 125g soft goat’s cheese log

• 1tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely sliced

1. Heat half of the butter in a pan, add the onion and cook them on a very low heat until they soften and start to caramelise. Allow 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, turn on the grill to start cooking the courgettes. Chop off the top and bottom, and cut into 2cm slices. Toss them in the olive oil, season with salt. Arrange them on a baking tray and grill for 2–3 minutes each side, or until they start to take on some colour. Leave them to rest on a wad of kitchen roll to absorb any remaining water.

3. Tip the sliced boiled new potatoes into a large mixing bowl, crumble in the goat’s cheese and mint leaves and then add the softened onions and grilled courgette slices. Whisk the eggs, making sure that the yolks are all broken, and then add them to the mixing bowl.

4. Heat the remaining butter in an 8–10 inch ovenproof frying pan (I recommend the Vogue Steel Omelette Pan from nisbets.co.uk). Tip the frittata ingredients into the pan and cook on a low-medium heat on the hob for 8–10 minutes so the base and bottom layers of the frittata are set. Then, move it under the grill, cooking for the same amount of time, until the top layers are cooked and puffed-up.

5. Poke a knife into the centre of the frittata to make sure that it’s cooked-through. Run a palette knife round the edge to loosen the frittata, and flip it out onto a plate. You can serve straight away, or cool then refrigerate.

TIP: Pop it into some Tupperware and take the frittata on a picnic, where it’s best sliced and served with lashings of mayonnaise, as well as green salad and cured meats.

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