We ran into some technical trouble yesterday, but were excited for this recipe from Lucas Hollweg so decided on a Saturday edition of Friday suppers.
This lies somewhere on the Italian frittata-Spanish tortilla spectrum. Serve it with a green salad and a blob of mayonnaise or aioli, if you fancy it.
Serves 4
300g rainbow chard (or other swiss chard)
1 medium red onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 medium cloves of garlic, crushed
Olive oil
A handful of pine nuts
¾ tsp fine sea salt, plus a few pinches extra
1/8th tsp freshly ground black pepper
A tiny pinch crushed chilli flakes
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ bunch dill, stems removed, leaves finely chopped
50g parmesan (or similar vegetarian cheese), grated
5 medium eggs
75g ricotta
Method
Separate the chard leaves from the fleshy stems. Cut the stems into 1cm slices and tear the leaves into rough strips with your hands. Keep the two separate.
Bring a small pan of salted water to a boil and add the chard stems. Cook for 6-7 minutes until tender, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain. Add the leaves to the pan and cook until just wilted. Drain well, then, when cool enough, squeeze with your hands to get rid of excess moisture. Put the stems and leaves in a mixing bowl.
Wipe out the pan, add a splash of oil and place on the hob. Add the onions and garlic, together with a pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until soft but not brown.
Tip into the bowl with the chard stems and leaves. Add the pine nuts, salt, pepper, chilli, nutmeg, dill and parmesan, then the eggs. Mix together well. Add dollops of the ricotta. Fold through gently so the ricotta isn’t completely broken up.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a 20cm non-stick oven-proof frying pan – ideally an omelette pan with rounded sides. Add the egg mixture and cook on the hob on a low-medium heat for about 10 minutes until the underside is lightly browned. Lift up with a spatula to check, adjusting the heat if necessary. Meanwhile, heat the grill. Transfer the pan to the grill and leave for 5-6 minutes until set and golden on top. Leave to cool a little, then slide from the pan.
Eat while just warm or at room temperature.
Lucas Hollweg is an award-winning food writer, cookbook author and cook. A former Sunday Times journalist and cookery columnist, he writes for a wide range of food publications. His most recent book is Good Things to Eat.
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