Normally this dish would be eaten with a good handful of the local spicy sausage, but I have adapted it to replicate the gooey, comfort-food flavours without my prefered half a pig in the production.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
8 oz / 250g closed cap mushrooms, sliced
half a dozen spring or salad onions, rouchly chopped
half a dozem medium or large eggs - (get good ones with rich yolks)
4 oz / 125g grated cheddar - (I prefer a good mature one)
2 cloves garlic
1 small-medium red chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 tsp smoked papika
Salt and Pepper to taste
Add the oil to a pan and sprinkle in the paprika. Set the pan to warm.
Before you fry, crack the eggs into a jug and add the cheese and beat together. For a richer tatse add a small knob of butter. Salt and pepper can be added here to taste - around 2 grinds from the salt cellar and 8-10 of the pepper grinder are good. If you like herbs, up to a tablesppon of parsley will blend well with the egg, but as this is a meat as well as an egg balancing herb, I prefer it without.
Fry the onions, mushrooms and chilli over a medium-hot heat until all have softened and the paprika has given everything a warm tint. (Hint: No powder should be left). This should take around 3 minutes.
Turn the heat down to medium.
Add the egg and chesse mix and make sure it is evenly distributed.
Now the magic bit. You are aiming for a gold to mid brown shell on the outside with a slightly gooey middle. (Hint: Test once or twice by taking the pan off the heat and let any spitting subside, sniff near the edge. You know what cooking egg smells like, if you can small any hint of a burn - deal with it quickly).
Cook the mixture over a medium heat until it shows the first signs of cooking through. Use the sniff test to ensure London or your frittata isn't burning.
Look good easily by finishing the top off under the grill. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO USE A KNIFE TO TEST FOR A LITTLE BIT OF A GOOEY CENTRE. (Hint: Remember that eggs continue to cook in their own heat for up to a minute).
Expert cheat. Use a deep frying pan and fry until you get the first pop of cooked egg on top. Either use a deep plate wider than the pan to do a flip or another pan of the same size warmed and brushed with oil... the mixture sucks up enough oil not to need more anyway), to pan fry either side as the classic dish demands.
Done well, you get crunchy, fluffy and gooey eggs all in one dish with an excellent balance of warm and spicy flavours.
If you like medium hopped ales or light red wines. This is a must!
Reg