Frittata

This recipe was inspired by a very good friend who was generous enough to provide us with recipe tips for this tofu based frittata. I suppose it would have only been a matter of time before I came across a recipe similar to this one, but it is all the more special knowing that it was informed by someone who is inspiring in his own right. Recipes, like food, are best when shared.

The ingredients set out in the recipe below shows the combination that we opted for this time, but most veg would work and we look forward to trying, in a variety of combinations, at least green beans, mushrooms, potatoes (pre-cooked), courgette, chard, spinach, kale and leek. I could also see this work with a lot more onion, making it a key ingredient, rather like a frittata version of a French onion soup and not just a flavour-enhancer. The proportions are also open for adaptation - you could probably include a lot more vegetables in a Spanish omelette approximation, so that over 50% of the dish would be made up of potatoes and onions.

We served the frittata warm with a simple side salad, but it would be very yummy on a slice of toast and topped with a Peperonata. The first attempt at this recipe left us with more of a scramble than a frittata, which was fine, we celebrated the failure by rolling it up in a wrap with some avocado, Kraut-Chi, bell pepper, tomatoes and a lot of hot sauce - think breakfast burrito.

This dish could also easily be adapted to work as the filling to a quiche. I have yet to try it, but I am fairly certain that it would work. I would line a springform cake tin with puff pastry weighed down with baking beads and pre-bake the base before adding the tofu and vegetable mixture as prepared below. I will very likely give it a try in the dreary autumn days to come, so stay tuned.

Ingredients: (Feeds 2 adults and 1 toddler)

• 400g firm tofu (not silken)
• 100ml (1/2 cup) almond milk
• 1 tbsp arrowroot (optional, but thickens the consistency, which otherwise risks being too loose and liquid to pass as a frittata)
• 1 tbsp of chickpea flour (optional, but lends a little eggy flavour)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground turmeric 
• 1 red pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 tbsp cooking oil (we use rapeseed) 
• small bunch of parsley

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• Dice the onion and red pepper and add along with 1 tsp of salt to an iron skillet or oven-proof pan and saute in the oil for 5 min on medium heat.
• Add the frozen peas and saute for 2 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, drain the tofu and then break it into chunks and place along with 1 tsp salt, turmeric, paprika and arrowroot into a blender or food processor (fitted with the S blade) and blend until smooth.
• Mix the sauted vegetables and blended tofu in a bowl along with diced parsley and return to the pan and place in preheated oven and bake for 35-45 min.