FABULOUS FRESH GREENS FRITTATA

Remember when there was a time when me having a frittata was a rare thing. Well when I did get around having one and created my fabulously fiery frittata I vowed that I wouldn't leave it so long until I made another. Nearly on year later and it was about time I stuck that promise and so long along came this equally scrummy fabulous spring green frittata. This time using peas, asparagus, potatoes and chili jam, a final sprinkling of feta cheese makes this one pan dish great for tucking into on a warm summers evening.

Now this frittata came around as I had some peas in there pods and some beautiful fresh in season asparagus knocking around the kitchen. It's a pairing that works particularly well especially if you just boil those peas so they still have a bit of bite to contrast against the soft body of the frittata. The addition of the mushrooms and potato is to bulk out the frittata and turn it into a scrummy main meal that won't require any sides served with it to pad out the meal and create more work for yourself.

In that respect you can add in or take out any of the veggies in this recipe if you prefer to try something else. Just remember tho that if whatever you used can't be fried and edible in about five minutes then you should give it a pre-boil before hand so that you don't have a load of raw veg in your frittata. 

A dollop of chili jam really gives this frittata a bit of oomph but don't panic if you don't have any as you can stir in a few chili flakes or even some chopped chilies into the beaten egg before adding it to the pan to get a similar effect. If your not a chili fan then maybe think about adding some other herbs or spices and always remember to season well otherwise the egg component of the dish will be über bland.

The Feta sprinkled on top is like placing little nuggets of salty goodness on top of your meal and works really well with the greens and the chili. If you prefer you can use a different kind of cheese and could even add it in with the beaten egg to make the frittata full of melty cheese goodness which is naughty but ever so nice!

Let's get cracking! Make sure you have a large oven proof pan that can fit all your frittata goodness in so that you can whip it off the hob and into the oven with ease. I used a paella pan and it worked a treat!

Fresh Greens Frittata

1 Large Potato Cut Into Bite Sized Chunks

1 Large Handful Garden Peas

6 Large Whole Eggs

1 Tbsp Chili Jam

Salt And Pepper To Season

2 Grated Cloves Of Garlic

4 Large Mushrooms Cut Into Bite Sized Chunks

8 Sprigs Of Asparagus Chopped Into Halves

150g Feta

1. Being by placing the potatoes and peas into two separate pans of salted boiling water and boil both until tender. You should be able to slip a nice through the spuds with a bit of resistance and the peas should be soft with a bit of bite too them. Drain and leave both to one side once done.
2. Whilst the potatoes and peas boil, crack open the eggs into a large bowl and beat them together with the chili jam and lots of salt and pepper until well combined then leave to one side also.
3. At this point turn your oven on to 200 degrees (180 fan).
   
4. Place your large oven proof frying pan onto the hob at a medium/high heat. Add in 2 tbsp of oil and then add in the garlic, mushrooms and asparagus and fry until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add in the boiled potatoes and peas and fry for 1 minute before adding in the beaten egg mix. Stir to ensure you get a good even distribution of all the veg in the pan.
5. Once the egg mix begins to set at the base and edges of the frittata transfer the pan to the oven. Keep you eye on it and bake for around 5 minutes until the top has risen slightly and has just set on top (the eggs will keep cooking for a bit once removed from the oven).
6. Remove from the oven and then crumble over the feta on top of the frittata.

This is a great dish just to take to the table in the pan and get all your diners to just grab a spoon and help themselves.  Leave some extra feta on the side as well if they want to sprinkle a bit more over if they are proper cheese monsters along with your jar of chili jam to dollop on another blob or two if they really want to ramp up the spice. Tucking into is an array of tender crunchy vegetables surround by that beautifully soft and spiked with chili frittata body, for me there is no better dish to get stuck into on a warms summer evening especially if your lucky enough to be able to eat Al Fresco in your garden!