Monday 11 July 2011

Recipe/Ricetta - Fortagia al Forno con Zucchini e Funghi (Oven-baked Omelette/Frittata with Courgettes and Mushrooms)

I seem to have great difficulty in cooking fortagia on the stove-top; it's a bit of a shameful thing to have to admit but there it is - no matter which pan I use, be it a skillet or a wok, my fortagii turn out like multicoloured scrambled eggs at best, and at worst, something one might see on the pavement outside a British pub on a  Saturday morning! Even trying to soufflĂ© them under the grill proves hazardous....the last time I tried this, I set off every smoke alarm in my house, due to placing a wooden-handled wok under the grill for too long. It is now an ex-wooden-handled wok!

Then I realised I could just cook it in the oven! Why did I not do this before? Who knows? Anyway, the result is a beautiful and perfectly-formed fortagia every time, and being rectangular, it's really easy to divide up (I recommend a palette knife for this)!

This recipe only uses one whole egg, but has three egg whites. It is very flavoursome (no less-so than if it were made with whole eggs) but at a fraction of the calories and fat content of more traditional recipes. Since I really don't like the taste of eggs (but as a non-meat eater, I need all the protein I can get), I load up my fortaggii with vegetables and cheese (although not too much of course), but it really is up to you what you put in yours. Do feel free to experiment!



Approximate nutritional values per person:
Calories 210
Carbs 12g
Fat 11g
Sodium 422mg
Sugar 10g
Protein 17g
(Please note that these are based on the ingredients I use - your own may be slightly different)

For two people:
3 medium egg whites
1 medium whole egg
100ml semi-skimmed milk
.5 tsp fresh oregano
.5 tsp fresh thyme
5 fresh basil leaves - torn (approx)
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
Dash of sea salt
1 medium zucchini/courgette - either sliced very thinly, or ribboned (I use a Y-shaped potato peeler for this)
50g Romano peppers - diced
2 medium mushrooms - sliced thinly
2 spring onions - sliced thinly
1 clove garlic - smashed
8 cherry tomatoes - cut in half (you can use more or fewer if you like)
30g grated extra-mature Cheddar (I love Tickler)

You will also need silicone baking parchment.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 175-185°C.
2. Prepare your zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, garlic and spring onions, and then fry gently with the spray oil in a heavy-based pan. I find that a cast-iron skillet works really well.
3. While the veggies are cooking, whisk together the egg and egg whites, along with the milk, seasoning and herbs (you can use the leftover yolks to make a hair masque or face-pack!).
4. When the veggies are cooked to taste, line an oven tin/tray/dish with silicone baking parchment, enough to overlap the edges (this will prevent the fortagia sticking, plus makes it easy to remove from the cooking vessel). Arrange the vegetables on the parchment, then pour the savoury custard over the top. Sprinkle on the cheese, and arrange the cherry tomatoes on top of this.
5. Bake for 20-25 mins, depending on how fast your oven is, and how set you like your fortagia. 
6. Remove from oven, and slide the fortagia, still on the baking parchment, onto a large chopping board - this makes it easy to cut up and serve. 
7. Serve on a slice of wholemeal or granary toast for breakfast, or with salads of your choice for lunch or dinner.


Buon appetito!

9 comments:

Sarah said...

Testicles 1.......2 Going to try making this, sounds ace...

Unknown said...

It's great - really easy, pretty quick, and no eggy pan to wash up afterward. Win-win, I say!

N x

Susan said...

This looks marvellous.

Eggy dishes can make me gag a little but all those flavours together should enable me to overcome the gag-effect.

My aunt used to make Wooster Boosters which are similar - one whole egg and cheddar cheese (plus salt & cayenne pepper & splash of veggie worcestershire sauce) all spread onto wholemeal bread and baked for 15 minutes. Perfect quick supper - I love it and could eat it every day.

She put strips of bacon on top too. I've tried replacing it with Tivalli veggie slicing sausage on top but it's not necessary.

Your recipe is more balanced...I will definitely try it.

Love the weight loss pics - inspiring! Good to see you looking so well.

Susan x

Unknown said...

I'm the same, Susan - I can't bear the taste of eggs...hence all the ingredients, and making it with mostly egg white. The calorie and fat saving is a bonus, of course!

The Wooster Booster sounds really nice...I may have to try it. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

I hope you enjoy the fortagia!

N x

PS Thank you for the compliments!

Susan said...

Oooh - if you like Tickler I expect you'll love Sussex Charmer. It is a mix of cheddar and parmesan - entirely veggie.

You can buy from Sainsburys at the delicatessen counter, or online here:

http://bookhams.com/sussex-charmer/farmers-markets-a-show-dates.html

Sx

Unknown said...

I've never heard of that one, Susan - thank you for the recommendation, I'll definitely try it! Nom!

N x

Jujubie said...

I just did your recipe! Well, I should say that I was inspired by it! No tomatoes or mushroom; instead, I put in yellow zuchini and leftover cubed ham cooked in beer (yumm!) and a mixture of fresh herbs and garlic scapes. Cheese was a cheddar. I put in the full eggs. I LOVED the use of parchment paper! It cut up very nicely too. Pictures will be on MyFitnessPal a bit later today. You'll notice that half is rather plain: that's the kid's half. :P

Unknown said...

Oohh yours sounds delicious! I tend to think of recipes as being like the Pirates' Code....guidelines rather than set in stone! And really, things like this are all about using what you have!

I am so pleased this worked for you....and yay for parchment - I have no idea how I managed before it was available!

I just looked at yours, and now my tummy is rumbling! I love your food photography - which camera do you use?

N xx

Jujubie said...

Pirate's code! Yes, that's exactly how I see it too! You have found the words to describe the approach!
Camera is nothing fancy: usually the Fujipix S700, a pocket Canon powershot or even the Blackberry!