Rachel Allen - Entertaining at Home

5 Using a palette knife or fish slice, loosen the edges and slide onto a plate. Serve immediately or allow to cool to room temperature.

VARIATIONS

Make the recipe as above, adding the following to the basic egg mixture just before cooking:

Breakfast frittata: 150g (5oz) sliced mushrooms, fried in a little butter and seasoned with salt and pepper, and 10 rashers of streaky bacon, cut into 1cm (½in) pieces and fried until crispy.

Frittata ranchera: 150g (5oz) peeled and chopped onion, sweated in a little sunflower oil or butter, 4 small tomatoes cut into 5mm (¼in) dice, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped and deseeded red chilli (or more to taste) and 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander.

The aromatic flavour of rosemary, drizzled as an oil over this soup, works to perfection with spinach. Instead of making the rosemary oil, you could add 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary leaves to the soup just before blending, or a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg.

SERVES 6 VEGETARIAN

For the rosemary oil

1 sprig of rosemary, broken in half

50ml (2fl oz) olive oil

For the spinach soup

15g (½oz) butter

110g (4oz) peeled and chopped onions

150g (5oz) peeled and chopped potatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

600ml (1 pint) vegetable stock

600ml (1 pint) milk

275g (10oz) spinach (any large stalks removed before weighing), chopped

1 Put the rosemary in a small saucepan with the olive oil and heat gently on a low heat until tepid. Remove the pan from the heat and let the rosemary infuse for 10 minutes. Strain the oil through a sieve into a jug.

2 For the soup, melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onions and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and cook on a very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring every now and again.

3 Meanwhile, pour the stock and milk into another saucepan, bring to the boil and add to the vegetables. Bring the mixture back up to the boil, then tip in the spinach and cook, uncovered, over a high heat for 1–2 minutes or until the spinach is just cooked.

4 To preserve the fresh flavour, blend the soup straight away, in a blender or using a hand-held blender. Serve in individual bowls with a drizzle of rosemary oil over the top.

A lunchtime steak is not for the faint hearted, so this is one to save for the weekend. Skirt steak is wonderfully tender and has a great flavour, though it needs to be cooked very quickly or it can overcook and toughen.

SERVES 6

750g (1lb 10oz) potatoes (unpeeled if small), cut into 1–2cm (½–¾in) dice

Salt and ground black pepper

75ml (3fl oz) olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated

1–2 red chillies, deseeded and finely diced

2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground (see tip below)

6 generous tbsp chopped coriander or parsley

6 thin skirt steaks (each weighing about 110g/4oz)

1 Place a saucepan of water on a high heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 3–5 minutes or until they have slightly softened, then drain thoroughly before tipping onto kitchen paper to dry completely.

2 Set a large frying pan on a high heat, pour in 50ml (2fl oz) of the olive oil and, when hot, add the potatoes and cook, tossing frequently, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, chillies and cumin and cook for a further 3–5 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and crispy, then tip in the chopped herbs.

3 While the potatoes are cooking, fry the steaks. Place a separate frying pan (cast iron if possible) on a high heat and allow it to get very hot. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper, add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the steaks for about 1 minute on each side. (If you overcook them, they will toughen.)

4 Remove the steaks from the pan and serve straight away (they can be kept warm in a low oven for 5–10 minutes, if needed) with the sautéed potatoes on the side.

To toast and grind nuts or seeds, place the nuts or seeds in a frying pan on a high heat and cook, tossing frequently, for about 1 minute or until the nuts/seeds are browned. They toast very quickly, so take care not to burn them. To grind them into a powder, use a pestle and mortar, a coffee grinder dedicated to the purpose, or place the nuts or seeds in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.

In Spain, a ‘tortilla’ describes a large omelette that usually contains fried potatoes. Add to it practically anything you like, within reason, depending on what is in season. Here there are nuggets of softened feta and moist courgette with the cooling refreshment of mint.

SERVES 6 VEGETARIAN

150g (5oz) new potatoes

Salt and ground black pepper

300g (11oz) courgettes

2 tbsp olive oil

8 eggs

2 tbsp single or regular cream

2 tbsp chopped mint

150g (5oz) feta cheese, roughly crumbled

25cm (10in) diameter ovenproof frying pan

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6.

2 Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil, then cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain, then peel and cut into 2cm (¾in) chunks and set aside.

3 Halve the courgettes lengthways and slice into 1cm (½in) pieces. Pour the oil into a large ovenproof frying pan on a medium heat, add the courgettes, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5–7 minutes or until softened, tossing occasionally.

4 Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk the eggs together with the cream and mint and season with salt and pepper.

5 Add the potatoes and feta to the courgettes in the frying pan and lightly mix together. Pour in the whisked eggs and cook for 5 minutes or until golden underneath, then cook in the oven for 10–15 minutes or until just set in the centre. Serve immediately with a fresh green salad.

Tofu is a social butterfly, at its happiest when surrounded by lots of flavourful friends, literally soaking up anything you want to pair it with. This is an extremely quick and easy dish to make, as well as being very healthy and nutritious.

SERVES 3 VEGETARIAN

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp peeled (see tip below) and finely chopped root ginger

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

400g (14oz) firm tofu, cut into 1.5cm (⅝in) cubes

2 small pak choi, shredded into 1cm (½in) slices

250g (9oz) thin rice noodles or soba noodles

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp chopped coriander

1 Set a wok or large, non-stick frying pan on a high heat and pour in the sesame oil. When it is very hot, add the ginger, garlic, chilli and spring onions and stir-fry quickly for 30 seconds or until the garlic begins to turn golden.

2 Add the tofu cubes and stir-fry for a further 4–5 minutes or until they begin to brown around the edges, then add the pak choi and stir-fry for a further 2–3 minutes or until the pak choi is wilted.

3 Meanwhile, cook the rice or soba noodles following the instructions on the packet.

4 Add the soy sauce, rice wine or dry sherry to the tofu mixture, along with half the sesame seeds and half the coriander. Cook for a further 2 minutes. Divide the cooked noodles between individual bowls, spoon over the tofu mixture and sprinkle with the remaining coriander and sesame seeds.