Eggs 2 the Rescue!

Frittata alla Menta & Prezzemolo con Ricotta, Pancetta & Peperone Rosso 

Mint & Parsley Frittata with Ricotta, Bacon & Red Pepper

OK- this was a "Plan B", emergency dish, I have to admit- but it was a pretty good one at that! 

Sadly, the big, beautiful eggplant I had been planning on preparing for supper, was not quite so beautiful on the inside- sigh! So I decided to simply use the real eggs that I had in the fridge instead... and with a few other simple ingredients, this lovely frittata was put together in just 30 minutes. Eggplant or egg? It's no big deal- its all good food to me!

Small but scrumptious, this simple frittata was made special by adding creamy ricotta and plenty of mint and parsley and of course better still by topping it with crispy bacon and red pepper! 

You don't have to work hard or use exclusive ingredients to make something delightful... how many times do I have to tell you all this?!?! smile emoticon lol!

One small, sweet red pepper (or half of a bell pepper), 1 shallot, 2 tablespoons of ricotta, 1 tablespoon of bread crumbs, about a handful of finely chopped bacon, 2 eggs and plenty of fresh mint and parsley. Salt, pepper, nutmeg and a little olive oil... the usual suspects! 

But hey- it ain't what you use- it's the way that you use it!

And I'd say that this here is just about as pretty as a picture and almost too lovely-looking to eat!

But only almost!

I was hungry!

I started off by finely dicing the shallot and pepper and frying them, together with the bacon, in a non-stick frying pan with no extra fat until the shallot was translucent and beginning to brown. 

I then set these to one side to cool, turned on the grill function in my oven to get hot and continued preparing the batter for my frittata.

For the batter, I simply stirred together the eggs and ricotta, seasoned well with salt, pepper and nutmeg and added a good handful of finely chopped mint and parsley.

Once I had a nice, smooth batter, I added a good tablespoon of bread crumbs into the mix and stirred these in too. What they do is absorb any excess moisture that the ricotta may bring with it, which might otherwise end up making the batter curdle and split whilst cooking. This way the result it smoother, firmer and has a better consistency.

I poured the batter into a much smaller frying pan, which I brushed lightly with olive oil and began frying it gently on a moderate heat on the stove top. Once the base had begun to set, I scattered the bacon and pepper on top, making sure to leave the outer edges free- just to make it look prettier and in order to let it puff up a little more. 

Once the edges began to turn slightly brown, after 3-4 minutes or so, I transferred the pan to the oven and let it finish cooking and browning on top for a further 4-5 minutes. This will depend on your oven, but basically, as soon as it looks gorgeous- it will BE gorgeous!

Serve immediately, piping hot, beautiful, aromatic and delicious... and remember- a hint of green is always so important to make your food look pretty... especially if it is edible!

And being as I had chopped herbs left over, of course those got added as well! But trust me- your tongue will be just as delighted as your eyes once you try it!

You can't really hope to make a frittata that is much more beautiful than this! Or as simple and delicious!