Smoky Frittata

This is delicious. Unexpectedly so, actually, given that I don't particularly care for smoked foods (something that drives my chipotle-loving Aunt to give me weird looks from time to time). For me, smoked food only makes sense if I am in an environment where there is, in fact, smoke - like a campfire, or a barbecue. Otherwise, it often comes across as overwhelming and so I avoid it. I know this is not true for everyone - my ex loves all things smoky, from scotch, to tea, to cheese. There were so many things about preparing this recipe tonight made me think of him and how he'd probably like this dish. I hope to get to a point where it's easier to send him things like this; right now it seems to complicate things further, and neither of us need that. But those ruminations are for another time and place. On to the food!

Yotam opens this recipe with " 'Scamorza affumicata' is an Italian cheese that melts fantastically. Often labelled 'smoked mozzarella,' it is highly effective in adding depth and pungency to vegetarian dishes." He's right. And it turns out I quite enjoy it's softly smoky, creamy goodness when it is melted. The cauliflower is an excellent canvas for the other flavours of this dish - a mildly sweet foundation for the dairy notes, the slight heat and brine of the mustard, the sharpness of the salt. It comes together very quickly and then leaves you free to throw together a brief salad or other side dish. I recommend some arugula dressed in a vinaigrette made with some grainy mustard and grated parmesan... As usual, the ingredients are as listed in the book, but the commentary includes my observations and alterations.

Smoky Frittata
(p. 96, Plenty)

Serves 4-6

1 small cauliflower, cut into medium florets
6 eggs
4 tbsp creme fraiche
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 tbsp finely chopped chives
5 oz smoked scamorza, grated (include the skin for extra flavour)
2 oz mature Cheddar, grated
salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Assemble ingredients!

A few substitutions and alterations to start: I only had 5 eggs, so I touched up the liquids a bit with some almond milk to approximate the volume. I had 6 oz of scamorza, so I reduced the second cheese by an ounce to compensate as I didn't want an ounce of smoky cheese floating around in the fridge. I substituted Parmesan for the cheddar, as that was what I had on hand. I substituted a non-fat Greek yogurt that I know I can eat for the creme fraiche. I also was shy on chives, and so substituted an equal amount of finely diced yellow onion. I prefer a particular whole grain mustard to Dijon, and so made that substitution as well.

To start, simmer the bite-size pieces of cauliflower in a large pan of boiling salted water for only 4-5 minutes or until semi-cooked.

 Drain in a colander, and let dry.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Break the eggs into a large bowl. Add the creme fraiche, mustard, and paprika to the bowl.

Whisk them together well, making sure the creme fraiche and eggs become a smooth mixture. Add the chives/onion, three-quarters of the cheeses, and some salt and pepper.

Stir everything together and set aside for a moment.

Heat up the olive oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan - this is important, so I am going to say it twice - ovenproof. Fry the drained cauliflower for roughly 5 minutes, or until one side is a golden brown. I ended up using a rosemary-infused olive oil for this step, and it smelled amazing. My thanks to Ivano, who gifted me with the oil - it's delightful!

Stir the cauliflower so no pieces are sticking to the bottom of the pan, and then pour the egg and cheese mixture over the cauliflower pieces. Smooth things out so that everything is fairly level across the entire base of the pan.

Cook on medium heat, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. The edges will start to set up a bit during this time. Scatter the remaining cheese over the surface of the egg mixture, and then carefully put the pan in the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the frittata is fully set.

Carefully pull the pan out of the oven and let rest for 2 or 3 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve. If you have a poor memory like mine, you might want to leave a tea-towel or oven mitt over the pan handle to remind yourself that it's hot. ^_^

Then enjoy!

This was fantastic, as I said earlier. I also think that I'd keep the rosemary oil as part of my working recipe in future versions - there was something highly complimentary about the resinous quality of the rosemary and the smoky presence of the scamorza. I think that if I didn't have any of the rosemary oil, it would be worth adding up to a half-tablespoon of fresh rosemary to impart the flavour. So good.  Most definitely making this again, and I think it would be good "company food" - really straightforward to put together, quick to get on the table, and tastes far more complex than you'd think from the short ingredient list.  *nom nom nom*