The beauty of a frittata is that anything goes – really, it does! In this case, broccoli is the star, but let whatever is in your fridge take the lead. Always aim for some green as it’s often the green veg that most of us could do with more of. Not only is a vegetable frittata an easy and delicious way to start your day, but in this case you eat the whole broccoli in all its glory – stems and stalks – and, even better, everything happens in the same pan. If you’ve got cooked broccoli ready to go, then skip step 1 and save time. And if you know you’ll be rushing out the door a lot this week, bake it in a 12-hole muffin tray at fan 170°C/Gas mark 5 for 10–15 minutes for a grab-and-go breakfast or snack.

Ingredients

Feeds 4, takes 20 mins

  • 1 large head of broccoli, florets evenly chopped and stem finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 10 eggs
  • 2 large handfuls of grated cheese (I use mature Cheddar or you could use crumbled feta or goat’s cheese)
  • Sea salt and black pepper

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

  • A handful of chopped fresh basil, parsley, chives or celery leaves Chilli flakes, to taste
  • 2 handfuls of wild garlic, chopped (when in season)

Method

  • Grab a medium-sized, deep-sided frying pan and steam the broccoli for 3 minutes in about 4 tablespoons of water, lid on, until almost tender and just turned bright green. Drain any excess liquid (though the broccoli will probably absorb it all) and set the broccoli aside.
  • Pop the pan back on the heat and gently fry the red onion rings and garlic in the butter for a few minutes.
  • Meanwhile, whisk the eggs together in a bowl, add salt, pepper and the cheese, plus any of the herbs, chilli flakes or wild garlic, if using.
  • Preheat the grill to high. Add the broccoli back to the pan to coat in the garlic but- ter, then pour in the egg mix, stirring so that the broccoli and onions are distributed evenly. Let the bottom and sides cook and start to set over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
  • Pop the frittata under the grill for a further 5 minutes until golden on top and just cooked through (give the pan a wobble to check), then slide it onto a chopping board or plate. Cool for 10 minutes and slice up into quarters.

Wednesday 12 February: Eat Green with Melissa Hemsley at Bell House
7.30pm. Melissa will be talking about her fabulous new cookbook Eat Green, a flexitarian approach to cooking designed to help you produce delicious meals, with minimum fuss and maximum flavour. The recipes are flexible so you can add meat in or take it out, making the book suitable for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. If you want to eat more healthily with less waste, this is the perfect book to get you started. Tickets £10 (includes a glass of wine). Book tickets here www.village-books.co.uk. Bell House, 27 College Road, Dulwich, SE21 7BG.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa Hemsley is one-half of the Hemsleys, the bestselling authors of The Art of Eating Well and Good + Simple with a London café HEMSLEY + HEMSLEY at Selfridges in London. Her first solo bestseller, Eat Happy, focussed on fast, delicious 30-minute recipes for busy nights in 2018. Melissa champions fuss-free, big-flavoured food and shows how anyone can enjoying cooking affordable, healthy recipes. In April Vogue.co.uk announced Melissa Hemsley’s new fortnightly column, Eat, Think, Grow, where she serves up practical ideas and inspiration for everyone who wants to leave a more positive impact on the planet.

 

In 2019 Melissa launched her first series of community events around people and planet called ‘The Sustainability Sessions’, live events with panels including Fearne Cotton, Grace Dent, Skye Gyngell and Bryony Gordon etc. Melissa is also a proud supporter and volunteer for the food waste charity The Felix Project, The Prince’s Trust, Mental Health Mates, Future Dreams, Women Supporting Women, Cook for Syria (Unicef), Headtalks.com and is a judge of the Soil Association (Best of Organic awards), the Guild of Fine Foods and the YBFs (Young British Foodies) and the host of the 2019 Sustainable Restaurant Association awards.