Still Feeling Peckish

I’m a confirmed potterer. Nothing makes me happier than pottering round the house…recently I reorganized my entire repertoire of scrapbooking stuff – washi tape, ink stamps, and miscellaneous stickers and the like. All this in the middle of some deadlines! But the pottering helped me to think and to relax a little in between major preoccupations. So I pottered around the room, then meandered to the kitchen and decided to try making a frittata in the Instant Pot.

I love frittatas. They are an amazing low carb dish but usually take about an hour or so to be oven baked. The Instant Pot will half this time, but the problem is the need for appropriate accessories. The last time I tried to make this frittata, the springform pan I had leaked and I had to rescue its contents by dumping the cream mixture in a pie pan and baking it. But now, having got a new springform pan, this recipe worked out beautifully. Or almost because halfway through the cook, the pot was beeping wildly and the overheat sign was on. Water had spewed up all around the pot…and this was the moment I discovered that I had forgotten to attach the silicone ring into the pot lid. That was a face palm moment. Anyway it was no harm done and with a little cleaning up, this recipe was done to wobbly perfection.

I had friends over that night and they clamoured for this recipe. Actually having made quiche and frittatas for years, this recipe was a no-brainer, but the wonderful thing is being able to substitute any vegetable you want so long as it doesn’t produce too much liquid, such as mushrooms and tomatoes. The meat component can also be changed; I used chorizo salami for the strong and spicy flavour and it gave the frittata a lovely smoky flavour. The red pepper can, of course, be substituted by other bell peppers; the asparagus with other vegetables like spinach or broccoli. This is a true “throw it together” dish that can help clear odd bits of leftover deli meats or vegetables. It kind of reminded me of throwing all my scrapbooking bits together and getting an oddly appealing creation. The frittata is a true scavenger’s feast and is a fitting reward for productive pottering!

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1 red pepper
• 100g thin asparagus
• 50g chorizo salami (or any salami)
• 300 ml thickened cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Method

1. Deseed the red pepper and cut into 1 or 1.5 cm squares
2. Trim the asparagus and cut into 2 cm lengths
3. Slice the chorizo salami into thin strips
4. Grease a springform pan well.
5. Beat the eggs. Add the heavy cream, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and mix well. Add the chorizo salami as well and mix, separating out the salami slices that tend to clump together.
6. Place the red peppers evenly in the springform pan. Pour half of the cream mix over the red peppers. Put the asparagus pieces on top, spreading out evenly, then add the rest of the cream mixture on top.
7. Cover the springform pan with aluminum foil. Make a sling also, that is long enough to place under the pan and lift it out later.
8. Put 2 cups of water into the inner pot. Place a trivet into the pot and the spring form pan on top of it. Close the pot and put the valve in the sealed position. Do manual high pressure for 20 minutes and allow natural pressure release.
9. Remove the springform pan from the pot. Run a thin knife around the sides of the pan, then remove the frittata and place in a pie pan or round serving platter. Serve warm with a fresh, crisp salad on the side.

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