The dense flesh of Delica pumpkin provides a beautiful contrast to the fluffy egg in this thick Italian frittata. Serve with a crisp green salad for a light autumn lunch...
The dense flesh of Delica pumpkin provides a beautiful contrast to the fluffy egg in this thick Italian frittata. Serve with a crisp green salad for a light autumn lunch or supper.
Cut the pumpkin into very fineslices – no thicker than 3mm – and remove any seeds. If you have them, use round pastry cutters to stamp out small circles (ideally in a few different sizes), trying to waste as little of the pumpkin as possible but avoidingthe peel. If you don’t have round cutters, you can simply cut the slices into bite-size pieces.
Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a 15-18cm frying pan and put over a medium-high heat. Dust the pumpkin in the flour, then arrange the slices in the pan in a single layer (you’ll need to work in batches). Fry on each side for 2 minutes until golden brown and crisp, then lift out of the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat until all the pumpkin is cooked.
In the same pan, still over a medium-high heat, add the sage leaves and garlic, then cook until the garlic is just beginning to turn golden and the sage is crisp. Lift out and set aside to drain on kitchen paper with the pumpkin.
Heat the grill to high. Beat the eggs, cheese and chilli flakes with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the frying pan, swirling if needed to completely cover it, then arrange the fried pumpkin discs on top – some slices will sink into the eggs, which is fine. Tuck the garlic and sage among the pumpkin discs, then lower the heat to low-medium. Cover with a lid and leave to cook for 5-6 minutes or until the egg has set, then slide it under the grill for a few minutes to brown on top. Transfer the frittata to a plate orboard and serve.