Food writer Rose Langbein recently shared two brunch recipes from her latest cookbook Summer at Home - Herbed Asparagus & Ricotta Fritters and a Best-ever Omelette.
She chats to Jim Mora about cooking with eggs.
rose Photo: Supplied/Ted Hewetson
Last week it was revealed that scrambled eggs made with nutmeg and lemon was Queen Elizabeth II's favourite breakfast dish.
Rose thinks it would be okay with really fine lemon zest really fine and added parmesan and cream.
One of her favourite omelettes is a "fluffy" one that her mother Annabelle made when she was a child - first, eggs are whizzed up with lots of spinach and bit of parsley until they are completely aerated like meringue.
"Your pour that into the butter and fold it up and cook it like an omelette - it's so delicious."
Apparently, Queen Elizabeth favoured brown eggs over white, but Rose thinks the hen's living conditions are the more important factor for a good egg.
"If chickens are outside free-range roaming around, the Vitamin D they get from the sun goes into the eggs. Similarly, if they're eating food thats really high in Omega 3s you get those when you eat the eggs."
Herbed Asparagus & Ricotta Fritters (from Summer at Home)
Herbed Asparagus & Ricotta Fritters Photo: Rose Langbein / Instagram
I love a fritter that is heavy on the veg and light on the batter, but remember, you do need some batter to hold these together otherwise they will fall apart and be a pain to cook. When making fritters, always do a test run and fry one fritter first. Check the seasoning, texture, and figure out the best cooking temperature…be patient! The great thing about fritters is that they are so versatile and easy, once you've figured out your ratio of egg, flour, and filling you are good to go! They are fab for breakfast with some poached eggs, lunch with a side salad, or as a canapé or finger food. You can cook them in advance and reheat in the oven when you're ready to serve.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- A bunch of asparagus, tough ends discarded, thinly sliced on a bias or a small head of broccoli, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed with the back of a knife and coarsely chopped
- 1 medium red chilli, finely sliced (remove the seeds if you don't want them too hot, optional)
- Zest of a lemon
- 2 eggs
- 250g ricotta
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup plain flour or gluten-free flour
- ½ cup chopped soft herbs (dill, mint, parsley, basil)
To serve
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt
- Lemon cheeks, for squeezing
- Additional mint and chilli, to garnish
Method
In a large bowl, whisk eggs with ricotta and additional salt and pepper. Mix in flour and soft herbs.
Once asparagus/broccoli has cooled, stir them into the ricotta mixture. Give your frying pan a good wipe, then heat another 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook fritters in batches, allowing a heaped tablespoon per fritter. Cook until fritters are deep golden brown and cooked through (2-3 minutes each side), adding oil between batches as needed.
Once cooked, transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with some sprigs of mint and sliced chilli. Serve alongside yoghurt for dipping and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Best-Ever Omelette (from Summer at Home)
I love omelettes. They are such a good meal, any time of day. I've been making a version of this omelette since I was 18 (that makes me feel old 🥺) and I still love it.
If I want to make it more substantial, I'll fry off some mushrooms in butter, add a little salt and pepper, and add those in when I add the cheese.
This recipe is very flexible, you can throw in whatever you have in the fridge - bacon, kale, or other leafy greens. If you have goat's cheese or feta, great, if not, that's okay too. Be patient with your eggs and cook them gently over low heat, or they will be rubbery and overcooked on the outside and undercooked in the middle.
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ¼ tsp flaky sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
- 30g/1oz goat's cheese or feta, crumbled
- small handful baby rocket/arugula
- 2 tbsp coarsely chopped dill
- 2 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley
Method
Whisk the eggs with the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Set aside.
Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat, swirling the pan so the butter coats the base. Once the butter starts to brown, pour the whisked eggs into your pan, and reduce the heat to medium low. Sprinkle with goat's cheese, rocket and herbs, making sure everything is distributed evenly.
Cook, undisturbed, until edges are cooked, and the bottom is golden when gently lifted with a spatula (3-4 minutes). Use a spatula to gently fold the omelette in half and cook until the omelette is just cooked through in the middle (2 minutes). (You can check if there is any raw egg remaining by gently pressing down on the middle of your omelette with a spatula - if raw egg drips out the sides, it needs a little more time).
Remove from the pan and enjoy immediately.
Serve as is, or with a fresh green salad, or some generously buttered toast.
Related:
Recipe: Picnic Pie - Rose Langbein's take on her mum Annabel's famous bacon and egg pie
