Spinach Frittata (2)

Easter is nearly upon as and, as this is a festival frequently associated with eggs, I felt it only appropriate to incorporate our oval friends into this month’s recipe. This frittata is perfect for a warming, yet fresh, lunchtime treat. Accompany it with the spinach salad, below, to get the full benefit of this punchy spring green; after all spinach worked wonders for Popeye!

Ingredients

Frittata

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         4 free range eggs, beaten

·         250g cooked new potatoes, sliced into 1cm rounds

·         150g spinach, steamed and drained

·         Salt and pepper

Salad

·         100g spinach

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         1 tablespoon lemon juice

·         Salt and pepper

Method

1.       Add the olive oil to a frying pan, and place on a medium heat.

2.       Season the beaten eggs with salt and pepper. Add the beaten eggs to the pan, and then scatter the potatoes and spinach evenly over the mixture.

3.       Place a lid on the pan and reduce to a low heat.

4.       Continue to cook for 5 -10 minutes, until the Frittata mixture is cooked through.

5.       Meanwhile prepare the salad by mixing the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then dressing the spinach leaves with this dressing.

6.       Serve wedges of the frittata alongside a handful of salad.

This recipe would also work well with other seasonal greens such as watercress, sorrel or spring cabbage.

Mothers Day

Mothering Sunday is nearly here, a day for us to celebrate all our mums do for us. Mother’s day is celebrated around the world, with many countries celebrating on different days throughout the year. In Britain this day always falls on the fourth Sunday of lent, with the day having its roots in the Christian church; on this day people would often visit their mother church, which has evolved over time to become a day for our own mothers.

Whether you are celebrating on 10^th March or holding your own countries annual maternal celebrations later in the year, be sure to shower your mum with all the love she deserves. I always find that you can’t go wrong with a Sunday dinner; this always seems particularly apt as the day always falls on a Sunday. However, if you happen to be blessed with a sunny Sunday why not indulge your mum in a spot of afternoon tea; who wouldn’t be delighted with a tower of triangular sandwiches, delicate pastries and cream topped scones?

For those of you who feel daunted by the idea of orchestrating a roast dinner on your day off, or mastering the art of French patisserie into the late hours of Saturday, why not have a go at a simple sponge cake. I know that a cake always goes down well with my mum, so get out your cakes tins and have a go; don’t worry if you aren’t a perfect baker mums love a little rustic charm, remember her joy at those macaroni adorned Christmas ornaments?

So here you go a simple sponge J

Ingredients

·         225g margarine

·         225g sugar

·         225g self raising flour

·         4 eggs, beaten

·         Mums favourite jam

Method

1.       Grease and line 2 20cm cake tins, and preheat the oven to 170°C.

2.       Add the margarine and sugar to a large bowl and mix together, until you have a light and creamy mixture.

3.       Gradually incorporate the eggs into the mixture, it will look a tad messy at this stage but fear not.

4.       Sift in the flour, and then fold into the cake mixture. Be careful not to over-mix, just keep folding until you have a smooth batter.

5.       Pour half of the mixture into each of the cake tins. Then bake the cakes for around 25 minutes, until golden and bouncy to the touch.

6.       Remove to cakes from the oven and leave to cool before decorating.

7.       When the cakes have cooled sandwich them together with a generous helping of your mums favourite jam, and finish with a flourish of sifted icing sugar. (The icing sugar also works to disguise any less than perfect cakes.)

To further indulge your mum you can sandwich the cakes together with jam and whipped cream, the choice is yours…