First though, let's talk about the ingredients. I didn't change them--nice summery courgettes and fresh, creamy ricotta. This combination makes me think of cold lunch on a hot day. (I always seem to want a cold lunch in the summer.) This is basically a crustless quiche with plenty of vegetables inside and I think you could exchange the courgettes for another soft, shredded vegetable, maybe thinly sliced bell peppers would be nice, or perhaps finely julienned carrots, or some wilted and drained spinach.
As for the method, the original Donna Hay recipe was similar to the failed frittata--started on the stove in a frying pan and finished in the oven. This time I went for an oven-only version. Since it's substantially different from Hay's recipe, I have written my adaption below.
One more note: Hay's ingredient list says "5 green courgettes, grated". This is terribly vague. Courgettes are notoriously variable in size; how do we know how big her courgettes are? I created my measurement by placing the courgette spirals into the empty baking dish to see if it filled the dish. What you see here is 300 g of grated courgette. This seems easier to replicate, in case your courgettes are not the same as mine. For me, 300 g was 2 courgettes that were between the sizes of the big and small one pictured at the top of this post.
Courgette and Ricotta Frittata
makes one 7" x 10" (18 x 26 cm) baking dish, or use several smaller pans
adapted from Donna Hay
1 T mild olive oil
300 g grated courgette
6 eggs
1/4 c (60 ml) milk
1/2 c (50 g) grated parmesan cheese
1/3 c (100g) ricotta cheese
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Use the olive oil to grease the pan.
Mix all the other ingredients in a large bowl. Add not too much salt, as the parmesan cheese is also salty.
Pour into the baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes. Test the centre for doneness by poking with a sharp knife. There should be no liquid left.
If necessary, bake a little longer with foil on top to stop the cheese from burning.
Serve hot or cold.
This dish is part of our Wednesdays with Donna Hay blogging group. If you want to join us, next week we are making vegetable laksa. Visit the others in my blogging group to see if they liked the recipe: Margaret from Tea and Scones, Kayte from Grandma's Kitchen Table, Gaye from Laws of the Kitchen, and Chaya from Bizzy Bakes.
Do you like your summery food served cold?
Connect with Simply Cooked on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/SimplyCooked
