Vegetarian mains
Butternut and sage frittata with a leek, caper and lemon salad
Frying the sage before adding it to the frittata helps to intensify the flavour and gives it a nice crisp texture. It also has the advantage of scenting the oil it is cooked in, which can then be used to cook the frittata, thereby adding to the overall flavour.
Cook's notes
The trick with the leeks is to cook them enough so that they aren't squeaky and raw but not so much that they go dull and mushy. If you make the leeks and dressing well ahead of time they benefit from sitting together for a while, as the leeks soak up the flavour.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 small butternut squash
- 1 large or 2 smaller leeks
- 15g sage
- 1 lemon
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- light olive oil
- 6 eggs
- 50g salad leaves
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Pop the capers in a cup of cold water to help purge some of the brine. Peel the squash, remove the soft, seedy core with a spoon and discard. Chop the flesh into roughly equal 2cm cubes.
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Step 2
Pop them in the roasting tray, coat with oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes until tender and slightly coloured.
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Step 3
While the squash cooks, trim the leek by removing the root end and the dark top leaves. Discard the outer layer and slice the rest into 1cm thick rings. Place in the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes, until just tender. Drain and keep to one side. Pick half of the sage leaves. Heat 1mm of oil in the frying pan, fry the sage leaves over a medium heat until crisp but not burnt.
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Step 4
Remove onto kitchen paper to drain, seasoning with a little salt. Remove the pan from the heat but keep the remaining oil in it. Zest and juice the lemon. Make a quick dressing by whisking 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with the mustard. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, whisking as you do so, until you have a thick, emulsified dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
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Step 5
Wash the salad leaves, drain and dry. Drain the capers, squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop. Add the capers to the dressing. Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk together with a small pinch of salt. When the squash has cooked, turn your grill on to high. Put the pan back on the heat until the oil is nice and hot.
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Step 6
Tip the egg into the frying pan, swirl and tip. Use a wooden spoon to drag and fold the setting egg from the bottom to the top a few times. Add the squash and sage to the half set egg and drop the heat down low. Level the egg out evenly and cook gently for 4-5 minutes, until the bottom has coloured and set. Slide the pan under the grill until the top has set and coloured.
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Step 7
Shake and tease the frittata from the pan, allow to cool for a few minutes. Gently break the leeks up into rings and mix with the capers, salad, dressing and a pinch of lemon zest. Serve chunky wedges of frittata with a pile of the dressed salad.