Spicy Carrot Frittata

I couldn’t resist the fresh carrots at the Farmers market. I’ll be honest, I didn’t have a plan for how I was going to use up so many. Sure they are great raw for snacking , or in salads, but what else?

Carrots paired with cumin, ginger, some fresh mint and rose harissa for a little heat seemed and inspired choice.

I grated my carrots and sauted them until tender as I like the texture of the grated carrot. They could also be steamed and then mashed .

The amount of harissa will depend on how hot the spice mix you are using is, and much heat you like. I like the rose harissa from the https://thespicetrader.ca/ in Toronto. If you can’t locate harissa, garam marsala would be a great substitute

I flipped my frittata in the skillet to finish cooking. If you are not comfortable with doing that you can finish the frittata under the broiler for a minute or 2, or skip this step entirely and just cook on the stove top until entirely set.

Equipment

• 1 10 inch nonstick frying pan . Note: if you will be finishing the frittata in the oven ensure you use an oven proof pan.
• Spatula
• Chef’s knife
• Whisk
• Plate or platter large enough to cover the frying pan

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 to 2 tablespoons rose harissa or plain harissa
• 1/4 cup chopped mint plus a few sprigs for garnish
• 8 large eggs
• 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Toast the cumin seeds over medium heat in a 10 inch nonstick frying pan. Add the harissa and ground ginger to the pan just to warm them through to enhance their flavour.

Remove them from the pan to a bowl for later and wipe out the pan.

Step 2

In the same pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat . Saute the grated carrot until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots to the spices and allow to cool

Step 3

Beat the eggs in a large bowl with the salt and pepper. Add in the cooled carrot and spice mixture and the chopped mint. Mix together well.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium- high heat in the non-stick frying pan. When the mixture pan is hot pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan to make sure the egg mixture settles evenly. Cook for a minute or two, gently shake the pan, and tilt it slightly while using a spatula to lift the edges to let the mixture run underneath. When you see the eggs at the edges of the pan beginning to set cover the pan and turn the heat down to low. Cook for another 8 – 10 minutes until almost completely set. Every once and a while remove the lid shake the pan gently, and loosen the bottom of the omelet with a spatula so it doesn’t burn.

Step 4

Place a plate large enough to cover the skillet face-down on top of the skillet, and flip the two, so that the frittata falls onto the plate. When you remove the pan, you’ll see the browned underside of frittata. Slide the frittata back into the pan, browned underside up. cook for 1-2 minutes more. remove from the heat. Shake the pan to make sure the frittata isn’t sticking, and allow to cool for at 5 minutes. Carefully slide from the pan onto a platter, garnish with the fresh mint sprigs and serve.

The frittata is delicious warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for 1 -2 days