This dish is in part inspired by a common Maltese dish, probably originating from a simple way to use up leftover spaghetti or other pasta in the fridge. The pasta is fried with a beaten egg, some grated cheese, and a little salt – the result is a wonderful golden delight, often made with fine spaghetti. The remaining inspiration is the good old omelette, which combine with the true origins of a frittata – first fried, but not flipped, before placing in the oven until totally golden – I have drizzled mine with some wonderful extra virgin olive oil to be sure of this.

TIP : This dish is easy to make, and once you have made it once, you are going to want to make it again, and to try out different variations. Try it with spinach instead of zucchini next time (make sure you drain all the water out of the spinach, and that it’s chopped well using kitchen scissors). Or you could try it with finely chopped leeks and finely chopped cooked potatoes. Try it with mushrooms and chopped cherry tomatoes – can you see ? The sky is the limit ! Here’s what I did and used.

INGREDIENTS

olive oil

150g (5 oz) cooked spaghetti or spaghettini, then cut into approx 2” or 3” pieces

2 courgettes (zucchini) grated – set these aside in a bowl

For the thick batter

200g (7 oz) firm silken tofu

¼ cup (60 mL) vegan milk

2 cups vegan cheese, grated (I use my own)

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp gram flour

METHOD FOR BATTER

Place all the ingredients, except for the milk, in your food processor, and process for 1 minute or so – then add your milk a little at a time. The consistency of the batter must be thick.

METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING THE DISH

Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a round non-stick pan, and fry the grated zucchini, until they get a little colour. It’s possible they will yield their juices, but the juice will evaporate as you fry away. Keep turning them around – 5 minutes or so should do the job. Then remove and set aside in a bowl. Next, add some more oil to the pan, heat it and then add your drained cut up spaghetti. Allow to sit in the pan for a while – say 2 minutes or so – then turn it around so that the spaghetti begins to take some colour. When it’s turned a little light golden, as you continue to mix, at this point you can add the batter to it, spreading it with a spatula as best you can on the surface. It will not look a pretty sight at this point, but don’t take that too seriously. Allow the frittata to begin to solidify a little, and using a metal spatula, add the courgettes on top, again spreading them as evenly as you can. Gently agitate the edges, add a little salt, and then transfer the frittata to a well-greased round oven dish, about 8 inches across (I used my enamel one), Even it out gently with a fork, pour some olive oil on top, and place it in a hot 400ºF (200ºC) for half an hour, or until golden. Sprinkle with chopped red chillies and parsley – and, I dare you, a little raw finely chopped garlic. Enjoy !

All recipes and content © Miriam Sorrell www.mouthwateringvegan.com 2010

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suitable for vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike