Anzac brunch
Try Nicola Galloway’s delicious frittata and a twist on traditional biscuits this long weekend.
With back-to-back long weekends I have been enjoying the extra time to be able to feel like I’m cooking for enjoyment rather than always feeling on the go. So here is an easy Sunday brunch meal to include in a spread shared with friends.
And of course with Anzac Day, biscuits are also on the agenda. These ones are quite special. The last time I made them was not quite a year ago, and for the woman who taught me to cook (she always had full biscuit tins).
Brunch frittata with potato and beans
This is a hearty addition to a brunch spread, or a relatively speedy weeknight dinner main. Plan ahead to cook extra vegetables the night before, or parboil cubed potatoes for 10 minutes until just tender, and then drain and use as follows. I like to use yoghurt in the custard for the soft texture and slight tartness it brings to the frittata. Cream or milk works just as well. The vegetables can also be mixed up to utilise what you have. I used the very last green beans from the garden and new season agria potatoes, however, these can be swapped out for peas, broccoli, carrots, silverbeet, kūmara, pumpkin and so on. Using about 3 cups total.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Serves 4-6
■ 1 tbsp olive oil ■ 30g (2 tbsp) butter
■ 1⁄ onion, chopped 2
■ About 2 cups (400g) cooked potato, cut into 2cm cubes
■ 1 cup chopped green beans ■ 6 free-range eggs
■ 1⁄ cup (120ml) natural unsweetened 2 yoghurt (or cream or milk) ■ Salt and cracked pepper
■ 1 cup (100g) grated cheese (or crumbled feta) ■ Fennel greens or chopped parsley to serve Preheat the oven to 190C (fan 170C).
Heat an ovenproof frying pan (about 25cm diameter) over a moderate heat.
Add the oil and butter, swirling the pan to evenly coat the base. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes to soften. Add the potatoes and beans and cook over the heat until the beans are vibrant green.
In a jug, whisk together the eggs and yoghurt. Season generously with salt and cracked pepper.
Turn up the heat and pour the custard over the vegetables. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the edge begins to set – the middle will still be wobbly – then scatter over the cheese.
Place the frittata in the oven for 15 minutes until the egg is set and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve warm or cold, cut into wedges. Leftovers make for a great lunch the next day.
Nana’s Anzac biscuits
Anzac biscuits hold a special place in my heart. They were one of the last foods my Nana Ngaire requested in the weeks before she passed away last year (along with pan-fried flounder, lemon sago pudding and mashed swede, among others). Food had been a big part of her life, and in her last days she made sure she ate some of her favourites.
Nana was very specific about the Anzac biscuits she wanted, calling me aside several times before I realised that she really wanted me to make her some. She wanted them on the thinner side, chewy inside with a crisp outer. I searched her handwritten recipes she had given me some years earlier to no avail. So I researched and recipe tested and came up with the following version, lower in sugar (but you wouldn’t know) and with the addition of ground ginger. The ginger is completely optional, and not at all traditional, but works well with the oats and coconut. Nana did approve.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15-18 minutes Makes about 16 biscuits
■ 1 cup (120g) rolled oats – I used porridge oats, can also use wholegrain ■ 3⁄ cup (110g) plain flour (wheat or 4 spelt) ■ 3⁄ cup (60g) desiccated coconut 4 ■ 1⁄ cup (70g) sugar – I used raw sugar 3
■ 1 tsp ground ginger (optional)
■ 120g butter
■ 2 tbsp golden syrup
■ 2 tbsp boiling water
■ 1⁄ tsp baking soda 2 Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C). Line a cookie tray with baking paper.
Combine the oats, flour, coconut, sugar and ginger in a mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan, gently melt together the butter and golden syrup. Remove from the heat.
Combine the boiling water and baking soda and add to the saucepan. This is the fun part as the mixture bubbles and foams. Immediately pour this over the dry ingredients and mix into a crumbly dough.
Squeeze the mixture into walnutsized balls and place onto the prepared baking tray. Space about 2-3cm apart as they won’t spread much and should all fit on one tray, but use two trays if needed.
Use fingers to flatten – quite thinly if you like your Anzac biscuits thin and crispy, or not so much if you prefer them rounder with a chewy centre.
Bake for 15 minutes until golden, or 2-3 minutes longer if you like them a little more crispy. A trick to make extra thin crispy biscuits is after 10 minutes in the oven remove the tray and use a metal spatula to gently flatten (deflate), then continue cooking.
Cool the biscuits on the tray, then transfer to a biscuit tin and eat within 1 week. Best served with a cup of tea – black with a slice of lemon would have been Nana’s preference.