Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson Read Free Book Online Page A

the pan so the batter runs to cover the entire base. If you feel compelled to patch holes, sparingly add dabs of extra batter, but work quickly and try to keep the crepe thin. Cook for a few minutes until the crepe is browned, then flip with a spatula and brown the second side before adding your desired fillings. Re-butter the pan every couple of crepes.
    If your batter isn’t spreading easily over the pan, it is perfectly fine to thin it with more water. Then try again. It takes a bit of practice. Alternatively, you can use a crepe maker like the one I have, which is a lot of fun, and you can make much larger crepes. Any unused batter keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days.
    MAKES ABOUT 12 CREPES
    As far as fillings go, the possibilities are endless. My advice? Set up a selection of toppings and resist the urge to overfill. I tend to keep things simple with a sprinkling of grated, aged Gruyère, or whatever cooked seasonal vegetables I have on hand. Thin slices of pan-fried potatoes and a generous slather of pesto or a dash of hot sauce work particularly well. Other times, I’ll add a beaten egg to the pan and throw a cooked crepe down on top of it. Once the egg is cooked, flip, sprinkle with a bit of cheese, fold in half, and enjoy. On the sweet side, these crepes like berries, a bit of shaved chocolate, or soft brown sugar sprinkled on top and cooked until warmed through or melted.

Frittata
    SEASONAL PRODUCE, SHALLOTS, GOAT’S CHEESE
Frittatas. For years I started them on the stovetop, then finished them in a hot oven—a perfectly acceptable approach. But it wasn’t until I began to finish my frittatas under the grill that they became exceptional. The eggs puff up and stay light and the toppings brown and crisp perfectly, while the frittata base escapes scorching. An added bonus is this approach takes less time.
A 30 cm cast-iron frying pan is my preferred pan for frittatas, but any ovenproof pan will do. For a smaller crowd, use the same technique but halve the amount of eggs, cheese, and vegetables.
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or melted clarified butter , plus more for drizzing
    2 small onions, chopped
    225 g chat (baby) potatoes, unpeeled, sliced into paper-thin rounds 2 shallots (eschalots), chopped
    Fine sea salt
    225 g seasonal vegetables, such as zucchini (courgette), broccoli, or asparagus, cut into 1 cm pieces
    10 large eggs, well beaten
    30 g goat’s or feta cheese, crumbled
    Small bunch of chives, snipped
    Heat the oil in a heavy-based ovenproof 30 cm frying pan over medium–high heat. Stir in the onions, potatoes, half of the shallots, and two big pinches of salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vegetables and cook for another minute or two, until they soften up a bit. Set aside half of this mixture on a plate.
    Whisk ½ teaspoon salt into the eggs, and pour the eggs into the frying pan. Cook over medium–low heat until the eggs are just set and there isn’t a lot of liquid in the pan, about 5 minutes. To facilitate this, run a spatula underneath the perimeter of the frittata and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs run to the underside. The key is to avoid browning on the base. Top with the reserved vegetable mixture and sprinkle with the cheese and the remaining shallot.
    Place under a grill (a low setting will give you more control, if you have that option) for a couple of minutes, or just until the top of the frittata is puffed up and set. Resist the urge to walk away—the frittata can go from perfect to burned in just a few seconds. Remove from the grill and allow to sit for a minute or two. Sprinkle with the chives, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and serve warm or at room temperature, right out of the pan.
    SERVES 8

lunch
    I MAKE LUNCH FOR MYSELF MOST DAYS. Sometimes I cook from scratch, other times I compile something from the leftovers of previous meals. Lunch steadies me for the rest of the day