When I grow up...

Evryone's left.
They left me home alone.
Lunchtime is sad. Noone to yell at and beg to eat.
But one consolation is I don't have to cook three different things to eat and I can cook and eat WHAT I WANT.
I know I'll start getting bored, and probably soon, but for now I'm enjoying a few free moments of my day while both girls are at school.
The other day my daughter wanted to know what did I answer to my teacher when s/he asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I had no idea, memories are so vague now, some thirty years later, but sure didn't say I wanted to be a housewife ^__^, which is essentially what I've become.
My daughter has pretty clear ideas instead. She wants to be a swimming champion (and she can't even swimm, yet). Whether this was only her way to convince us to start taking her to the swimming class after school, or she's really convinced that's what she wants to do, I guess we'll find out. Though the scared look on her face while she was walking over to the swimming pool with her swimming instructor wasn't really convincing. She was a bit more relaxed at the end of the lesson and said she had fun.
The little one, not only Little Monster any more, but Little Loch Ness Monster, was so much fun to watch in the pool. She seemed so natural and relaxed, not fearing anything... and also not minding what the swimming teacher was telling her to do.
That's about all excitement these days.
And what follows is a delicious, simple and yet quick and nutricious meal I prepared for myself the other day.
An unusual frittata, you might say a pancake, sort of. The truth is, it was exactly what I needed on a crazy busy day.



Green beans salad and oats frittata cubes

(2 servings)
60 g oats (quick cooking)
2 eggs
150 ml milk
400 g green beans
200 g cherry tomatoes
60 g black olives
a bunch of chive or a handful of fresh basil leaves
salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Drytoast oats in a heavy bottom non stick skillet on low heat, for a few minutes, and let them cool.
Whisk the eggs in a small mixing bowl, add the toasted oats and then gradually the milk. Cover the bowl and let rest for 1 hour.
Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Season them with a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of EVOO, and finely chopped chive or basil. Cover and refrigirate.
Clean the beans and cook them in boiling, salted water for 12-15 minutes. Transfer them into a bowl with ice cold water, to stop cooking and help them keep nice green colour. Drain the beans, cut them into 2 or 3 pieces and add to the bowl with tomatoes, adding the olives as well.
Warm up a 24-centimeter skillet with a little oil. Pour in the oats and eggs batter, level it with a spoon or spatula, and cook on medium-low heat for a few minutes. Flip the frittata and cook for a minute or two again.
Move the frittata on a plate, cut it into cubes and serve with the beans salad.




Vi piacciono le uova? A me sì. E mi è piaciuta anche questa chiamiamola frittatina (o frittella, direbbe il mio mostriciattolo). Accompagnata da una semplice e deliziosa insalatina di fagiolini freschi, mi ha rallegrato un po' il primo giorno che tutte e due cucciole mi hanno lasciato sola all’ora di pranzo. Eh, sì, siamo grandi ora, mangiamo a scuola (e tutto, naturalmente $?%?&^?), e la mamma, da sola a casa si gode qualche momento di tranquillità, che non dura mai abbastanza, vero?
Spero che anche il mio blog Calimero preferito gradirà questa ricetta ^__^



Insalata di fagiolini con cubetti dorati ai fiocchi d'avena

(per 2 persone)
60 g di fiocchi d'avena (piccoli)
2 uova
150 ml di latte
400 g di fagiolini
200 g di pomodorini
60 g di olive nere
1 mazzetto di erba cipollina o basilico
olio EVO
sale

Tostate i fiocchi d'avena in una padella col fondo spesso per qualche minuto, a fuoco basso, e lasciateli raffreddare.
Sbattete con una frusta le uova con un pizzico di sale, aggiungete i fiocchi, e poi gradualmente anche il latte. Coprite e lasciate riposare un'ora a temperatura ambiente.
Tagliate i pomodorini a spicchi, conditeli con un po' di sale, 1 cucchiaio di olio e l'erba cipollina (o basilico) tagliuzzata fine. Coprite e lascite insaporire in frigo.
Lavate e spuntate i fagiolini e cuocetelli in acqua bollente, leggermente salata (o a vapore) per 12-15 minuti. Scolateli e metteteli subito in un recipinte con acqua molto fredda. Scolateli, tagliateli in 2-3 pezzi e aggiungeteli ai pomodori insieme alle olive.
Scaldate un po di olio in una padella da 24 cm circa. Versate la pastella e spalmatella con un cucchiaio. Cuocetela a fuoco medio-basso per alcuni minuti, giratela e proseguite per uno o due minuti.
Tagliate la frittata in cubetti e servitela con l'insalata di fagiolini.




Iz nekog razloga, kad mi treba ručak na brzinu, i nemam vremena ništa posebno spremati, uvijek mi padnu na pamet jaja. Neki dan sam bila u takvoj zbrci i strci (morala sam završiti i predati jedan mizerno plaćeni poslić) da nisam stigla ubaciti ništa u kljun do pola četiri. A kako ni djeca više ne jedu kod kuće, mogla sam si priuštiti taj "luksuz". Ovaj mi je recept baš dobrodošao, i zbog jednostavnosti pripreme i zbog sastojaka koje obožavam, i načina na koji su se uklopili.

Salata od mahuna i zobene kockice

(Sastojci za 2 osobe)
60 g zobenih pahuljica (sitnih)
2 jaja
1,5 dl mlijeka
400 g zelenih mahuna
200 g cherry rajčica
60 g crnih maslina
svežnjić vlasca ili bosiljka
sol
ulje

Popržite par minuta zobene pahuljice u tavi bez masnoće, na niskoj temperaturi, i ostavite ih da se ohlade.
Razmutite jaja pjenjačom, posolite i dodajte ohlađene pahuljice. Dodajte mlijeko, promiješajte, poklopite i ostavite da stoji 1 sat.
Narežite rajčice na kriškice, stavite ih u zdjelu, posolite, dodajte nasjeckani vlasac ili bosiljak i žlicu ulja. Pokrijte i ostavite da odstoji u hladnjaku.
Mahune operite, odrežite im vrhove i kuhajte ih u ključaloj, malo posoljenoj vodi 12-15 minuta (ili na pari). Ocijedite ih i stavite odmah u posudu s jako hladnom vodom (možete dodati i kockice leda). Ocijedite ih, narežite svaku na 2-3 dijela i pomiješajte s rajčicama. Dodajte i masline salati.
Nauljite tavu promjera otprilike 24 cm i zagrijte je. Ulijte smjesu od zobenih pahuljica i jaja, poravnajte žlicom da bude u jednoličnom sloju (kao deblja palačinka). Pecite na slaboj do srednje jakoj vatri nekoliko minuta, okrenite i pecite još minutu-dvije.
Narežite pečenu “frittatu” na kockice i poslužite uz salatu od mahuna.