Toronto Taste With Bob Blumer

Toronto Taste, the city’s premier culinary event and largest prix fixe dinner, is returning on June 12 at the historic Evergreen Brick Works. Fifty of the most celebrated culinary and cocktail experts will come together under one roof in support of Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization and a global thought leader on food loss and waste. Every ticket purchased will provide the equivalent of 600 meals to Canadian families experiencing hunger. In anticipation of this event, we tapped Toronto Taste host and celeb Canadian chef Bob Blumer for a recipe from his cookbook Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide To Making Everything Taste Better (Appetite/Penguin-Random House). Bon appetit! —Vita Daily

Weekend Free-ttata

Nothing tastes better than free! My Weekend Free•ttatas are an effective way to rescue your tired veggies, cuttings, and miscellaneous bits that lurk in the crevices of your fridge, and turn them into a hearty zero-waste breakfast that is gratifying on many levels. Flexibility, creativity and resourcefulness are the hallmarks of a well-made Free•ttata. No two are ever the same—which is part of what makes Free•ttatas the Stone Soup of egg dishes. Once you discover how rewarding they are to make, you will instinctively become more proactive about repurposing your unloved ingredients and scraps, instead of automatically tossing them. These are the building blocks for a Weekend Free•ttata:

Oil rescued oil from the dregs of a sun dried tomato jar, jarred artichoke hearts, canned fish, or from anything else stored in olive or vegetable oil—or any mix thereof.
Protein leftover bits of cooked ham, sausage ends, sandwich meats, smoked or cured fish—or any mix thereof
Allium sprouting garlic or a hand full of the neglected teeny center cloves, the unloved middle section of a leek, or that last bit of an onion—or any mix thereof
Greens beet tops, radish tops, turnip tops, celery leaves, fennel fronds, or any tired wilted greens such as spinach, kale, or swiss chard—or any mix thereof.
Fresh herbs Whatever you’ve got that pairs appropriately with your chosen ingredients
Veggies Cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, potatoes…
Cheese leftover ends of stale cheese from your fridge, or the last grating of a Parmiggino Reggiano rin—or any mix thereof
8 eggs
2 teaspoons Harissa (optional) or an appropriate amount of your favorite hot sauce—or nothing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Set rack in center position and preheat oven to 425°F. In an ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat, add a couple tablespoons of oil, and a palmful of your chosen allium, chopped. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it brown. Add a handful of chopped protein and stir for a couple of minutes. Add 2-4 cups of greens, a cup or so of veggies, stemmed herbs and a splash of water. Cover with a lid and let steam for 3 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking, stirring occasionally for another few minutes until greens reduce in volume by about half. While greens are cooking, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, harissa, salt, pepper, and cheese. Pour egg mixture overtop and poke around the pan contents with a wooden spoon so that the egg mixture is spread out evenly and sinks between the pan contents. If you have any extra grated hard cheese leftover, sprinkle some of it overtop. Transfer immediately to oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until eggs are cooked throughout. If eggs seem cooked throughout, but still loose on top, finish under a broiler for 2 minutes, or until top is fully cooked and nicely browned. Serves 4-6.

torontotaste.ca