Maltese pasta omelette, traditionally made with vermicelli. An ingenious way to thicken freshly cooked pasta or turn leftovers into a second meal, this dish blends effortlessly and disappears just as easily.
INGREDIANTS For Cheese Pasta Omelette
- 8 oz. vermicelli
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup of grated Parmesan cheese (Grana Padano or Parmigiana-Reggiano)
- 2 tbsp. chopped parsley plus some for garnish
- 1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS For Cheese Pasta Omelette
- Cook the vermicelli al dente, drain and set aside.
- Beat the eggs well and combine the other ingredients except the olive oil.
- Mix the egg mixture with the pasta, making sure all pieces are evenly coated.
- Pour a thin layer of olive oil into a large skillet and heat on the stove over medium heat.
- Once hot, pour enough pasta and eggs into the pan to form a layer about half a centimeter thick and cook until the bottom is crisp and golden. If there isn’t much compound left, you can choose to pour it all in or make a second froga tat-tarja. The amount of pasta and eggs left over will depend on the size of the pan.
- Turn everything carefully to cook the other side. If necessary, slide the tat-tarja frog, cooked side down, onto a plate, cover the plate with the pan and flip.
- Cook the other side until golden brown.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with a little fresh parsley.
NOTES
The typical flavors of this dish are cheese and parsley, but you will find some with other ingredients such as green onion, spinach or ham. We have prepared this dish in various ways, including mixed with crumbled bacon, onion and chili. As long as the moisture content of what you add to froga tat-tarja is not too high, you should be able to mix whatever you like.
Although vermicelli is the traditional pasta used to make tat-tarja frog, you can also make a spaghetti frittata if that’s the type of pasta you have on hand.
