Froja tat-tarja (noodle omelette)

We've come to day 50 of this "new normal" and I am quickly running out of inspiration in the kitchen. I've been cooking a lot of comfort foods. I've made my fair share of tomato soup, mac and cheese, pizza, endless chicken dishes and lots and lots of pasta. I guess the boredom of sheltering in place combined with the stress of not knowing when it will end, leads to a lot of indulging in foods that make you feel good. For me, this dish is the ultimate comfort food. If you grew up in a Maltese family chances are you know what I'm talking about. Just about every Maltese cook has their own version "froga." It's warm and crispy and cheesy. Yum. This is not a fussy recipe. It can be easily adjusted to your taste. More or less cheese or salt. A little chopped parsley, or not. Use this recipe as a place to start and add or subtract whatever makes you feel good. Every time I feel a bit under the weather, I wish my mom was in my kitchen preparing this for me. I dare say it's more restorative than chicken soup.

Like a lot of Maltese recipes, it's meant to make good use of leftovers. Being a traditional Maltese family, mine taught me not to waste. Not money, not opportunities, not time and most of all, not food. We are a thrifty people and we like it that way. So if you have some leftover spaghetti, capellini or vermicelli in sitting in your fridge, don't waste it! Try making a froja. You won't be sorry.

My mom and my nunna. They taught me everything I know.

Perfect pandemic pantry ingredients. Nothing fancy here.

Be sure your eggs, cheese and pasta are well mixed.

Gently pat down your noodles into an even layer and cook. It's that easy.

Here's my recipe:

Froja tat-tarja

Serves about 6

Ingredients:

1 lb (more or less) of spaghetti (or whatever you have lying around) cooked al dente'

3 eggs, beaten

1/2c grated cheese (I like Pecorino Romano)
salt and pepper* (to taste)
chopped(parsley (optional)
2 tbl olive oil 

Directions:

1. Place olive oil in a large skillet and warm over medium heat.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, grated cheese, salt, pepper and parsley, if using.

3. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and toss until the egg mixture is well distributed.

4. Tumble the spaghetti and egg mixture into the hot pan and spread it out evenly with a wooden spoon. 

5. Wait. This is the most challenging part for me. Basically, you want a crust to form on the bottom of the noodles. I usually wait about 5 minutes before gently lifting the edge with a spatula to peak underneath. Exactly how long will it take? I can't tell you. My grandmother would say "until it's enough." So my best advice is to wait and watch. 

6. Once you feel confident that a crust has formed on the bottom of your noodles, carefully slide it onto a plate. Then, place you skillet face down on the uncrusted top of the noodles and flip the whole thing over to invert your froja. The key is to have courage when doing this. It's not as difficult as it sounds.

7. Cook for several more minutes until  a crust forms and slide it back onto to your serving plate. Sprinkle with more cheese and parsley if you like. 

8. Slice as you would a pie and enjoy!

*both black pepper or 1/8tsp of red pepper work well here.