Troucha or Trouchia is a traditional Provençal omelet recipe. You can use spinach greens or Swiss chard for this dish. Cook it slowly so flavors can mingle. My recipe comes from Toulon and adds anchovies for an extra kick. This turns a rather mild dish into a wonderful light lunch choice, which can be accompanied by a simple green salad.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
- 1 lb (450 g) spinach greens or Swiss chard leaves, parboiled, squeezed dry and coarsely chopped
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 6 large eggs
- 3 filets of anchovies, run under water to take off excess salt, dry with towel paper, chop finely
- 1 medium sized tomato, cut into 4-6 wedges for garnish
Preparation:
Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and when it begins to sizzle add the chopped spinach or Swiss chard. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the leaves are wilted. Stir with a wooden spoon now and then.
Combine eggs in a mixing bowl, whisking only enough to mix egg whites with the yolks. Add the spinach or Swiss chard and the chopped anchovies to the bowl, stirring gently to disperse spinach or Swiss chard and anchovies among the egg mass. Salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you take the salt content of the anchovies into consideration.
Warm 3 tablespoon of olive oil in an 11 inch (28 cm) omelette pan over high heat. Rotate the pan so that bottom and sides are well covered with the olive oil. Pour in the egg – spinach mixture and smooth the surface with the back of the spoon. Lower the heat and when the omelette begins to set, unmold it, turning it onto a plate (same size of the omelette pan please). At this point, you should have the omelette bottom side up on the plate. Slide it slowly again into your omelette pan. Cook it until it gets loose from the pan sides. If you find it difficult to turn it over, you can slip it under the hot broiler (provided your pan is broiler-proof). Broil it until the centre looks firm, avoid top burning.
Cut the Troucha into wedges, garnish it with the tomato and serve at room temperature. A great summer lunch!
