Veteran chef and Maltese food expert ANTON B. DOUGALL presents another of his classic Maltese pasta recipes, taken from a series that appeared in FIRST magazine.

Froga tat-Tarja (Vermicelli With Eggs) 

This is the Maltese version of the Italian pasta omelette. Ideally it should be made with fine pasta; but you can use any type of leftover pasta. Some also choose to include ricotta and fresh Maltese cheeselets.

Ingredients

400g vermicelli

4 eggs

50g butter

25g grated cheese

finely chopped parsley

salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1.     Boil the vermicelli in plenty of boiling water. Drain.

2.     In a mixing bowl beat the eggs, add the cheese and the chopped parsley.  If you will be using ricotta or the fresh cheeselets (chopped into small cubes) add them now and mix well.

3.     Mix the pasta with the egg mixture and stir well. Season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.

4.     Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan. Use a frying pan the size of a flat plate. That way you will have individual pasta omelettes.

5.     Fry the pasta mixture. When you see that it has set firmly enough, turn it so that it can finish cooking on the other side.  When lightly golden on its bottom side, lift out and serve immediately.