Monday, April 25, 2011

Frittata - It's What's For Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, really

We have these awesome little produce stores all over Memphis called Easy Way (beware the cheesy song that plays on this website).  They have mostly local, and sometimes regional produce, honey, cheeses, meats, etc.  There's one that's 1.8 miles from my house.  So the other day a friend and I decided to take a walk to Easy Way, grab something that inspired dinner, walk back home, and indulge in dinner with no guilt!  What I found was delicious looking asparagus and this Amish made, grass fed, Swiss Cheese from Troyer Farm in Millersburg, OH (might be one of the best things Ohio has to offer).  So Here's what I made:

Asparagus, onion & Swiss frittata

For those of you who may not be familiar with a frittata, it's kind of like a quiche, without crust.  Or it's a big old omelet pie.  Start with a non-stick, broiler safe pan.  This is probably the most important thing.  Then, all you do is you cook whatever you want inside your frittata, I went with Asparagus and onion because I was feeling vegetariany.  But I've made meat frittata's that are just as delicious.  But you can literally do whatever you want, eggs make a great canvas. 

Beat 4 eggs and add in a little milk...I just use a splash, maybe like 2 tablespoons.  Once your meat is cooked, or your veggies are tender, but not overcooked...never overcook a vegetable, add in your eggs making sure they are evenly dispersed in the pan...not hard to do with a liquid, but sometimes you get a little greedy with filling and you have to force your eggs to break the levee of meat that you have built in your pan, I'm well aware of this phenomenon.  If you're using cheese, sprinkle it over your veggies/meat/egg mixture now.  Add salt and pepper and whatever other seasonings you like.  Cook eggs over medium low heat for about 8 minutes. 

At this point the bottom of your frittata will be cooked, but the top will be a little jiggly.  So now is the time to put the frittata into the broiler for about 2-4 minutes...but I never trust the broiler, so I sit on the floor of my kitchen and never shut the broiler door.  I obsessively pull the pan in and out, over and over, time after time to make sure I'm not burning my eggs or cheese or bread, or whatever I am broiling.  So do as I freakishly do, or just trust your oven and hope for the best!  Your frittata will puff up and start to look brown and beautiful.  Shake the pan gently.  Once you get no major jiggle from your eggs, you're done.
    
Here's the hardest part.  Getting the frittata out of the pan in one piece.  Go around the rim of your pan with a rubber spatula.  Take a cutting board and place it on top of your frittata...say a kitchen prayer...mine usually goes like this..."Please let this fucking work"...then flip the frittata pan so that...HOPEFULLY your frittata comes out in one piece onto the cutting board.  Cut that baby up like a pie...serve with fruit or potatoes for breakfast, with a small salad for lunch or with a bowl of soup and a glass of wine for dinner.

2 comments:

Andy said...

mmmmm looks good

k said...

My new fave is zuch and gruyere fritatta. Egss are good for any meal!

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