Frittata

April 29, 11:06 AMSan Diego Cooking ExaminerLaurie Vengoechea

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What I love about a Frittata is the ease of preparation and the satisfaction of a filling meal. In our home this would be like the American Macaroni and Cheese. A quick fix when mom and dad have other places to be, but also a Frittata is a very cost effective meal with ingredients easily to be found at home. Eggs, milk and cheese are the base of a simple frittata, similar to omelet ingredients but folding the ingredients into the egg mixture instead of folding the cooked eggs over the ingredients. In the Italian tradition there are certain cheeses I always keep on hand and buy in bulk, like mozzarella cheese. This cheese stays well in the refrigerator for a few weeks. I buy it in bulk at stores like Costco, Smart & Final or WinCo., and then cut it in quarters and wrap each quarter tightly with saran wrap and then place in freezer bags. The pieces I don’t intend on using within two weeks I keep in the freezer for up to 6 months, although, I pretty regularly use mozzarella so I never give it opportunity to even get to the freezer.

Frittatas are oven baked or cooked on the stove and made with fresh herbs and veggies like mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach and then sometimes embellished by adding cooked chopped meat and potatoes. I prefer bacon, prosciutto or pancetta to beef or poultry. As a side, without the addition of meat, Frittata’s go well with salads, bread and a wonderful country roast. Be sure to experiment with fresh and local ingredients!

*When or if I need to, I don’t feel bad about making this a few times a week. It is very hardy and nutritious and it is a lifesaver when I can’t get to the store immediately.   

Buon Appetito,
Laurie

VEGETABLE FRITTATA

Ingredients
8 eggs
½  cup milk (or half and half to make it richer)
¾ tsp. salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper
¼ cup fresh basil chiffonade or herb on hand
1 cup Mozzarella cheese grated
½ cup Fontina cheese cut into small pieces (this cheese is not necessary, you can use one and a half cups of mozzarella instead) 
1 ½ cups blanched Asparagus (tips and pieces cut into ½ inch lengths) or drained Spinach
Olive oil
1 Tbs. butter

Directions
Beat eggs. Add cream, salt, black and red pepper. Add basil. Blend well. Mix in grated mozzarella and Fontina cheese. This won’t look blended but that’s o.k. It will all meld together during cooking. Add drained asparagus.

On medium heat in a large skillet, preferably cast iron or heavy gauged steel, melt butter with olive oil. (The combination of butter and olive oil prevents the butter from burning, also…don't skimp on the fats or the Frittata will stick).
When the butter/olive oil is hot (but not smoking), pour in the eggs mixture.
Do not stir, just let the bottom set and evenly brown a bit. Cover with a lid. Check periodically. When the top is just starting to set (that is when it doesn't look runny anymore), take the pan off the burner and stick it in a hot oven (or under the broiler, watch it closely or you'll burn it). Cook another 5 minutes or so until the top begins to brown.
If you don't wish to use an oven, you can flip it into another pan and cook the top in a skillet. This is the way I prefer to cook my Frittata. The easiest way to do this is to slide the Frittata onto a plate, put another plate upside down on top, flip it over, and then slide it back into the hot pan.