Basic Frittata
Source: Amie Bailey, Williams-Sonoma
Recipe Type: Breakfast | Seasons: Spring, Summer
This recipe was demonstrated for CUESA’s Market to Table program on April 19, 2014.
I’ve always believed that in order to cook well, you need to free yourself from recipes and learn techniques instead. This is particularly useful if you get a CSA box or shop at the farmers market. For instance, there are those who might be seduced by the cardoons or who get a box delivered, and once they have it in their kitchen, are overwhelmed or at a loss for what to do with their loot. I have three recommendations:
- Once you get home, process your ingredients immediately. Clean the greens, dice and roast the carrots, make the pesto, and simmer the stock. It will all hold and, best of all, you’ll not only be ready to make a great dinner every night of the week, but you’ll be more likely to use everything!
- Learn some basic techniques that you can always fall back on and that set you free from recipes. Frittata is a great place to start, but you can then move on to bread puddings, pilafs, slow cooker stews…
- Don’t be afraid to experiment. Go ahead and purée that roasted butternut squash and add it to your vinaigrette or pickle those beet stems to garnish your next salad. What’s the worst that can happen?
We’re starting with frittata, which is, for all intents and purposes, a baked omelet. You’ll notice that I’m delightfully unspecific when it comes to ingredients beyond eggs, and that’s because it doesn’t really matter. The point is to have fun, enjoy your farmers market produce, and make delicious food!
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
½ onion, diced
1 cup chopped vegetables (carrots, roasted squash, asparagus, etc.)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cleaned and chopped greens (spinach, kale, etc.)
8 to 10 eggs (the more eggs, the thicker the frittata)
1 cup shredded, grated, or crumbled cheese (feta, parmesan, cheddar, or whatever you have in the fridge)
PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Heat an 8- to 10-inch oven-safe skillet on medium, adding the olive oil or butter.
3. Add the onion and sauté until it’s a little brown (you want it to caramelize, but not burn).
4. Add the vegetables, garlic, and herbs, and sauté until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. Add the greens and cook until wilted.
6. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl. Add the eggs and half the cheese to the skillet. Stir with a rubber spatula until the bottom and the edges just start to set and you start to see the eggs firming up on top.
7. Sprinkle the top of the frittata with the remaining cheese and place the skillet in the oven. Cook until the eggs are set in the middle, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
8. Cut into wedges and serve warm or room temperature, accompanied by some green salad, if desired.
Photo by Jennifer Kregear.
Farmers Market Ingredients