Friday Frittata

We have a (somewhat) new favorite food item around here, frittata. I've made plenty of them over the years but never with such regularity as of late. They are a great way to utilize the bounty of eggs from the girls and the vegetables from the garden and farmer's market. My husband has started to pack a lunch to take to work lately and I've been trying to have stuff on hand that is easy to pack and eat. We are off bread so sandwiches aren't on the menu. Frittatas seem to be a perfect option - healthy, tasty, and easy to eat out of hand. I've been making one every week lately and no two have been the same. 

Kale, Onion, Bacon, Tomato, and Comte Frittata

This week the filling is Lark's Tongue kale that I first steamed in the pressure cooker for a couple of minutes and then squeezed the excess moisture out of, Vidalia onion and a bit of chopped garlic that was sauteed with chopped bacon and olive oil, some oven candied tomatoes that were lingering in the refrigerator from the tomato harvest last fall, dried Syrian oregano, Comte cheese and, of course, eggs.

Frittata is so easy to make. I don't have a specific recipe just a general formula and technique. I like my frittatas to be chock full of vegetables so I put together a generous mixture of freshly cooked vegetables or perhaps use leftover vegetables or a mixture of old and new. Mix a few cups of cooked vegetables, perhaps some bacon or pancetta, a handful of grated, chopped, or crumbled cheese, and eight large to extra large eggs (my girls lay different sized eggs, anywhere from petite 1.8 ouncers to 3.8 ounce double yolkers). Blend well, season with salt and pepper and perhaps fresh or dried herbs. Preheat a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, pour the egg mixture into the skillet, turn the heat down to low. Cook the frittata until it starts to bubble around the sides, perhaps 5 to 10 minutes and then pop the whole pan into a preheated 350ºF oven and bake about 15 to 20 minutes or until the frittata has puffed up a bit and the center is set and starting to brown. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes or longer, this will help to loosen the frittata from the pan. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold. It is delicious served hot with some tomato sauce. If you are a sandwich eater it makes a great sandwich filling. I get six generous servings from an 8 egg frittata.

Zucchini, Pancetta, Corn, Bean, Snow Pea, Onion, Comte Frittata 

Last week I sauteed sliced fresh zucchini with pancetta and mixed that with a leftover saute of sweet corn, filet beans, snow peas, and Vidalia onion, and added a handful of grated Comte cheese and some dried oregano. This was a big hit with my husband.

Artichoke, Onion, Dried Tomato, Mozzarella Frittata

The week before it was sliced artichoke hearts, dried cherry tomatoes, Vidalia onion (I'm working my way through a big bag of those!), and chopped buffalo mozzarella. Another yum.

Previous frittatas have featured roasted broccoli or asparagus. Next week I think I'll be roasting some fabulous sweet red peppers that have been appearing at the farmer's market, with perhaps some sweet corn that has been showing up as well. Or perhaps I'll find something else to inspire me. Come on back next Friday to see what I stuff into the next frittata.

What is your favorite frittata filling? Or perhaps you've never made a frittata before - go on, give it a try.