Random Food Fridays - Frittata

Eggs to the rescue! Full of nutrients! Delicious! Easy to prepare and enjoy in no time at all. Eggs!

This holiday season has been a little crazy for me. There's so much going on at work, and the evenings are filled with holiday preparations. A quick and nutritious home-cooked meal can feel heaven sent. Frittata's are my go-to egg dish. This is one of those dishes that is easily adapted to your own preferences and refrigerator contents. The frittata pictured above is filled with chopped shallots, diced ham and one leftover baked potato that had been cubed and crisped in butter before adding the eggs. I think eggs and Parmesan cheese are a match made in heaven, but you could use any melting cheese you like to top your frittata.

Here is a simple supper from this summer. This frittata is filled with leftover Swiss chard that was sauteed with shallots and mushrooms. (Notice my yummy iced coffee drink. I'll sing the praises of Medaglia D'oro instant espresso in a different post.)

So, when you are in a hurry and you are thinking about stopping for some fast food, consider stopping at home for frittata instead.

Frittata

Up to 1/2 cup vegetables and/or cooked meat of your choice (I usually have shallots in there somewhere)

1 tbsp. butter

2 eggs

1 tbsp. half and half

3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat an 8 inch skillet over a medium heat. Use an oven-safe non-stick skillet or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Add butter and add any raw vegetables and saute them until tender-crisp. If using leftover potato, add cubed potato with the raw veggies so it has time to crisp a bit. Add any additional cooked vegetables and/or cubed, cooked meat.

Preheat your broiler with the rack on the top shelf of the oven.

Beat the eggs with half and half and 1 tbsp. of grated Parmesan cheese. Distribute the veggies and/or meat in the pan and pour the egg mixture over all. Tilt the pan to make sure egg gets all around the contents of the pan. Reduce heat to low. Use a spatula to gently lift the edge of the frittata and tilt the pan so that the raw egg runs under the frittata. You may have to do this a few times. When the surface of the frittata is just moist, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and pop it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Watch it closely and remove as soon as the cheese is melted and the eggs are slightly puffy. Serve immediately with toast and jam.

Serves one. To serve two, increase eggs to 3 or 4 and add a bit more filling ingredients.