Hello, lover
It has been a bit of a Frittata Frenzy around my house lately, and frankly I am wondering why I didn’t discover these easy and delicious little breakfast delicacies sooner. Well, that isn’t entirely accurate, I knew about Frittatas but they just seemed a little too chi chi for my tastes. Also I have an irrational fear of brown eggs. I don’t know where that comes from, but there you are. I wish someone would have tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out that IT’S JUST A CRUSTLESS EGG CASSEROLE, DUMMY! Because then I would have known, you know? So here, let me do that favor for you.
*tap tap*
Frittatas have all the protein/vegetable goodness that I am always aiming to get at breakfast, but in a portable and gourmet seeming kind of way. And let me tell you, I generally need a little gourmet to spice up my Monday mornings. But also (and here is why they are great!) Frittatas are easy. I’m not going to say effortless, but pretty damn close when it comes to a fancy hot breakfast. One pan + Delicious Ingredients = A Happy Tummy. It’s math, my friends. And rarely can you argue with math, right?
So, shall we talk about steps?
Step One: Cook up meat of your choice in a 12 inch oven safe skillet. (Most generic non stick pans are oven safe up to at least 350 degrees, that’s why I cook this at 325 degrees — BOOYAH! No fancy cookware needed.)
Meat Ideas: Bacon goes without saying. Sausage is always good. Ground beef works well depending on the vegetables you add. Frittatas even help me enjoy ham (pictured above), which I otherwise detest. They make miracles happen, clearly!
Step Two: Saute onions with your choice of base vegetables in the meat renderings (Bacon, obvs is a favorite!)
Combos I particularly enjoy: Onions and Peppers, Onions and Broccoli Slaw (Tell me you enjoy pre-packaged broccoli slaw in your kitchen? It is awesome for quick easy cooking), Onions and Zucchini — The combos are ENDLESS. It’s like pizza for breakfast, only healthy!
Step Three: Add Salt, Pepper + Seasoning to compliment your vegetable choice. This is what gives your Frittata its depth of flavor. Get experimental here, it’s pretty fun!
Combos I particularly enjoy: Onions and Peppers with Taco Seasoning, Onions and Broccoli Slaw with Herbs de Provence. Onions and Zucchini with Italian Seasoning. Easy Peasy!
Step Four: Pour 8-10 whisked eggs (depending on size — I usually use 8 Extra Large Eggs) over your magnificent mixture and move it all around so it allows the egg to penetrate to the bottom of the pan, and let it set for a minute or two. (This makes the bottom of your frittata more stable so it comes out all in one piece when you slice it.)
Step Five: Add any additional Mix Ins. What do I mean by mix ins? Anything you want in the Frittata that doesn’t need to be sauteed.
Good Mix Ins: Diced Tomatoes, Cheese, Vegetables you want crunchy, fresh herbs
Step Six: Bake in a 325 degree oven (remember this from Step One) for 25 minutes.
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Obviously the step where I tell you to “Enjoy!” is implied, ok? I don’t want anyone to get overwhelmed and 7 Steps was my personal tipping point.
Here are some Frittata Combos I have thoroughly enjoyed:
*Ground Beef, Onions, Green Chilis from a can (classy!), Taco Seasoning, Cheddar, Tomatoes
*Ham, Onions, Red Bell Peppers, Broccoli Slaw, Herbs de Provence, Cheddar (Pictured Above – and also the one I’m currently OBSESSED with)
*Bacon, Onions, Tomatoes, Cheddar (served with shredded Romaine in Italian Dressing on top)
*Bacon, Onions, Zuchini, Italian Seasoning, Parmesan
Are you a Frittata Fan? What combos have you invented?
By Holly on April 25, 2011
My Grandma Marian taught me a number of very important life lessons:
*A good hostess always has cookies in her freezer.
*If you keep the empty expensive bottles of booze you can always refill them with the cheap stuff in a pinch. (Which I only did in college, I promise!) And of course,
*A lady never refuses a second serving by saying she is “stuffed,” but rather she delicately reclines and says she’s “had plenty.”
More importantly though, she taught me about the magic of poached eggs in hollandaise.
My family usually chooses to brunch on Easter, forgoing the ham dinner with all the trimmings for a stiff Bloody Mary (or two) and a Hallelujah. As an a non-religious adult, I always kind of forget about Easter (what with the changing dates and all of that) but when I realize it’s coming around I never forget my grandma’s tradition: Eggs Benedict!
Since going Paleo I have definitely come to embrace the egg, but I never take the time to poach them — and for no good reason since it is so much easier than it looks. A pan of simmering water with a splash of vinegar, dropping the egg right in, and then giving it exactly 2 minutes before you rescue and plop it atop various accouterments. This year I skipped the English Muffin and set it on canadian bacon over the world’s most amazing Spicy Sweet Potato Hash.
It was so good, I’m making it again for Garrett this week for dinner since he was in Reno all weekend and missed out.
For the eggs:
This video breaks down poaching eggs quite simply. Plus at the end she puts in on a “nice, tasty crumpet.” And how can you not love that? I like a 2 min egg though, just FYI. I always fear I will ruin the egg, and it always ends up working out just fine. Vinegar is kind of a miracle worker.
For the Hollandaise:
In a blender mix 3 egg yolks, 1 TBS lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of salt, and a few shakes of cayenne pepper. Melt 1/2 cup of grassfed butter (That’s why it is Paleo* — but this is a special occasion thing, don’t get freaked out!) and slowly pour in the melted butter as you blend up the other ingredients. This will make enough sauce to coat at least 6 eggs and may change your life.
For the hash:
Cook up 6-8 diced up slices of bacon in a pan. (Dude, just cook 8.) Remove the bacon bits and add one diced red onion and diced red pepper. Saute until softened. Add 3 diced sweet potatos. Mine were small-medium sized. Generously season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and add a dash of chili powder for flavor and cayenne pepper for heat. Cook over high heat until potatoes are at your desired texture (everyone likes their taters a bit different). I did mine for about 20 minutes, tossing them around occasionally so they browned but didn’t burn.
For the entire experience:
Throw the hash on a plate, top with canadian bacon you have warmed in the oven, add your perfectly poached eggs, cover with hollandaise, add some cracked black pepper to the top, and die of happiness.
You will not regret it. But I assure you, after two of those eggs, you will delicately recline and say you’ve had plenty.
It’s a breakfast (or dinner in our case this week) of champions!
It doesn’t matter if you have large hands or small hands, you just want to dig deep in your bag and pull out the biggest handful you can handle and then throw it in the pan. Repeat this until you are satisfied that you have enough giddy-up and go. The thing about spinach though is that it looks likes too much when you throw it in the pan, but then it cooks down to almost nothing. I have huge hands, which a jeweler recently confirmed to me (THANKS BUT NO THANKS WE WILL BUY NO JEWELRY FROM YOU!) so I like to use about 3 handfuls.
