Potato Pepper Frittata

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Now that I've made a frittata, I'm starting to experiment.  This experiment turned out great!  I think a frittata is better when it is veggie based with no meat, and I think my carnivore husband agrees after tonight.  Here is the finished product:

Here is the recipe:

10 eggs
1/4 cup water or milk
About 1-1/2 cups potatoes (I prefer fingerlings), diced
1/2 each red and green bell peppers, about 1 cup
3/4 cup sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup feta or other cheese
2-3 T. fresh chives, snipped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Saute potatoes and veggies in olive oil for about 15 minutes, or until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Whisk the eggs in a bowl, add salt, pepper, cheese, and chives.  Add egg mixture to veggies and stir the bottom and sides for about a minute or so.

Put the pan into the oven (375 degrees) and bake for about 10-15 minutes.  The time depends on your pan, etc.  Just stick a knife in the frittata to see if it is done.  Put the frittata on a large plate.  Cut into eighths and serve hot, warm, or even cold.

Here are the veggies once cooked:

Summer Squash Medley

I find summer squash to be pretty boring but it's so plentiful that I decided to come up with a way to make it flavorful while still keeping it healthy.  I buy a mixture of whatever summer squashes are available and always choose the smaller ones over the larger.  This saute only took a few minutes and the results were tasty and definitely not boring!

5-6 smallish yellow squash, zucchini, etc., cut into cubes
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 T. olive oil
Salt to taste*
2 T. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 T. fresh Tarragon, chopped finely
1/2 lemon, juiced

In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions and squash and saute about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic clove and tomatoes and continue cooking another minute or two.  Season with salt.  Turn off heat and add the parsley, tarragon, and fresh lemon juice. 

*So why do I never give amounts for salt?  Mainly because I always use Kosher salt, which is coarse.  Regular table salt, like Morton's, is very fine and a single teaspoon contains more salt than over a tablespoon of Kosher or other coarse salt.  The only time I use table salt is in baking.

Grilled Panzanella

Panzanella is an Italian salad made from tomatoes and stale bread.  You are supposed to soak the bread and squeeze it dry, but that doesn't sound good to me so I made croutons instead.  I normally don't have white bread but this was a beautiful rustic, crusty bread that I bought from Central Market for our Frittata dinner with Rob.  The croutons were amazing, and I couldn't believe how well they held up in the salad.  Not mushy at all.  Even the next day they were still good.  Any hearty bread will do.

I used beautiful tomatoes and I grilled vegetables to bring out more flavor.  Any combination of vegetables will work.  Just use what is in season and looks good.

I served the salad on a bed of spinach for even more veggie goodness.  With the addition of beans, this was all we needed for dinner.  Well, that and some good wine!

¼ cup olive oil + more for bread

About 4 cups leftover crusty rustic bread, cut into 1-inch thick pieces

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 T. finely grated fresh Parmesan

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon 

Kosher salt

2-3 ripe tomatoes (about 2-3 cups), cut into 1-inch cubes

10 large basil leaves

1/2 inch slice of red onion (do not separate rings)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in half

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut in half

2 small Japanese eggplants, cut lengthwise

1 yellow squash or zucchini, cut lengthwise

1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

To make the croutons:  In a large bowl, toss the bread with olive oil until well coated but not soggy.  Add minced garlic and a sprinkling of fresh finely-grated Parmesan.  Mix well.  Put on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, stirring once.  Let cool.

Coat the onion, bell peppers, eggplant, and squash (or whatever veggies you are using) lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Grill until vegetables are tender and have good grill marks.  Let cool.  Cut the veggies and onion into chunks after they cool.

In a large salad bowl, whisk together vinegar, Dijon, lemon juice, and ¼ cup olive oil.  Season with salt.  Add the tomatoes and allow to marinate for about 20 minutes.  Add the beans, grilled vegetables, basil, and croutons.  Mix well.  Season with salt, if necessary.  Let sit for about 20 minutes before serving. 

Frittata

Finally, I made a frittata!  I invited Rob over for dinner since he was leaving the next day for Iowa.  I decided on a frittata but kind of freaked out the night before and had to call my girl, Roxy, for instructions.  As usual, Roxy came through with perfect instructions.  I used sausage, peppers and onions for the filling.  I used Parmesan cheese cause that's what I had, but just about any cheese will do.  I will definitely be experimenting in the future!  Here are the basic instructions:

12 eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup water
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan, reserve about 1/4 cup for the top
2 links Italian sausage (I used mild made by Central Market)
About 3 cups diced green and red peppers and sweet yellow onion
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large (12" works fine, as does a deep 10") oven-proof, non-stick skillet, brown the sausage.  Remove to a paper-towel lined bowl with a slotted spoon and let drain well.  Let skillet cool and then wipe clean with a paper towel.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the same skillet and add the peppers and onions.  Cook until soft.  Add the sausage.

Blend the Parmesan into the eggs (reserving a little for the top).  Pour the egg mixture into the skillet.  Using a heat proof spatula, stir the eggs on the sides and bottom of the pan just to make sure the sausage is evenly distributed.  When the bottom and sides begin to set, sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and place the skillet in the oven.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until eggs are set.  I used a large 12" skillet and mine was done after 12 minutes.  If you use a deeper 10" skillet it will probably take a little longer.  Don't overcook as it will keep cooking in the pan after you take it out of the oven.

Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes.  Put a large platter on top of the skillet and flip it over, removing the frittata.  Let cool another 10 minutes or so and then flip it back to the other side (the pretty top side).

I served this with caprese tomatoes and a crusty French bread from Central Market.  Also served salsa on the side.  I got 8 large slices and even with Rob the Amazing Eating Machine there, we had 2 slices left over.  That's what you see in the picture since we forgot to take one before we ate.

Remember that any combination can be used for the filling.  I also think you can use less eggs, or use a combination of whole eggs and egg whites if you need to cut down on the fat.