I See Your Kale Salad and Raise You A Cheesy Spinach Frittata

I make a lot of frittatas

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They're great as brunch or an inexpensive dinner.  Cook once and reheat throughout the week.  Break up a piece to fill your tortilla or sandwich between toast.  They're simply the best.  Especially for someone with neglected ingredients in the refrigerator and hates to let anything go to waste

(raises hand!)

Sometimes, it's recipes like this that I hesitate to write about.  Which, feels a bit silly to admit.

I mean, it's not going to comfort you when you're sick.  It's not going to help if you came home with too many veggies from the farmers market.  It's not the back-of-the-box cake you hope for when a birthday rolls around.  It's not even the life-changing artisan mustard I've been meaning to tell you about for a couple of years now.

I was about to say that it didn't make the unconquerable in the kitchen conquerable, except that might not be true.  This, in fact, did exactly that last Thursday evening, when someone sent me a link to the recipe that morning and we had it on the table by dinnertime.  No small feat for a weeknight.

Once you have the basics down, it's easy to customize your own

The key to avoiding a waterlogged frittata is to cook off some of the water first.  Think roasting or sauteeing.  This also includes greens, although they require a lot less time.  Meat needs to be cooked in advance as well.

A ratio of two eggs per person is a nice rule of thumb.  A four egg frittata for two is great in an 8″ pan, four to six people in a 10″ pan, and scale-up from there.  The thicker the frittata, the longer the baking time.

To minimize clean-up, use an oven-proof nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron pan.  No worries if you don't have one, the whole thing can easily be baked in an oven-proof dish.  I wonder, though, would it then fall into the “egg bake” category, but it seems all the same.

Texture –  A good frittata will have the texture of custard – wobbly and barely set at the same time, light, and fluffy.

Cooking Technique – I like to start my frittatas on the stovetop (over low to medium heat), cooking until the edges have set, the interior is thick and custardy, and the surface is a little bit runny.  From there, I'll sprinkle some cheese and finish it off with a couple of minutes under the broiler.  One other trick?  Grease your pan first with clarified butter (or a high smoke point oil) to avoid burning the bottom

If cooking your frittata in the oven, just give the middle a little tap from time to time.  Take it out when it’s no longer liquidy, and the edges are golden brown.  Let it stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Cheese – In the filling, I tend toward cheeses that leave little pockets of creaminess like goat cheese, cheddar, gruyère, fontina, and (in this case) mozzarella.  Harder, aged cheeses, like Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, are best saved for a sharp wallop of flavor on top.  Plus, you'll love their frico-like effect – the thin crunch of broiled cheese you get before biting into all of the greens and egg goodness below.

Prep – Let's say you're hosting brunch the following morning (or it's just a Monday).  Whisk all your eggs, dairy, and seasonings in a bowl you can keep covered in the fridge.  Have all your add-ins cooked and ready (sauteed veggies, cooked sausage, roasted tomatoes, whatever).  Pull them all out while preheating the oven, gently warm the pan with the filings in it, and proceed with the recipe from there.

A few of my go-to combinations

Spinach + artichoke + feta cheese

Sauteed mushrooms + greens + goat cheese

Cherry tomatoes + zucchini + mozzarella + basil

Roasted tomatoes + greens + pesto + goat cheese

Sauteed zucchini + peppers + tomatoes + red onion + feta

Potatoes + bacon + greens + white cheddar

Thinner frittatas are more traditional, but I especially like a dinner version that has a little bulk, and this perfectly fits the bill.  The recipe calls for frozen spinach; however, I think any number of green vegetables would work here: sauteed kale, etc.  It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t require a whole lot of advance planning.  I mean, thank goodness.

What I wouldn’t skimp on is the Parmesan.  I realize it's heavy on the cheese, and if you must, skip the half the goes inside the frittata, but don’t skip the broiled part. That’s the salty/crunchy/frico finish, and Thursday night dinners would be so much duller without it.

Really Enjoy!

xoxo

~ Adapted from The Washington Post