As any mom of grown children will tell you, it tugs at our heartstrings when the phone rings and you are asked for an old family recipe. This happened to me shortly after the New Year when Antonia called and asked for the recipe for frittata. No problem. Dug into a box I have full of old recipes and shortly found the simple but delicious recipe for frittata given to me (it says on the card) by old friend Kathy back in 1972. Yep. (This made Antonia giggle.) This is the kind of recipe that is a teeny bit of a departure from my normal food practices as it calls for Bisquick (gasp!), but a bit of Bisquick for a good recipe is worth the slight veering from purely organic fresh local product. This recipe has always been well met by guests, and that’s precisely what Antonia had in mind. (She reported later it was a big success!) So, I thought, why not? Let’s share this treasure, as not only is it tasty, it is quick, reliable and failproof. It’s also full of fresh local organic ingredients. So here goes!
Hall House Frittata
5 eggs
5 cups chopped zucchini
1 1/2 C. Bisquick
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, parsley
You can use your imagination and preferences and add bits of roasted red peppers, or calamata olives. Last time I made it I used fresh oregano from my winter garden instead of parsley, which was a good choice. But the above is your basic template.
Beat five eggs slightly. Add the above ingredients to the eggs. Pour into a cast iron skillet, into which you have poured 1/4 cup olive oil. Bake in your oven at 350°F. for 45 minutes.
I told you it was easy!
Then, about a week later, synchronistically, my friend Andy Carvin, who works for NPR, posted a gorgeous pic on Twitter of a frittata he had just made for his family! So I immediately wrote and asked him for a recipe, and he graciously responded with a link. So here’s how Andy makes frittata. But first the pic! This looks delicious!
The Perfect Frittata
1 16oz container of Egg Beaters
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
8 kalamata olives
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to broil. In a 10-inch nonstick pan, spray some cooking spray and turn the heat to high. Mix the egg beaters and the evaporated milk, and pour into the pan once it’s sufficiently heated. Leave at high for a minute or two until the bottom of the egg mixture starts to brown, then turn it down to medium high. Using a spatula, carefully lift up the corners of the cooked eggs to allow the liquid egg mixture to run off the top and under it. Do this a few times over a couple more minutes until you’ve sufficiently drained the uncooked egg from the top. It’ll still be very moist on top, but there shouldn’t be puddles of uncooked egg any more.
Turn off the heat. Take the various cheeses and spread them evenly on top. Then spread the red peppers and artichoke hearts. Take the eight olives and spread them evenly so when you cut the frittata into four pieces, each piece will have two olives. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Place the frittata pan under a broiler for three or four minutes, depending on how brown you want it on top. Anything more than four minutes will probably burn it, so be careful. The frittata should rise to double its size, almost like a souffle. Wearing oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest for one minute. Use the spatula to slice the frittata into four pieces. Serves two people. It goes well on its own but it’s also good with some cottage cheese on the side.
And here’s a postscript from Andy about the Egg Beaters:
Note about those Egg Beaters: Yes, you can substitute eight eggs for the Egg Beaters, but that adds up to a lot of extra calories. And for whatever reason, when I’ve done it using real eggs, the frittata doesn’t rise like a souffle as much.
I hope you enjoy these two variations of the classic frittata! Feel free to play with your options, and come up with your own perfect recipe for you and your family. We on the West Coast are experiencing a spell of very cold weather, so any excuse to fire up the oven is welcomed. The prospect of a lovely frittata makes it all worth while.
Love and winter blessings,
Kathryn xoxo
Book News: Plant Whatever Brings You Joy now has a fan page on Facebook. I’d be honored if you visited and “liked”. Thank you!
Posted on January 12th, 2013 by Kathryn
Filed under: People at Life | 14 Comments »
