Frittata

This is a good time of year with all the vegetables from the garden. Dinner planning is easy, usually a little grilled meat or fish with a vegetable and a salad, and the grocery bills are significantly less. I usually look for tasty, low-carb recipes that use a lot of vegetables without increasing their volume. I remember spending hours following a Julia Child recipe for ratatouille that turned an eggplant and a couple of zucchini into a huge pot of grey, rubbery stuff that sat in the fridge for a week before I tossed it.

A frittata is sort of an Italian omelet and is especially useful when you have nothing else in the refrigerator for dinner. The Spanish have a similar dish called a tortilla and made with potatoes. It is a staple in tapa bars.You don’t need a recipe for this, I just sort of eyeball it. Of course, the frittata is best served with a large salad from the garden, to use up some of that lettuce and cucumbers. And it’s great left  over, for breakfast or lunch, cold or reheated. My sort-of recipe follows.

In a 12 inch cast iron frying pan rubbed with olive oil, sauté a small chopped onion until soft.



Add about 2-3 cups of chopped vegetables. This frittata is using broccoli, zucchini, sugar snap peas, and green beans. Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes until softened.



Add a handful of chopped parsley and basil, or whatever fresh herbs you have on hand.



Beat 4-5 eggs with a half cup of shredded cheese (Parmesan, cheddar, whatever you have). Season with a little salt and pepper. Pout this mixture evenly over the vegetables.



Let the mixture cook a few minutes on the burner, then place pan in preheated 400° oven for 10 minutes. Frittata should be set, with edges slightly browned.



Turn on broiler and brown the frittata under the broiler for about 5 minutes.



Let it cool a little and then serve wedges of the frittata with your salad.