Frittata

Frittata has one of the highest impressiveness to effort ratios of any dish. It takes no time to put together, but looks like it took hours and can easily feed several people. It has all the characteristics of a soufflé, omelette, and scramble in one easy-to-make dish. This recipe also gives me a chance to talk about eggs, which are a ubiquitous part of most diets around the world. In industrialized countries eggs most often come from chickens who are fed only a diet of horrible foods like soybeans. This results in their eggs being less nutritious and packed with the unstable fats from soy. You can observe this easily by comparing the yolks of standard factory eggs to those which are from pastured chickens. The yolks of pastured eggs are a deeply pleasing orange, where factory eggs are a pale yellow. This shows the literal difference in nutrition factor of eggs—where the yellow color comes from carotenoids (vitamin A). Different carotenoids have different colors and a higher concentration of them also produces a deeper hue. Thankfully pastured eggs are becoming a more widely available commodity, and if they are available in your area you should invest in them and in turn your own health (cage-free is not the same as pastured). Because pastured chickens also have a diet higher in bugs and leaves instead of industrial soy it also makes their eggs more healthy in terms of fat profile. If you are only eating factory produced eggs it’s not a good idea to have them more than once a week if you are dealing with metabolic diseases. But pastured eggs can be consumed more frequently. It’s still a good idea not to have eggs every day, since they do contain some of the most harmful and unstable fatty acids, and should typically be accompanied by good fats such as cheese, cream, butter, coconut oil, etc. This recipe accomplishes all of those things. You can use any kinds of filling in frittata, so feel free to swap these vegetables and cheese for any of your choosing. As usual, avoid cream with added gums or you’ll have gas and cramps the rest of the day.

FRITTATA

2-3 zucchini (courgettes), cubed
1 handful baby greens, roughly chopped
1 small onion or 1/2 large
5 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
6 pastured eggs
1/4 cup cream or 1/2 cup of whole milk
1-2 cups shredded soft cheese such as mozzarella, Monterey jack, goat, gouda, etc.

Preheat oven to 350˚ F (177˚ C). Over medium heat melt butter in an oven-safe pan/skillet, add zucchini, onion, 1/2 tsp salt, and cook for 10 minutes until soft but not brown. Add baby greens, cook another 2 minutes just until they’re wilted. Remove from heat. In another bowl beat eggs, milk or cream, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add half the cheese and mix. Pour eggs over vegetables in the skillet, spreading evenly. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is just starting to turn brown. Serve with a small dollop of sour cream, coffee, and toast and jam from your homemade bread. Other frittata combinations I love:

GOAT CHEESE AND SHALLOTS
Julienne shallots then sauté in butter. When soft and slightly caramelized add eggs and crumbled goat cheese and bake.

CHICKEN WITH CHIVES AND GOAT CHEESE
Pre-roast or use leftover chicken, shredded, straight into the pan with the eggs, crumbled goat cheese, and chopped chives and bake.

BROCCOLI CHEDDAR
Chop broccoli small and sauté in butter with a little salt until it’s bright green and soft. Add eggs with shredded cheddar and bake.

POTATO AND MIXED GREENS
Peel and grate potatoes on a large grate. Sauté in butter and some salt for five minutes until softening but not fully cooked. Add roughly chopped mixed greens and continue cooking until wilted and potatoes are soft but not falling apart. Add eggs and lots of shredded, soft, mild cheese such as mozzarella or Monterey jack and bake.