Frittata

Last week I blogged about Spring and gardening, which made me think about my mother, who was an avid gardener.  Often, she used to make one of my favorite meals using fresh grown zucchini flowers or whatever fresh vegetables were in season.

It does not matter if it is a Sunday morning or a Wednesday evening, Frittata is always a fabulous choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

This Italian style omelette can feed multiple people and can be made in advance if necessary.  It also travels well if you need to bring it to a potluck. I have made so many variations of this staple dish and they are all good. I sometimes make a Frittata with left over potatoes and oven roasted vegetables to recreate a new dish using ingredients from a previous meal.

 My hubby loves left over Frittata in a sandwich with red pepper aioli and fresh greens. When Corey and I started dating we lived in separate provinces and would fly back and forth to see one another. It became a tradition for me to send him home at the end of a visit with giant Frittata sandwiches for his flight.  I would specially wrap them with parchment and twine so he would have a fancy reminder of me and the limited time we spent together. People on the plane would often comment about his delicious meal wondering where he purchased it, as there really was nothing like it at the airport food stands.  I guess it worked, because we are now married and he still requests this favorite often.

This  egg pie can be made in a non stick oven safe pan or in a spring-form pan lined with parchment paper. I start this dish on the stove top and complete it in the oven. This is a great versatile recipe that I hope you can share with your friends and family, adding in your own unique twist regardless of the season.


Buon Appetito!


Ingredients

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 diced onion
1 diced red pepper
1 cup of chopped spinach
1 cup diced mushrooms
8 eggs- season with salt, pepper
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

1. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Dice all vegetables.
3. Heat non stick pan and add olive oil.
4. Saute onions for 2-3 minutes on med high heat.
5. Add peppers and mushrooms and turn heat up to high. Saute for 2 minutes.
6. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Make sure all liquid is evaporated before adding eggs. If you are using vegetables that contain lots of water such as mushrooms and spinach it is crucial to saute them on high heat.
7. Add egg mixture to the non stick pan of cooked vegetables and turn the heat off after one minute.
8. Place pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until puffy and golden around the edges.
9. Once out of the oven, garnish with goats cheese and serve.


Note:
If you like your eggs less dense and extra fluffy, add 1/4 cup of milk to the egg mixture.