Remember that pesto from my last post? Well pesto is what puts this frittata over the edge.
Frittata, like shakshuka, is one of those easy breakfast/brunch dishes that looks so impressive and is easier than you might expect. A frittata can also handle most any ingredient you throw at it, so it's perfect for using up the vegetables, meats, and cheeses you have in the fridge.
Since I have been home from my European travels, I have been cooking nonstop – breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and dessert!) for the short six days I have before the fall semester of my senior year begins. I always love cooking at home because I can enjoy the entire experience of cooking, which is therapeutic and relaxing for me. When I get to cook alone in the kitchen, I listen to the radio and (embarassingly) dance around the room as I move from one step of the recipe to the next, twirling from the stove to the counter to the oven. As a self-proclaimed music fanatic, I always think listening to music improves what I'm doing, and cooking calms me because it forces me to focus on my creativity (and, of course, good food makes me pretty happy too). When I am home, though, I often enlist the help of my two Sous Chefs–my parents–so cooking turns into a social event, a sort of pre-party before the main event of a family dinner.
The atmosphere I associate with cooking is something I hope everyone can experience when they get the chance to make a really great dish. I know many people find the art of making food mundane, pedestrial, and even burdensome, and I (sort of) can understand the feeling of coming home after a long day and wishing there were leftovers in the fridge so I wouldn't have to wait a half hour to eat a nice dinner; I have also frequently felt the enticing pull of quick and easy meals that don't require any cooking whatsoever: meals from the dining hall at school, in my case, or fast food from a nearby restaurant. However, if you give yourself time to cook, really cook, a meal when no one is waiting on you to make it (read: children needing to be fed dinner, which I also sort of understand from my long career of babysitting), when you yourself are not tired and "hangry," and when you can give yourself the freedom to make mistakes, adapt as you go along, and try new things without a fear of "messing up" the meal–this is when you can truly understand the art of cooking.
And so, this circumlocutory tirade is the explanation behind why I love cooking breakfast. When I wake up early so that I have enough time to make a meal, nothing makes for a better morning than cooking. It is the perfect start to a day, especially on a lazy weekend morning. Next saturday morning, instead of making the classic pancakes or pouring yourself another bowl of cereal, try this frittata: essentially fool-proof, ready in about a half-hour, and truly delicious. Apparently breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so might as well make it great, right?
If you can't bear to wake up and cook for more than five minutes, go ahead and make this the night before. Frittatas also make notoriously good leftovers.
Frittata with Pesto and Chicken Sausage
Serves 4
Ingredients
6 whole eggs
6 egg whites
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil spray (I used coconut oil spray, but olive oil spray works fine)
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2-3 cloves)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Trader Joe's Sweet Italian Chicken Sausages, chopped into semicircles
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
3 ounces frsh mozzarella, cut into bitesize pieces
2 tablespoons pesto
You need a pan that can go from the stove to the oven. Cast iron or nonstick ceramic pans are both good options.
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Crack eggs into a bowl. Add oregano, salt and pepper, and whisk until yolks and whites are blended. Set aside.
2. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and continue to cook until much of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated, another five minutes.
3. Add chicken sausage to the pan and cook until browned, 2 minutes. Add the spinach, reduce the heat to medium, and cover the pan for about two minutes until the spinach is wilted. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan.
4. Pour the eggs into the pan, making sure to pour evenly in the pan. Place mozzarella pieces in the egg so that they are evenly spaced. Allow the egg to cook in the pan, occasionally scraping the bottom of the pan and moving the egg around so that it can cook evenly.
5. Once the egg is beginning to set around the edges, drop pesto into the egg and spread it around the pan. Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, until the eggs are set in the middle. The frittata may be beginning to brown on top (which is good and it looks pretty), but if not, don't worry. It is better to avoid overcooking the egg than waiting to get the brown crust.
6. Let sit for a few minutes; the egg will continue to cook in the pan.
Note: Some sources (ahem, Bon Appetit) say the right way to make a frittata involves adding some full-fat dairy. I have found this to be an unnecessary extra ingredient (with extra calories). Yes, it results in a beautifully fluffy frittata, and if you are really particular, go ahead and add in some full-fat milk, mascarpone, or other dairy into the eggs before you add them to the pan. However, I have found that just whisking the eggs results in a light and fluffy frittata that still has enough body to support the ingredients you are adding to it. And whatever you do, don't add low-fat dairy. 2% milk may be okay, but don't be tempted to use skim milk; it will just make the frittata watery, giving it a weird texture.
