Frittata Anytime
I was never a fan of omelets or scrambled eggs; but once while I was visiting my sister in New England, she made potato frittata (an Italian omelet) for breakfast, and it was delicious. Recently I had a craving for some, and I developed my own recipe. This potato frittata has bacon (I use turkey bacon), green onions and cheddar cheese. I pre-cook seasoned potatoes so they are well done, and the rest comes together very quickly.
3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 strips chopped raw turkey bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
2 scallions thinly sliced, green parts only
1 tbs. fresh garlic, finely minced
2 tbs. olive oil, divided
2 tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. plus 1 pinch dried thyme
1/4 tsp. plus 1 pinch coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. plus 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. chili powder
1. Place the potatoes in a microwaveable bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbs of the olive oil and sprinkle with: 1/4 tsp. thyme, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. coriander, 1/8 tsp. chili powder, and 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Toss well to coat potatoes evenly with oil and seasonings. Microwave on high for 6 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
2. In a large (12 inch), oven safe skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the turkey bacon,* and stir frequently until it is cooked through. Turkey bacon does not crisp, and gets soft again in the frittata anyway.
3. Add the garlic, scallions and potatoes. If the pan is very dry, you can add another teaspoon of olive oil first. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the potatoes are browned slightly.
4. Meanwhile lightly beat the eggs with the remaining seasonings, and preheat the broiler.
5. Reduce heat to medium low and slowly pour the eggs into and around the potatoes. Gently stir to evenly distribute the potatoes throughout the eggs.
6. Let cook just until the sides and bottom of the eggs are set. Eggs will still be raw in the center.
7. Remove from heat and sprinkle the parsley and the cheese over the top.
8. Place pan under the broiler about 4 inches away, or on the bottom rack of your broiler section. Cook until the eggs are done and the cheese is melted, approximately 10 -15 minutes. Watch carefully, once the cheese melts it will brown quickly.
I like to serve with sour cream mixed with just a little dijon mustard. (About 1 tsp of mustard to a 1/2 cup of sour cream).
There are countless ways to combine vegetables, cheeses, etc. in frittata. You can use what you have leftover. If your vegetables take a long time to cook, I recommend pre-cooking them. ham would be good. Once instead of bacon I used leftover chicken from taco night, I didn’t have to use much seasoning, since the meat already had it. Experiment, have fun and happy eating!
The Little Eggplant That Could
The little eggplant that could, was one of my few garden successes this year. Florida gardening is different from Pennsylvania gardening, in more ways than one. This year I grew a “lavender touch” eggplant. After it was transplanted, the leaves were promptly devoured by snails. “So much for that plant,” I thought. Well it grew back and got big and the next thing I knew it was blooming! The flowers fell off. Eventually more flowers came, and they all fell off but one, which actually became an eggplant. I figured this was it, but kept watering it anyway. Soon it was full of flowers again. I watched sadly as two more fell off the plant. The next thing I saw, was that there were two, then three eggplants! So far (fingers crossed) the flowers seem to be staying on. I’ll let you know what I make with the eggplant.
Note: Sorry I haven’t posted for a while. I have some new recipes and articles lined up, and hope to get them to you very soon. Some of my Thanksgiving recipes, as well as some good soup recipes. (Well okay, I guess you’ll have to judge that for yourself. )
Harvest Recipes: April’s Tomato Salad
By this time of year many of you are harvesting your vegetables and I wanted to share with you some of my favorite ways to use my harvest.
Tomato Salad: The most basic tomato salad recipe consists of chopped plum or other tomatoes, sliced red onions, olive oil, basil, a little water– about a tablespoon or so to keep the juice of the tomatoes and the olive oil from coagulating and getting too thick.
I never measured this recipe so this is a starting point, and you can adjust to size or taste, according to how much you want to make
Now my variation is this:
A mixture of plum tomatoes and yellow tomatoes chopped in large chunks (enough to fill a 2qt. bowl)
About one third as much sliced sweet onions as there are tomatoes.
Lots of chopped fresh basil–spicy varieties preferred, about 1/4 cup
(I once had to run out into my vegetable garden in the rain for more basil during a dinner party)
olive oil, water, a few drops of balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
The main thing is that if you use very juicy tomatoes, you should combine them with a more meaty variety or plum tomato for best results, because everything will tend to get mushy. Also since yellow tomatoes are very mild, they need a heartier tomato to help them stand up to the other ingredients, especially the basil. Aside from that the other ingredients are to taste I basically use enough olive oil to nicely coat the tomatoes and when everything is tossed ( I would start with about 3 tbs). For me the more basil the better, and of course my husband would not eat his without a nice crusty bread to dip in it . Next time we’ll talk about some yummy things to do with peppers and squash.
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