Friday, April 10, 2009

Frittata for Breakfast


A frittata is a kind of quiche on steroids. It is Italian in origin but my guess is this recipe is not really as much authentic as it is delicious. Generally I make frittata with whatever I have in the fridge so the outcome can vary tremendously however, I never cooked a frittata I didn't like.

A few left over boiled potatoes cut into small pieces.
Olive oil as needed
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 red pepper cut into small pieces
2 round slices of pancetta cut into small cubes
5 eggs
¼ cup milk or cream
1 cup cheddar cheese grated
½ cup Parmesan cheese grated.

Turn the oven on to heat at 450 degrees.
First fry up the pancetta until it begins to crisp. Set it aside.
Put a bit of olive oil in a cast iron frying pan a fry up the potatoes. As the potatoes begin to brown add in the onion and garlic and shortly after season with salt and pepper.
When the onions are translucent add the pepper and the pancetta. Mix it all up making sure that nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Beat the eggs with the milk and add them to the pan. The egg mixture should almost cover the potato mixture.
Spread the cheeses on top and put it all into the hot oven.
After 10 minutes or so take the pan out and check for doneness by sticking in a knife or fork. It is is runny ­inside, pop it back into the oven. If not, it is ready to serve.
Make sure the sides will free up easily by running a knife around the outside.
Take a plate and place it over the pan. Turn the pan upside down. The frittata should come out cleanly onto the plate. Place a new plate on top of the frittata and turn it over again.
Serve it cheese side up.
It will easily cut into 4 or 6 servings as needed.
It is good hot or cold.

Note: Feel free to experiment, if you don't have left over potatoes use frozen hash browns, try bacon or sausage instead of pancetta, almost any vegetables will work in this dish, artichoke hearts, zucchini or green onions. You can mix up the cheese as well.