Egg Recipe: Garden Fritatta

Four ducks plus three chickens equals a huge amount of eggs on the homestead. Surprisingly, we are keeping up with the supply pretty well. The secret? Garden frittatas.

Frittatas are the perfect egg dish. They use at least a half dozen eggs at a time, are quick to make, you can put anything in them and they are great at any meal.

Alice Waters gives a great, versatile recipe for making frittatas in her book The Art of Simple Food. Over the years, I have come up with my own variation on her basic recipe:

Garden Frittata

• olive oil
• 6-8 eggs
• 1 onion, thinly slices
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
• garden goodies

1. Warm about 1-2 T olive oil in a wide, cast iron saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute five minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add your garden goodies along with 1 tsp salt and cook until just ready. If you are cooking kale or chard, cook the stems first for four minutes. Then add the leaves and cook for four more minutes. If you are cooking summer squash, mushrooms, or sweet peppers, cook until the liquid evaporates.
3. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Mix in 1 tsp. olive oil, garlic, a hearty dash of cayenne pepper and black pepper to taste.
4. Add the cook garden goodies to the beaten egg mixture. Stir to combine.
5. Add 2 T. olive oil to the cast iron pan and warm over medium heat. Add the egg mixture. Gently slide a plastic spatula under the frittata, allowing the uncooked egg to get underneath it.
6. After a couple minutes, as the frittata is semi-cooked through, pop the cast iron pan into the oven. Let it bake for about 7-8 minutes, or until it’s set on the top. I poke a knife into the frittata to check that it’s cooked through.
7. For breakfast, serve warm with sausage and scones. For lunch, place a thick slice of cheese on top and place between two slices of thick bread. Eat like a sandwich. For dinner, serve warm with hot marinara sauce poured on top. Pair with a huge green salad, crusty french bread and a glass of red wine.

This is a great way to use up whatever veggies you have an abundance of – just adjust the recipe so you cook the veggies enough before you combine everything.

We are eating about 2-2 frittatas a week now. We are also hosting brunch with friends at our place pretty often, cooking up 2-3 different kinds of frittatas: roasted red pepper & bacon, swiss chard & leek, mushroom & kale, etc.

For company, cook up to the point when you are ready to pour everything back into the pan for the final cooking. Company arrives, chat, sip coffee and wander the garden. As you start to get hungry, finish off the frittata and sit down to a hot brunch. Et voila!