Holy cannoli! Another four months have flown by! In fairness, I have written several blog posts for other blogs in that time, but clearly it's high time for one here. New year, new post! ...and a personal resolution to post more often.
When cooking, it's often easier for me to prepare large batches rather than one or two servings at a time. Sometimes I worry that I will get sick of something I've made, and sometimes, like tonight, I make something SO good I have to blog about it just to keep from eating the entire pan! I bring you - the Monday Night Frittata. As anyone who knows me well can tell you, any kitchen creation I concoct is typically a hybrid of several recipes or inspirations. This is also a point of much chagrin for those who are foolish enough to ask me for a recipe of something I've made for them. However, in this instance, I think I can actually provide one. Feel free to tinker away with it yourselves!
But first, I would like to congratulate myself on my own Monday superpowers. While some of my friends are out training for marathons, triathlons, planning large scale events such as weddings, etc., I have accomplished what I think is perhaps an equally amazing feat today. I woke up before sunrise (around 5:15 am) and went to yoga, witnessing a spectacular magenta sunrise on U Street on the way there. I was able to hold crow for several seconds for the first time! But wait there's more!
After an incredibly productive day at work with many decisions made which felt more like a Thursday or Friday - I went grocery shopping, had dinner, did laundry, AND cooked for the week. You see where the cooking is coming into play? I had some eggs and bell peppers which needed to be consumed soon, and so the idea of a frittata had come to mind earlier in the day. I have also recently resumed my love affair with my cast iron skillet, so really, I was daydreaming about this frittata-making on this cloudy Monday ALL day.
The inspiration for my Monday frittata came in part from The Pioneer Woman's (TPW) "Sunday Frittata" which can be found here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/12/sunday-frittata/ The great thing about frittatas much like paella is that you can throw virtually whatever you have around into it.
Mine included:
2 medium onions
2 bell peppers (one yellow, one orange if you're REALLY curious)
1/4 box of whole wheat thin spaghetti
5 eggs
1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
Smoked paprika
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Bit o' butter
This could not be simpler! I cut the onions in half then sliced them and got them going in the cast iron skillet on the stove top in a little bit of vegetable oil and later adding a bit o' butter. I let them cook long enough where they actually started to caramelize, and I have found this works better when they are sliced not chopped. Then I began slicing the bell peppers while the water for the pasta was also going. At some point (yes, impeccable precision here), the spaghetti was boiled and drained and set to the side while the onions and peppers did their thing. Eventually, I decided they were ready, so I preheated the oven to 400 degrees. I then went about beating the eggs with the smoked paprika (you won't miss the bacon with this!...or at least I don't which is perhaps not such a solid indicator) and then added the cheese to the mix. I combined the spaghetti with the vegetables in the skillet and then poured the egg cheese mixture on top spreading it somewhat evenly with a fork. DO NOT MIX after this point. Let it set.
I followed TPW's advice on letting the frittata sit on the stove over a medium heat for a few more minutes before moving it into the oven. The browning effect created using this method is definitely worth it and delicious. However, you'll notice I used about half the eggs she did, because I only had five but also didn't want an entire dozen. I also heeded her advice on salt. Since I had no salty ingredients, I made sure to salt and pepper liberally throughout the process. Where we most diverge is she hates eggs which are brown on top, while they are my favorite! So, I increased the oven temp to 400 from her 375 and left it in there for almost 20 minutes giving the cheese time to really melt and start to brown as well. Additionally, you might notice I swapped out potatoes (which would be totally delicious in this but don't usually reside in my house) with whole wheat thin spaghetti... which had the awesome double delight advantage of reminding me of an egg and pasta baked dish from my childhood. The Soviet version of a frittata is called a "zapikanka" which loosely translates to "baked dish" - perhaps akin to the American casserole. You can bake just about anything in the egg you have around... including leftover spaghetti, meat (if that's your pleasure), etc. So essentially, a frittata.
However, as I'm writing this (having already eaten dinner earlier), only 3/4 of my frittata remains, and I am longing to eat ALL. OF. IT. I must pace myself and save some for breakfast tomorrow and dinner and maybe lunch Wednesday if there's any left (Tuesday is a dept lunch out). There's something about the sweetness of the caramelized onion, the colors of the bell pepper, the comfort of the egg and melted cheese... Superpower #52 - willpower over tasty food smelling enticingly in one's kitchen.
Here's to hoping the rest of this week can be this productive! Cheers! And happy brunch food eating all week long!
Until next time... (hopefully in under 3 months!)
