Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Frittata with Tomatoes and Feta


So happy to not be looking at strawberries!

I fibbed. I'm not going to write about the jam recipe. Still too close to home. After hulling what seemed like an endless mountain of strawberries Saturday morning, I was only too happy to make something quick, easy, and tasty for my kind hosts. It wasn't hard to twist my arm -- anything with goat cheese is a big plus.

While the flavor was mild, it was delicious. The ingredients are simple, wholesome, and healthy. Even the picky host thought so and he's a discriminating critic let me tell you! Again, this recipe comes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Serves 4 to 6
Cooking Time:
15 minutes prep, 15 minutes active

Ingredients
-6 eggs
-Salt and freshly milled pepper
-1 bunch scallions, including an inch of the greens, finely sliced
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1/4 cup chopped parsley
-1 T chopped marjoram, plus extra for garnish (used 1 T dried oregano which the recipe called for if marjoram was not available)
-1 T each butter and olive oil, or a mixture (used olive oil exclusively)
-4 Roma tomatoes, halved, seeded, and diced (skipped seeding)
-2 ounces feta, thinly sliced (used crumbled goat cheese instead)

Deborah's Preparation
Beat the eggs with a few pinches of salt, then add the scallions, garlic, and herbs. Preheat the broiler.

Heat the butter and oil in a 8 or 10-inch skillet until foaming. Pour in the eggs, lower the heat, and distribute the tomatoes and cheese evenly over the top. Cook until eggs are set, then slide the pan 4 to 6 inches under the broiler and brown the top. Instead of inverting the frittata, slide it onto a large platter, keeping the top side up. Garnish with additional marjoram.

My Preparation
Since I didn't have a skillet that could go into the oven, I used the stove top method. Let the eggs set, about 5 to 7 minutes, may be longer. Usually, I use the spatula to pull the edge of the eggs away from the side of the skillet. If I see brown, it's ready to be flipped. To flip, firmly hold plate over skillet and flip quickly, and slide back into pan. Some egg will leak. Don't worry about it, it happens. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

I also sauteed the tomatoes in a little olive oil to soften them because I wasn't sure if the stove top method would cook them enough before the eggs were done. After softening the tomatoes, let them cool before adding them to the egg mixture.

The key to getting the eggs right is the heat. You don't want the heat so high that it cooks the outer part before the insides have finished cooking. Try medium heat or lower.

No comments: