Food Stamp Challenge Day 9: Leftovers Frittata

With the lovely gift of a dozen eggs from a chicken-raising friend Rachel to supplement our diet this week, I wanted to make something with it!  One thing I’ve subjected my husband to for years is a frittata made with whatever’s in the veggie drawer.  Why?

• It’s cheap. Even store-bought eggs of top quality can be had for about $0.31 each.  Even if we use half a dozen (which we do if we’re trying to make enough for lunch leftovers) we’re still spending about $2.50 on a meal that makes several servings for both of us.
• It’s good.  The veggies can vary, and you can use any sort of herb you have in the drawer to zip it up. If you have some cheese, a sprinkle of that is nice too.
• It fills us up.  It’s good protein, and with a hunk of homemade bread, this fills us up for a long time.
• It’s easy. This isn’t like making omelets, which carry an existential get-it-right stress when you make them (and sometimes become “scrambles” if I’m not paying attention).

The basic method doesn’t vary much:

• Scramble some eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and a little pepper.
• Turn on your broiler.
• In an ovenproof skillet, heat some olive oil over medium heat, then saute onions, garlic, and a couple of handfuls of leftover veggies or whatever looks like it’s going down in the crisper. One of our favorite – and easiest – recipes is below.
• When they’re soft-ish, pour the eggs over and give it a good shake. Turn the heat down to medium-low. The idea is to gently cook the  bottom and middle of the frittata until it’s set.
• When it barely jiggles any more, pop it under the broiler for a minute or two until the jiggle is just gone. Take it out, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then cut it into wedges and serve it up with some warm bread, salad if you have it, or some nice side vegetable.

Even The Green Hedonist can’t screw that up too badly, and I can screw up virtually anything – trust me.

Here’s what we had for dinner tonight:

Leftovers Frittata with Caramelized Onions and Kale

1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup cooked kale or any leftover (slightly bitter) green, water squeezed out
1/2 cup cooked sweet potato, cut into very small cubes
6 eggs, scrambled in a bowl with a pinch of salt
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat, then saute the chopped onion with a pinch of salt until it’s shrunk considerably and is just starting to color, stirring often (about 8 minutes). Stir in the other ingredients and heat through.

Preheat the broiler.

Pour over the eggs, and give the pan a couple of good shakes. Turn the heat to medium-low, and let the eggs cook undisturbed, keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. (The idea is to get the eggs to set without burning the bottom) If you need to, turn down the heat and move the pan around to get the uncooked spots.

When the frittata has ceased to jiggle much, and is only uncooked on the top and center, pop the skillet under the broiler for a minute or two. If you are adding cheese, sprinkle it over the top and broil until melted, another 30 seconds or so.

Let sit off the heat for a couple of minutes, then cut into wedges and serve. This is also good at room temperature or even cold.  We eat it with a hunk of crusty homemade bread and whatever veggie side dish we have (or salad).

Category: Cooking, Food, Food Stamp Challenge Recipes, Recipes, Whole Foods Challenge