Skip to main content

Personal Frittata Rapide

I'm a huge fan of Jacques Pepin, who always professes that fast food does not have to be compromised food at all.  Here is a quick version of a frittata for one or two, that can be made in just a few minutes.  While larger frittatas can take 30 minutes or so to bake, because it is so small, this cooks up quickly under the broiler and in the oven.

I used whatever leftover I had on hand - which is the beauty of a frittata.  It is basically a baked egg container to hold wonderful leftovers.  I used leftover cooked potatoes, deli ham, leftover tomato sauce and spinach that needed to be finished up.  Don't throw away even small amounts of tasty leftovers - use them to jazz up your next frittata.


3 eggs
1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup diced Swiss cheese
2-3 slices deli ham, diced
3-4 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 to 1 cup leftover cooked potatoes, diced
1-2 Tbsp leftover tomato sauce

Preheat oven broiler and set top rack about 6-inches from broiler elements. Heat a dash of olive oil in an 8-inch non-stick skillet. Add the potatoes and brown them up for a few minutes. Add the ham to heat through. Toss in the spinach and cook down until the leaves have wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
Whisk together the eggs and milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

Scatter the cheese over the wilted spinach mixture and turn heat to medium high.
Pour in the egg mixture and turn heat to medium. Allow eggs to cook about 3-5 minutes undisturbed, until the edges begin to set, but the center is not yet set. 
Dribble the tomato sauce about the frittata.
Put frittata under broiler and brown the frittata for about 2-3 minutes, watching carefully. You want the frittata to puff up and brown a bit, but make sure you don’t allow it to burn.

Switch the oven to bake at 375F. Bake frittata for another 3-5 minutes, until the eggs have all set up well.
Serve on a large dinner plate. Serves 1. It could serve 2 for a lighter fare, perhaps augmented with a side salad.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs.  Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have.  Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade.   Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Vinaigrette Erique 2.0

From the archives:  Making a really, really good vinaigrette has been a craft in my family, and in my in-law family for generations. My late uncle, Jeannot, and Father-in-law, Bernard, (both best of friends) were each geniuses at the vinaigrette. And they both taught me. I have to say my siblings along with my sisters and brothers in-law do really now carry on the tradition as I strive to as well.  In our family cookbook "Cuisine Encore" I published my go-to vinaigrette - a basic version taught to me by my French mother, Monique.  It's great, yet I have been looking for something slightly more modern and upbeat.  So I merged Asian rice vinegar into the mix along with fresh (not powdered) garlic with the Dijon mustard, and toned down the salt. Make it your own. I now have what I think is an even better basic vinaigrette, today. Talk to you tomorrow! 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1 generous tsp Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup ca...

Rosemary Chimichurri

I am making this fresh aromatic condiment more and more often. It can be used as a topping for grilled meats, fish, and for many other flavoring opportunities. I now keep some in the refrigerator almost at all times. 4 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves large palmful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems 3 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon), and the zest if you like 1/4 tsp salt fresh ground black pepper to taste 1/4 cup olive oil Pulse the rosemary, cilantro and garlic in a small food processor (You could also use a mortar and pestle.) Tip into a small bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook’s Note: If you haven’t noticed, I love chimichurri sauce.   It’s zesty, and full of aromatics. It goes on so many dishes and is a great ingredient for so many things.   Make some and keep it in the fridge for inspiration. I use fresh rosemary and cilantro as my green herbs, but you could use oregano and parsley, which is also popular.   Many peo...