Making a frittata, much like a fried rice, is a great way to use up all the left-overs in your fridge. Pick a few main ingredients that will define your flavor profile, and then feel free to toss in little remnants of past meals that are hanging on, begging not to become a science experiment in the back of your refrigerator.
The dish is endlessly versatile, can be tossed together in minutes, is great hot or cold, travels well, can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. As long as you like eggs, it is a nearly perfect food. I've even thought of making a large one each Sunday, strictly for use throughout the coming week. A slice is great re-heated for a quick breakfast, can be a healthy addition to a school lunch, and a satisfying meal on the fly with a quick salad as you race between appointments on your evening schedule.
Arthas got the nod for this meal, and was kind of excited by the, toss it all in one pan and say a prayer, vibe that moved us. This dish is all about mise-en-place, and very little about cooking, per se. We went through the fridge together, picking out items we felt would work well with our chorizo, which was the only thing (aside from the eggs) that I knew was going to be part of the final dish, it was our anchor, if you will. It was kinda fun, working together to define what would hit, and what would miss. With chef knives in hand, we went to work, slicing and dicing our ingredients, some of which did need a quick saute before being tossed with the eggs and hitting the oven. We had some whole cooked baby potatoes left over from a batch of pesto smashed spuds, shredded cheese left over from a pizza night, and the 1/2 of a vidalia onion that was left over from making our tomato pie. We decided to toss in some asparagus, red pepper, baby spinach, fresh thyme, and sun dried tomatoes to fill in the blanks.
Recipe:
Chorizo and Spinach Frittata
by: Steve Dunn
(Print Friendly Recipe)Note: This recipe makes a rather large frittata, one that easily feeds our family of seven. You can easily scale this recipe down if need be.
Ingredients:
14 large eggs
2 chorizo sausages, cut into large, bite-sized chunks
2 cups shredded cheese (any kind you like)
1 bunch of asparagus, sliced into 1" pieces, blanched and refreshed
2 large fist-fulls of baby spinach
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced, and sauteed
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips and sauteed
10 baby potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
10 sun dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon, freshly minced thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 F
Place all of the eggs in a blender with a couple of pinches of salt, and a liberal grinding of black pepper. Mix until frothy and reserve.
Preheat a pan large enough to hold the size frittata you want to make (we use a 14" cast iron fry pan) over medium-high heat. Add a touch of olive oil, and brush it all over the bottom and up the sides of the pan to lightly coat.
Add the chorizo, and cook until it is starting to brown on all sides, remove and reserve. In turns, cook the onion in a little olive oil, till soft and caramelized, and the red pepper till it starts to take on some color. Add back the sausage, the onion, the sun dried tomatoes, the blanched asparagus pieces, the spinach, the potatoes, and thyme. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then pour in the eggs, and sprinkle on all the cheese.
Lower the heat to medium-low and stir all the ingredients together so that everything is well distributed in the pan. Let the mix sit until the bottom and edges are starting to set, then transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking.
Ours took about ten minutes at 400 F, smaller frittatas will be done in somewhat less time. When done, the frittata should be lightly golden on top and feel set in the middle when pressed with a finger. Remove to a rack for a few minutes to cool, then cut into wedges to serve, and enjoy your left-overs reborn into something deeply satisfying and delicious.
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