Kitchen Sink Frittata

I'm not sure what I would do if I was forced to give up eggs. Scrambled with a side of toast and bacon. Scrambled with green chiles in a breakfast burrito. Boiled just right for egg salad. Soft boiled with lots of salt and fresh cracked pepper. Fried hard for a quick sandwich, with cheese and a slice of tomato. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

And in this tough economy, at about a dime each, eggs are the most cost-effective way of getting protein. A dozen of large are just north of a buck at our grocer, and as high as $3 for the hippie eggs. That's still just a quarter an egg, or $2 for all the eggs you need for this frittata that serves four easy.

Throw in two bucks worth of veggies and this meal is a dollar per serving. So take that, you drive-thru, dollar menu clowns.

So here you go. Read the entire thing, then go back to the beginning and pick your ingredients. You have five minutes of prep, then just watch it cook. 30 minutes start to finish.






Everyone's selling frittata pans these days, but any oven-proof pan will work by starting it on the stove and finishing in the oven.

The Base:
8 large eggs
1/2 cup milk or cream (preferably not skim, but skim will work if that's all you have)
1 Tbs flour
salt and pepper to taste



In a very large measuring cup or mixing bowl (about 4 cups) mix all of the above.

Then add any of the following:

The Kitchen Sink:

• Up to 2 cups of veggies and meat: Bacon, sausage, chorizo, canadian bacon, pancetta, or you name it. Fresh red or green bell peppers, mushrooms, jalapeños, onions, spinach, summer squash, or, again, you name it. Steam some asperagus and cut into one-inch pieces. Microwave some diced potatoes. The only caveat is, if you use sauteed or cooked veggies, let them cool before adding them to the egg mixture.
• Half to a full cup of cheese: Any hard or soft cheese will work. Try crumbled feta or goat, or grated cheddar, or packages of mixed Italian or Mexican cheeses. Note, if using salty cheese, like feta, then take it easy on the salt in your egg mix.
  
• Herbs and spices: Sprinkle enough spice to cover the top of your egg mix, then whisk into the mixture until blended. Try red pepper flakes, garlic, green onions, or basil, cilantro, or parsley.

Here's the last bit of your hands-on. Heat your oven to 350°. In an oven-proof pan, heat enough butter or olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan over medium heat. Medium, not medium-high. Get your egg mix ready, and then give the pan a twirl to make sure the oil touches the sides of the pan. Slowly pour the egg mix into the pan, cover, and let it sit on medium heat for about a minute. Then turn the stove down to low and give it about 7 minutes. Check the egg, and when the eggs are set about an inch from the side, you're ready. Depending on your ingredients, this might take up to 12 minutes, so just keep checking.

Then uncover the pan and move it to the oven. Set the timer for 15 minutes, but again, because of your ingredients, it might take up to 25 minutes to finish. You're going to bake it until the top is completely set. Watch the very center; when the center is set, you're done.

If you're using an omelet-style pan, you can slide the frittata to a cutting board. We use a straight-sided pan and just cut it in the pan with a sharp plastic spatula. If you let it cool for two minutes, it will pull away from the pan and will be easier to serve.

Serve it as-is or with salsa. A side salad, green or fruit, goes well with this dish. Or, cut it into one inch squares for an hors d'oevre.