David Rubel's

What's For Dinner?

3/2/05

Frittata

(serves two parents and two children)

Frittata is the Italian name for a thick, open-faced omelet made with vegetables, herbs, and cheese. Excellent as Sunday suppers, frittatas can also be cut into small wedges and served as an appetizer.

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 8 eggs
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3 Tbs chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, thyme, or parsley)
• 1 c grated Gruyere cheese
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 bunches trimmed fresh spinach (or one 10-oz package)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon each of the butter and the olive oil over low heat in a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet. After the foaming has subsided, add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, use a fork to break up the eggs. Then stir in the garlic, herbs, Gruyere, half the parmesan, and the salt and pepper.

3. When the onions have softened, add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the skillet and let cool briefly.

4. Preheat the broiler--using the "low" setting, if you have one.

5. Heat the remaining butter and oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine. Then pour the combination into the skillet. Cook for one minute, then reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking until all but the topmost (half-inch) layer has set, about 15-20 minutes.

6. To finish off the frittata, sprinkle on the remaining parmesan. Then transfer the skillet to the broiler, keeping the top of the frittata about 6 inches from the flame, if possible. Cook until the top layer has set and browned, which can happen quickly but normally takes a couple of minutes.

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Tips

* Nonstick pans are ideal for frittatas; however, be sure yours is ovenproof before you place it under the broiler. (Most nonstick pans can take the heat if they have all-metal handles.) Otherwise, finish off the frittata on the stove top by sliding it onto a plate, using a second plate to invert it, and then sliding the frittata back into the skillet so that its erstwhile "top" can brown.

* An easy way to chop the onion is to cut off its stem, quarter it, peel each section, and then slice it crosswise back toward the root end.

* Because frittatas are very forgiving, you can experiment with different herbs or use whatever you happen to have around.

* Instead of spinach, try substituting other braising greens, such as chard, mustard, or beet greens.

* You need to be patient while the frittata cooks. Turning up the heat will only burn the bottom. If you're in a hurry, you can speed things up a little by partially covering the skillet with a lid. This way, some of the escaping heat will be reflected back to cook the top half of the frittata more quickly. However, if you do use a lid, make sure that you leave enough of a gap for the steam to escape. Otherwise, it will condense on the lid and fall back into the frittata, making your dinner unpleasantly watery.

* Shaking the pan every few minutes can help you track the setting of the eggs, which jiggle less and less as they cook. However, I sometimes stick in my finger gently into the frittata to get a better "feel" for what's going on.

*If one side of the frittata seems to be setting more quickly than the other, move the skillet around to equalize the cooking.

Listener Feedback

Francesca Forrest writes that "frittata is one of my real crutch recipes for feeding my family." Instead of spinach, she often uses red or green bell peppers. Francesca also varies her cheeses, often using Monterey jack because that's what she keeps on hand for sandwiches. "One variation we all love is using a package of feta cheese with spinach so that the frittata ends up something like a spinach strudel minus the pasty." Another of Francesca's favorite combinations is pepperoni and kale. She also offers this alternate cooking method: "One thing I end up doing is imply cooking the frittata for about half an hour in an ungreased glass pie plate in a 350-degree oven. I do all the frying on the stove top, mix the vegetables into the egg mixture, add the seasoning, and pour this all into the pie plate. That way, I don't have to monitor the broiler."

If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future.

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David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002).