Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Frittata!

First of all, I want to send a shout-out to Robin Agnew of Aunt Agatha's Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Robin's also the president of the Kerrytown Bookfest (also in Ann Arbor) and invited me to participate in this year's event, which I did this past Sunday.

The day was beautiful, the readers friendly - I was thrilled to be a part of it. (I'll be blogging more about it on my "Julie Hyzy" blog later this week. But I just wanted to let everyone here know that it was a truly fun event and Aunt Agatha's is a wonderful store. If you ever have the chance to go to the Kerrytown Bookfest or visit Aunt Agatha's -- you should absolutely jump on it.

Pictured here are those of us on the Cooking with Mystery panel.

From left: Connie (Miranda Bliss), Eve (Joanna Carl), me, and our wonderful moderator Angelee whose last name escapes me at the moment.


Frittata!

Because this was such a busy week, and because I've been using way too much heavy cream and sugar in many of my recipes, I decided to go with a somewhat healthier alternative this week.

After watching Alton Brown once on the Food Channel, I attempted my first-ever frittata. At that time I didn't have all the ingredients in the house I needed to recreate his version, so I improvised, which is something I love to do.

This time I tried a different version, and even though I was certain I had all the necessary items, I found out at the last second that I did not.

No worries... There's a lot of room for creativity with fritattas!

Although I usually prefer a more low-carb option, the potatoes in this one don't add horribly to the carb count and they give the frittata a nice texture that allows this dish to be enjoyed at any meal. Just because it features eggs doesn't mean it's solely a breakfast item!

Ready for an easy recipe?

Frittata

1 T butter
6 eggs**
**You can use egg substitute if you prefer. Measure out about 1.5 cups for equivalent to 6 eggs.
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen broccoli florets
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 big bag of frozen hash browns - about 13 ounces
salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a large skillet (must be oven-proof) melt the butter and saute the onions, green pepper and broccoli until the onions are soft and the broccoli is al dente. If you want to add more butter (I did), you may.

Add frozen potatoes and cook until they're warmed and cooked through, though not necessarily brown. Mine stayed white.

Mix the eggs until well blended, add salt and pepper to taste. Add eggs to the skillet and cook, stirring slightly until the eggs start to set. Don't pull them to the center of the pan, like scrambled eggs. You want the mixture to take up the entire bottom of the pan.

Place pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 4 minutes. Add shredded cheddar (yikes! mine was gone, so I chopped up a block of cheddar) and return to oven until cheese is melted and the sides of the frittata begin to brown.


Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Yum!

As I said, this can be a wonderful low-carb option if you omit the potatoes. I made this once with some leftover salsa and it was fabulous.


Hope you enjoy!

Julie

My White House Chef Mystery series includes State of the Onion, Hail to the Chef, and Eggsecutive Orders (coming in January). All from Berkley Prime Crime.

Sign up for my newsletter at http://www.juliehyzy.com/

12 comments:

  1. Cute picture!

    I'm a huge fan of breakfast for supper and this looks like just the recipe I need! Thanks.

    Elizabeth/Riley

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great recipe for a quick brunch. My motto on Frittatas -- the more cheese the better! (I know Avery will like that!)

    And thank you for *virtually* taking us with you to Ann Arbor for the Kerrytown Bookfest. (I'll be sure to check your blog for more.) What fun! Wish I had an Aunt Agatha's Bookstore near me. (You've gotta love any mystery bookstore owner who's got a logo like Aunt Agatha's! LOL! - if anyone is wondering what "logo" I'm talking about just click the link in Julie's post to Aunt Agatha's store.)

    ~Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    "Where coffee and crime are always brewing"
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks ladies... and I might add that the fritatta makes good leftovers. My daughter and I enjoyed it for two days.

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love Frittatas. I've never used leftover salsa, though. What a great idea. I always have salsa leftover and never know what to do with it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for reminding me of the lovely fritatta (now tell spell check about it!). Eggs have gotten a bad rap and are now on the "it's okay to eat this" list again. Yay! And cheese! Thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just changed my post from "Fritatta" to "Frittata" - thanks for the hint, Krista. I actually spell-checked it ahead of time by Googling the term. Wouldn't you know, the t-tt version came up? I figured I was golden... as golden as a fresh-out-of-the-oven frittata. Weird how you can find misspelled stuff online ...

    Anyway, all correct now!

    And Laura, you can find egg substitute in the egg/cheese section of your grocery store. I've heard of brand names like Egg Beaters. I think it usually comes in cartons - like orange juice. I've never used it myself but several friends have. You just pour and use it like liquid eggs. Anybody out there ever use it? Any hints for Laura?

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is an easy recipe this non-cook can prepare.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Since my son is in the process of getting braces put on, eggs are a good choice in my family right now!

    The next time I go to Ann Arbor I'll be visiting Aunt Agatha's. I am so bummed I missed the Kerrytown Bookfest!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love frittatas. Eggs are such quick, easy things to turn into a good meal. Have done frittatas for years and don't think many had the same combination of ingredients. The one thing they all had - cheese. Almost everything goes better with it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hope you enjoy trying this one, Dru and Janel. Thanks!

    And Librarypat, you're right about the cheese. Just ask Avery!
    ;-)

    Julie

    ReplyDelete