Monday, January 22, 2018

When You're Too Tired to Cook Diiner



For the past year or so, my life has been more hectic than normal. I confess that some nights I would rather collapse on the sofa than cook dinner. My lazy night (often on Sundays) go-to dinner that is filling, popular at my house, and is even nutritious, is a frittata.

Years ago, I read a recipe for frittata and honestly, that was how I cooked it for years! The distinctive thing about that recipe was that it allowed the frittata to cook on the stove top first until the bottom was set. Then it was popped into the oven for 7 minutes. There's nothing wrong with that. It works perfectly well.

But to my surprise, you don't have to let the bottom set first. You can just put it in the oven whenever you're ready. Of course, it does require a few more minutes of oven time, but that's okay with me.

Consequently, I have been experimenting with, well to be honest, with whatever is in the fridge that needs to be used up. In particular, I have experimented with various cheeses. The one above that puffed so beautifully was made with a soft triple cream cheese. Of all the cheeses I have tried, I think that's my favorite. It's a delicate flavor, though. Some of you may prefer a more robust flavor like a sharp cheddar, which is also very good.

My favorite ingredients (which often need using up anyway), are mushrooms and sliced ham. I almost always add a generous pinch of thyme. It's amazing how much flavor thyme imparts. And, of course, onions. I prefer to use garlic powder in a frittata. It makes a big difference but won't scorch or overpower the dish.

The other thing to remember is not to overwhelm it with ingredients. You only need a little bit of each item. The amount of cheese is up to you. If it's a hard cheese, I slice it with a vegetable peeler so that it melts into the frittata faster. If it's a soft cheese, I cut about 6 or so (1/2 inch by 2 inch) pieces.

Note that olive oil doesn't like high heat and the frittata will go into a 400 degree oven. I generally use Sun Coco Oil from LaTourangelle, which is a blend of sunflower and coconut, but any heat-friendly oil will do.

I don't use a non-stick frying pan. As long as you warm the oil and swirl it around the pan so that it greases the sides, it's not difficult to clean, even if a little bit sticks to the pan.

Sunday Night Frittata

2 tablespoons oil (I use sunflower or coconut or a blend)
roughly 1/3 of an onion
3 mushrooms
sliced ham (roughly 1/4 of a cup)
cheese
generous pinch of thyme
6 eggs
1/2-1 teaspoon salt (according to taste)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the onion.

Pour the oil into the pan. When warm, swirl it around to cover the edges well. Add the onion and cook just below medium. Meanwhile, wash and dry mushrooms and slice them. Chop up the ham and slice the cheese. Set aside.

Add the mushrooms and the thyme to the pan, stir and let cook.

Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl (I like to use a 4-cup measuring cup because it's easy to pour the egg mixture). Add the salt, the garlic powder, and pepper. Whisk, whisk, whisk. They should be well combined.

Add the ham to the pan. Pour the eggs over the other items in the pan. Immediately lay the cheese where you want it and press it down a little bit with the tip of a spatula.

Place in the oven for approximately 11-14 minutes or until cooked through. The time will vary with the type of cheese. The top should be done, it should puff up a bit (expect it to deflate when removed from the oven), and nothing should wiggle or look wet.


Saute the eggs first.

Not too many mushrooms!
Don't forget the thyme! If you do, add it to the eggs.

Pour eggs over the ingredients in the pan.


Ready in minutes with almost no effort!
Coming very soon!

6 comments:

  1. That looks delicious! And I'm so bad at being able to do omelettes (I can't seem to fold or flip), this would be a nice choice. What I've ended up doing lately is cooking the veggies and then pouring the eggs into them and kind of scrambling them. Scrambled eggs with veggies. It's worked for us.

    By the way, your new books looks great! Love the 'coloring' covers. Do plan to get it when it's available. And color. LOL

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  2. Sounds so easy! Hmmm, I think I have all the ingredients in the fridge . . .

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  3. My go to meal when I don’t feel like cooking is usually either pulling a container of soup out of the freezer or making salad.

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  4. Looks lovely.
    I agree--thyme is a wonderful ingredient.

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  5. Looks yummy! I need to try this soon. Cannot wait for the new release!!

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