First of all, I apologize for the featured image photo. Unfortunately by the time I remember I need a photo for the blog, the dish is gone or almost gone, so I used a photo taken just before we started serving. I hope you can see the two fritattas.
Most recently, I made these two fritattas for a brunch I served to friends. I did most of the prep the night before, around 9:00 and just left the ingredients in the pans, on the stovetop until morning. I know that some of you would have a hard time not putting it into the fridge but believe me, it will be just fine left sitting at room temperature overnight and the taste will be so much better. If you want to do the whole process the morning of, that is fine too.
If you die of food poisoning the next day, let me know!
Each fritatta will serve ten easily
#1 Mushroom/Bacon/green onion/cheddar fritatta
8 rashers of breakfast bacon cut into 1/4is inch pieces(I like to get mine from a butcher and I ask for the leanest pieces he can find)
10 large white mushrooms sliced vertically into 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 bunch green onions
13 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated Aged cheddar (please do not use mild or medium or horror of horrors Marble)
in a cast iron frying pan ( you can actually buy these very pans right now, today, in a lot of places.) If you don’t have a cast iron frying pan, Why don’t you?
Cook bacon on medium high. Don’t have the heat so high that you splatter grease all over your kitchen and burn the bacon. It should however, Fry and not Steam. Does this make sense?
Once the bacon is nice and brown and crispy, remove it from the pan.
On medium heat, cook the mushrooms in the bacon grease. they may look a bit dry at first because they will soak up the fat. If they look too dry, add 1 TBLSP butter and stir. continue cooking on medium heat.
Add salt and pepper
The mushrooms will let go of juice and moisture and you will have liquid in your pan. Do not drain the liquid. Just keep cooking and the mushrooms will soak some of it up and the liquid will also reduce.
When the mushrooms are brown and moist looking and the liquid is gone, remove from heat.
add green onions
and bacon
cover with a lid
**See instructions below
#2 asparagus/zucchini/feta Fritatta
1 bunch whole or 2 cups 1 inch diced asparagus
11/2 cup diced zucchini
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup broken very good greek feta (It will not surprise you to hear that I get my feta from “my cheese guy” at St. Lawrence Market Olympic cheese. )
13 eggs
in a heavy cast iron frying pan
melt 2 TBLSP. butter on medium heat.
add zucchini and sauté until it begins to caramelize (Caramelizing is very important for flavour)
turn heat off but leave the pan on the heat
add asparagus and salt
stir
**See Below
**Leave the pan on the stove until morning OR if you are making it to eat right away, allow it to sit on the stove for at least an hour.
preheat the oven to 350
crack 13 eggs into a large bowl
add 1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk (whatever you have on hand is fine.)
stir this mixture with a fork or a whisk, only until eggs are broken and mixture looks to be mixed. Do not overmix
For Fritatta #1 top with grated cheddar
For Fritatta #2 top with feta
**Bake in 350 oven for approximately 20 minutes.
When asked how long a dish should be baked or cooked, Nano’s reply was most often,
“Well, cook it until it’s done”. Thanks Nano!!
So I tell you, cook it until it’s done.
If you start to take it out of the oven and the center is still jiggly, it isn’t ready. Leave it in for another five minutes and try again.
You want a butter knife to come out clean, but juuuust barely!!
It will continue to cook for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven and it should not be overcooked. Please don’t over cook it! Let it sit for five minutes and cut into slices. I usually do small slices. Don’t waste it. People can always have two (or three or four) pieces.
Serve it right from the pan. I am not one to put a pot right on the table. This dish though, is kind of lovely when served right from the pan. Make sure you tie or wrap a nice tea towel around the handle so nobody tries to lift the hot pan with bare hands (because that would hurt)
put the pan on the table on a wooden cutting board.
Serve it with a salad.
Enjoy!
Leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated, the next day.