As an “Italian Grandmother Wannabe,” as I’m often called, nurturing and feeding people is a big part of my nature. So when my niece, her husband and their three boys came up from North Carolina for a week to visit, I went into full Terry B&B mode. Different family members also came to stay on different days and nights to visit, so it actually felt like I was running a B&B.
But doing 6-8 different breakfasts every morning wasn’t going to work. Enter the Frittata.
The Frittata can basically be used to empty all the leftovers in your fridge with a few guidelines.
The basic frittata formula is:
12 eggs
3-6 tablespoons full-fat dairy product
3-5 cups cooked and seasoned vegetables or other add-ins
1 cup (4 ounces) grated or crumbled cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
But that’s really just your starting point - it’s forgiving enough that you can really play with it.
Here’s what I did.
INGREDIENTS
12 eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons buttermilk or half & half
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Oaxacan cheese*
3-5 cups corn, bell peppers, onion
2 cups cooked Chorizo sausage
1/4-1/2 cup chopped jalapenos (seeds and membrane removed)
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 slices Monterrey Jack cheese
2 sliced plum tomatoes
1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped cilantro
*SuperG has a great selection of Hispanic ingredients, including Mexican chorizo and cheeses in their dairy section. The Oaxacan Cheese is a semi-hard, string-type cheese that would remind you of mozzarella, which you can substitute if you like.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl. Add the dairy and salt and whisk just until the egg yolks and whites are blended. Whisk in all of the Oaxacan cheese. Set the mixture aside.
Warm the olive oil in a 12″ cast iron skillet or oven-safe non-stick skillet until shimmering. Add the vegetables and chorizo and cook for a few minutes.
Season with salt to taste.
Let the cooked vegetables cool for a few minutes, then stir them into the egg mixture. Grease a 9” by 13” pan, then pour the mixture into the pan. Place the jack cheese slices, then sliced tomatoes on top of the mixture.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (keep an eye on it), until the eggs are puffed and appear cooked, and the center of the frittata jiggles just a bit when you give it a gentle shake.
Remove the frittata from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool.
If you slice it too soon, it won’t keep its shape. At least 10 minutes.
Presto. Breakfast for the crew.
My niece mentioned on several occasions while she was here that I should open my own B&B, not knowing this was a dream of mine.
Perhaps Ms. Deemer will one day sell The Terry House to me. Perhaps I’ll win the lottery or an angel investor will help me if she does want to sell.
It is, after all The Terry House, right?
It just fits.
Fingers crossed. Meanwhile - frittatta!
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