Dackie = Dan + Jackie

i seem to be on a frittata kick right now, so last night we had frittata lorraine- niman ranch ham, gruyere, and onions caramelized with thyme and zucchini fritters. i used 11 eggs, and holy crap, that makes a whole lotta frittata! sorry, couldnt help myself. anyhow, it made enough frittata to feed a small crowd, probably 8 people. it was enough for daniel + i for dinner, and then for both of us for lunch today, plus the 4 daycare children will be having it for lunch with the zucchini fritters i also made last night. frittatas are great for brunches. they are impressive looking , easy and tasty, too. a triple threat. add some sourdough toast from tin roof bakery and some fruit or berries and its not a bad way to start the day.

frittatas are like quiche, but without the crust and heavy cream so its lighter in calories. im not trying to kid you and tell you this is healthy, but consider it the better option when thinking of making a quiche. and, as i said before, you can add all sorts of veggies into this to make you feel better about eating eat. saute some zucchini and summer squash and/or asparagus and use goat cheese instead and you have yourself a delicious brunch dish AND you are getting a serving or two of veggies.

frittata lorraine

11 eggs

1 cup 2% milk

slab of  ham,diced.  i use niman ranch all natural ham from trader joe’s. i dont even like ham and i love this stuff

1/2 yellow onion, small dice. white is fine here, i just prefer yellow onions. they are a little sweeter.

1/2 t dried thyme, or 1T fresh thyme

1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese

salt + pepper

1T olive oil

preheat oven to bake @ 375

add the T olive oil to an oven proof skillet and heat over medium heat. add the diced onions, thyme, a couple pinches of salt and a few shakes of pepper. stir it up and cook over med/med low heat for about 15 minutes to soften and to just start to brown the onions. let cool 5 minutes.

while the onions are cooking, beat the 11 eggs + milk and then add the diced ham and shredded gruyere. add the onions after they cool and give it a stir. pour 1 t olive/canola/veg oil into the pan that is over med heat and then add the egg mixture. using a wooden spoon, gently push the eggs along the bottom of the pan as they start to cook a few times.  cook for about 6-8 minutes or so, until the outside edges of the frittata are mostly set. the center will still be very wet and runny. put pan into oven on middle rack and bake for about 8-12 minutes until the frittata is beautifully puffed up, mostly set and the top is golden. it will appear just a little wobbly when you give it a gentle shake. take out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. it will continue cooking, deflate, and firm up.

frittatas are also delicious as a breakfast sandwich- on a toasted ciabatta roll and topped with a little sliced avocado.

this was the first time i had made zucchini fritters, and while pretty good, they need a little tweaking. for the recipe i added more basil and onion and included some pecorino romano cheese. we didnt have any cheese on hand, but daniel and i both thought it could do with some cheese. i mean, everything is better with cheese. daniel dipped them in ketchup, and i ate my straight up, but they are even better with some sort of a dipping sauce. ranch, a sour cream + chive sauce, or a sriracha dipping sauce made with a little mayo would be good, too.

zucchini fritters

grate 2 zucchini, skin on

1/2-3/4 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

1/2 yellow onion, grated on cheese grater

4T fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup h2o

1/2 cup grated pecorini romano cheese

salt + pepper

4-5 T olive oil to cook them in

put shredded onion and zucchini in a clean cotton kitchen towel and twist and squeeze over sink to get rid of excess water.

put the zucchini and onion in a large bowl. add cheese, basil, couple pinches salt and pepper, water and egg. stir to combine.  slowly add the flour 1T at a time and mix until you have a slightly runny batter.

put olive oil in a cast iron skillet or other large skillet. heat between med – med hi heat for  a couple minutes until oil has a little shimmer to it. drop batter into pan using 1/4 cup measure cup or ice cream scooper, cooking 2-3 at a time. cook 2 minutes, flip, cook another 2 minutes. flip one more time and cook about 30 seconds. remove from skillet and set to rest on paper towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle the fritters lightly with salt.