As a kid I used to come home from school and ask mum, 'what's for dinner?'. Often her reply was "YMCA" and this meant, in her words, "yesterday's muck cooked again". Maybe I should be a little more politically correct and change it to "yesterday's meal cooked again".
Frittatas are a great "go to" and great YMCA when you want an easy brunch, lunch or evening meal. There are so many things that can go in them and they are ideal for using up leftovers from the fridge and pantry.
If you are catering for a crowd you can make several in batches and heat them up later as required.
What are frittatas?
A frittata is an Italian twist on the humble omelette. Since there's no tricky flip to perform, they're easier to make. Fantastico!
Frittatas combine eggs and various combinations of vegetables, meat, cheese and even cooked pasta. The end result looks a bit like a quiche, without the crust.
How to serve them
Frittatas can be served in wedges for breakfast, lunch or dinner, either hot or cold. I like to fill the rest of the plate with salad. If you make frittata for dinner, you've got a lunchbox-friendly meal for the next day. They work as a quick weeknight dinner, or as a main dish for brunch with friends. They are also great to take on a picnic or to a shared meal.
Invent your own frittata
Once you've made one frittata, you can make them all. Adjust the fillings and flavours based on what's in the fridge. Frittatas can give new life to leftovers, and they are a great way to get several food groups into a meal. If you've got company coming, go for fancier ingredients like olives, asparagus and aged cheese.
How to cook it!
Frittatas are usually cooked in a fry pan on the stove first, and then finished in the oven. This means you need to use an oven-safe fry pan. Your pan might be labeled as oven safe on the bottom; if not, try looking for information on the manufacturer's website.
No guessing is allowed - either your pan is oven-safe or it is not! Just remember that the handle will be very hot when you take it out of the oven.
Fritattas can be cooked only on the stovetop, but this means they have to be flipped - not easy. Some frittatas can be cooked entirely in the oven.
PANTRY FRITTATA
The more you make frittatas the more you will know what ingredients work together. They can be very cost effective and you can use up so many leftovers.
Ingredients
10 eggs
3 tbsp milk or cream
6 leaves of silverbeet (swiss chard), tough stems removed and chopped into small bite-sized pieces or 2 cups spinach leaves or rocket
1 cup grated cheese of choice. I use up the little pieces of cheese that seem to collect in my fridge.
cup sliced spring onions
2-3 small sweet potatoes, sliced thinly into rounds. Leftover are fine, they just don't need cooking
1-2 roma (Italian) tomatoes, sliced thinly into rounds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cold meat chopped, pulled or sliced depending what it is (optional)
1 tsp fresh thyme or parsley
Salt and pepper to season
Method
In a skillet, cook sweet potato slices over medium heat until they are fork tender. Remove and set aside. If you are using leftovers there is no need to cook.
Heat the oven grill to high.
In a medium sized bowl, beat together the eggs and milk or cream and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the chopped greens, onion, cheese, meat and garlic and pour this mixture into a cast iron skillet.
Arrange potatoes and tomatoes on top and sprinkle the thyme over. Place skillet over medium-low heat on the stove and cook for a few minutes, just until the egg starts to set.
Then transfer the skillet to the oven set to grill. Grill the frittata until the top is golden and starts to puff. Slice into wedges and serve by themselves or with a yummy seasonal fresh salad.