I won't lie, it's taken me a while to love frittata's. I really wanted to love them, I mean it's a crustless quiche that can be dressed up or dressed down. It could be served for breakfast (with crusty bread) or for a dinner party (accompanied with an elegant side salad). But more times than not, I found them flat and tasteless. Until now. I have been testing quite a few vegetable and cheese combinations this summer and have finally found my favourite frittata flavour combos; sweet cherry tomatoes, salty pesto, tangy goat cheese, bitter spinach and peppery fresh basil - it's got it all!
One of the keys to a good frittata is the skillet. I have found that a well seasoned cast iron pan (mine is a Lodge 10") lends itself to a perfectly browned crust that releases every time. I have tried stainless and unfortunately, it stuck - the dishwasher (me!) was not impressed. If you do use stainless, make sure that the entire skillet, including the sides has oil swirled onto it to help with the sticking.
The best part of frittata's is that it's essentially a formula. What flavours I like, might be different from the flavours you like and that's okay. For every eight eggs, I like about 2 cups of vegetables, chopped into small bite-size pieces and about 1/2 cup of cheese (goat cheese is far more pungent, so I reduced it to 1/3 cup - if you are using a finely grated cheese like gruyere you might want to increase it to 3/4 cup). Really, it's up to you. Play around and see what your tastes like, or if you're like me - whatever you have in the refrigerator!
Enjoy!
Krista
Tomato, Spinach, Pesto and Goat Cheese Frittata
Ingredients
8 eggs
salt and pepper
1/4 cup pesto, I used homemade (recipe coming soon) but feel free to use a jar from the store
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp chili flakes (this adds a nice warmth, add more if you like a bit of heat)
1 c cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 c fresh spinach (missing from photo), washed and dried
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5-6 basil leaves, torn right before using
Method
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, salt and pepper, chili flakes, oregano and pesto.
Heat a 10" cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and swirl to coat edges of skillet, then add the spinach. Allow spinach to wilt for 30 seconds - 1 minute, turning with tongs so it doesn't burn. The spinach will cook down to less than half it's size.
Add egg mixture to spinach and place cut cherry tomatoes on top of surface. Add goat cheese. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the edges of the egg mixture just begin to set.
Place skillet into the pre-heated oven and cook for 8-10 minutes. The frittata will puff up and still have a slight wiggle in the middle when it is done. The edges should be light brown and the cheese golden in colour.
Remove skillet from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Top with freshly torn basil leaves. Cut into 6-8 slices and serve.
As always, if you do make this frittata or any My Kurated Life recipes, make sure to share your photos with our community at #mykuratedlife . I love to see your kurating too!
Comments