Frittata is Italian for an open omelette or a crustless quiche. Its essentially translates as egg cake. Its also very easy to make. And unlike an omelette which is usually an individual serving, a frittata should be served like a pie. This makes it an excellent dish to entertain with. Add a side of garlic bread, salad and some bacon and you have an easy peasy yet very impressive meal for atleast 8 people. Let the frittata be the hero dish.
This recipe is special. Its one of the first recipes on the blog. I cooked this for some friends with whom I couch-surfed in Brooklyn NY in 2010. They loved it so much that they suggested I should perhaps blog about it. I was one post old when I decided to blog about the frittata. Ever since - its been one of the most shared recipe on my blog. Strangers have written back to me about how much they love this recipe. Recently someone cooked this for their mom for a Mother's day brunch and sent me photos. This recipe is special.
So when the IFBM along with the Freedom Tree announced the baked corn contest- I decided to recreate this old classic of mine. I did it differently from the old post and I think this is easier and really beautiful to pull off.
INGREDIENTS:
8 eggs whisked some milk
boiled potatoes sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 onion diced
corn straight off the cob (use a knife along the length of the cob)
1 tomato sliced into thin circles
veggies- such as bell peppers - yellow or red
mushrooms (optional)
zucchini (optional)
pancetta or chorizo for a spicier and smokey taste (optional)
Other great veggies are- spinach, kale, chard etc.
Salt and pepper for seasoning
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven at 200 C
In a pan saute the pancetta or chorizo. I used chorizo since that was on hand. Even though its Spanish- it adds a lovely spicy and smokey taste to the frittata. (Forgive me Italy). The pork will release some fat. Depending on how much - add a little bit of EVOO.
Add the onions and saute till translucent. Onions is a great vegetable to cook in a frittata as it adds to the moistness and makes it creamy.
Add the corn. I did not boil the corn. I observed this in Mexican cooking. Corn is eaten as fresh as ever. In this case the corn will cook with the eggs and the flavour is intensely sweet and juice.
Add the other veggies- in this case mushrooms, bell peppers and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper.
Saute till al dente. Do not cook through.
Toss the potatoes in some EVOO and salt and pepper. Traditionally these would be fried but I wanted this to be slightly healthy.
Layer the potatoes on the base of a 9" pie form. The potatoes prevent the egg from seeping right to the bottom and almost act as a pie crust.
Next spread the veggies and chorizo as the next layer.
Now beat the eggs till it doubles in volume. Whisking the eggs much more than an omelette will ensure the texture of the frittata to be light and airy. You can add some grated cheese to this. I did not. This whisking the egg is a great upper body work out.
Now evenly pour the eggs on the veggies all around. It should be foamy and seep through all the gaps.
Place the pie form in the oven and cook at 190 Celsius for 30 min or till the outer edges seem to brown.
At around 15 min the top is semi solid- place the tomato slices in concentric circles. They will just about sit on the surface of the eggs.
You can poke a knife to see if its done. The base should be cooked while as the top can be slightly runny. Letting the frittata sit will reconstitute all the juices and help set it.
Slice into a 8 or 9 pieces and serve with a salad or a fruit. I love it with something tangy like pomegranate.
Call me once you try this recipe.
Corn straight off the husk
Saute the chorizo, onions and garlic
Add the corn- look how fresh it is.
Add the other veggies
Layers the potatoes on the base of the 9" pan
Beat the eggs till they double in volume
Pour the eggs slowly on the veggies
Ready to go in the oven
Add the tomatoes half way through the baking
Pull it out of the oven, and let it set for a few minutes. Isnt that just a beauty!
Serve with other interesting items such as garlic bread, salad, sangria etc.
You can see the layers upon layers. Potatoes, veggies, corn, egg and tomatoes
The fluting on the edge of the pan makes a beautiful side for the frittata. Its perfectly browned
An absolute winner! The potatoes form a nice base. The veggies are perfectly done and the eggs are dreamy creamy.
I watched the Grand Budapest Hotel today. And it was marvellous. Each frame was beautifully designed and crafted. The sound track was by Alexander Desplat and this lovely piece of Russian folk music called Moonshine caught my ear. I think it pairs beautifully with our corn frittata.