Frittatas

Brunch is one of my favorite meals to host -- it's a fun time of the day to get together, and making brunch food ahead of time is so easy. Plus, it's a fairly inexpensive meal to make, which means you can invite more people.

Quiche is usually a very popular brunch dish, and I love a good quiche . . . but I can go you one easier with my version of a frittata, which is a baked Italian omelet. Once you get the basic technique down, you can literally make ENDLESS varieties. If you can scramble an egg, chop ingredients, and throw them into an oven to bake, you can make a frittata.

So first, the basics . . . .

Take 8 eggs, 1/2 cup milk (whole is best, but 2% is OK -- just don't use skim), a pinch of salt and a bit of fresh cracked black pepper, and whisk them all together until they're well incorporated.

Take a pie dish, spray with non-stick cooking spray, and pour the egg mixture into the dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 - 45 minutes -- until the top is lightly brown and the middle is firm to the touch. Let it rest for a few minutes before you serve, or you can also let it cool to room temperature and serve that way.

That's it -- how easy is that?????

Now -- for some of my favorite varieties, but really, you can add anything you want to this.

The All American -- dice 1 onion and saute until it's translucent. Add that, about 1/2 cup of some chopped ham or bacon or breakfast sausage, 8 ounces of shredded cheddar, and 2 shredded potatoes (squeeze out the excess water), and bake as above.

Carciofi -- mince 3-4 large cloves of garlic, mince 10 fresh basil leaves (or use 1 tbsp. dried basil), chop up 1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts (about 3 full hearts), 1/4 cup parmigiana cheese, and 8 ounces of shredded smoked fontina (or some such smoked cheese), stir and bake.

Caprese -- remove seeds from 1 large tomato and dice; 10 minced basil leaves (or 1 tsp. dried basil), 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese (don't use fresh mozzarella -- it's too watery); 1/3 cup of parmigiana; stir and bake.

Let your imagination run wild -- great ingredients to use include zucchini, spinach (buy chopped frozen spinach, defrost and squeeze out all the excess water before adding), broccoli, asparagus, roasted red peppers, all sorts of breakfast meats, and cheeses -- there are no limits.

My guest are always FAR too over-impressed with this very easy dish. Make one for every 3-4 people, put out some bagels or other pastry, a fruit salad, and it's a party.

Enjoy!