Culinary Arts Creations

by Ava Morlier, Culinary Arts Writer

Happy September! Fall is a wonderful season. High summer temperatures have abated, the harvest provides a plethora of delicious vegetables, and the changing leaves render the mountains covered in beautiful hues of amber, gold, and scarlet. Today’s dish incorporates the fruits of the harvest, elements of color, and delicious flavor all in one place: frittatas! An Italian take on the traditional omelette, the frittata is a baked egg dish that (similar to an omelette) can have a multitude of fillings. However, the frittata is different from the basic omelette. It is much thicker (at least 1-2 inches thick) and requires a different cooking process (the egg is poured onto the filling, mixed, and agitated/slightly scrambled to develop texture, then finished in the oven). Sounds hard? The frittata is much easier to make than a french-style omelette, thanks to its thickness (no folding needed!). Once done, simply cut and serve. Enjoy this flavorful frittata!

Herby Vegetable Frittata

Ingredients

6 large eggs

6 leaves of fresh basil

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. garlic, minced

½ lb. yellow squash

½ lb. zucchini

6 oz. red bell peppers

4 oz. cremini mushrooms

½ c. green onion

3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Preheat broiler. Wash vegetables; measure out spices, oil, and cheese (respectively). Set aside.

Chiffonade-cut the basil: on a cutting board, place leaves of basil on top of one another. Once stacked, roll the bottom of the leaves to the top (making a small roll). Make thin, vertical slices on the log (should result in thin strips of basil). Set aside.

Roughly chop the parsley. Set aside

Cut the pepper: Cut out the top of the pepper, remove stem and seeds; cut the pepper into four sections. Stack the sections on top of each other and cut vertical, thin strips from the stack.

Cut the zucchini and squash: Cut the stem from the squash; cut in half lengthwise down the middle. Place the flat side of one half on the cutting board; cut thin pieces from the half (creating thin half circles). Repeat with the remaining squash; repeat the process with zucchini. Set aside.

Prepare the rest of the vegetables: peel and mince the garlic; thinly slice the green onion; thinly slice the mushrooms. Set aside.

Heat pan on medium heat. In a bowl, beat together eggs, basil, parsley, salt and pepper; put in the refrigerator for later use.

Cook the vegetables: pour oil in the pan and swirl to coat. Put squash, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, and green onions in the pan; toss to coat in oil and let cook (making sure the vegetables are evenly distributed across the pan). Let cook until tender, about 4-8 minutes.

Stir in garlic and let cook for 30 seconds.

Pour egg mixture into the pan; mix with vegetables and gently agitate the eggs (scraping the sides of the pan and the middle for about a minute. Let cook 3-4 minutes, or until eggs are firm (but wet).

Evenly sprinkle goat cheese on top (making sure the entire surface is covered) and place in the oven (making sure the pan is 5-7 inches away from the broiler). Let cook until golden brown and firm throughout (about a minute).

Take out and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut and serve.

Tools Needed

Dry measuring utensils, several knives, several cutting boards, small bowls (for holding cut vegetables), medium bowl, medium oven-proof pan, spatula, knife, plate (for serving)

*With credit to The American Egg Board’s Vegetable Frittata Recipe on incredibleegg.org.