An Italian Omelet
Zaza Tratorria Chef Brian Somershield whips up a six Egg Frittata
By Jan Walsh
Co-owners Brian Somershield and Geoff Lockert opened Zaza Trattoria in June 2009 on 20th Street North. The za (pizza) and other fare are both delicious and affordable—which has proved to be the perfect recipe for opening a restaurant during a recession. Chef Somershield shares his frittata tips and techniques for making a frittata that is not too “eggy,” not too brown, uses your leftovers and makes more than one meal.
Six Egg Frittata
Ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 cup goat cheese
- 1 1/2 ounces heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- Salt and pepper to taste
Note: You may add bacon or other ingredients, such as pasta or potatoes.
Procedure:
- Toast pine nuts in oven at 300 to 350 degrees for 5 to 15 minutes. Check doneness after five minutes to avoid burning. Remove from oven when toasted.
- Crack eggs into bowl and stir with fork. Add salt and pepper. Taste raw egg to check if it’s properly seasoned, while considering other salty ingredients you will add, such as bacon or a salty cheese.
- Add heavy cream to eggs and stir.
- Cover bottom of a 10-inch, oven safe non-stick skillet with olive oil.
- Add spinach, salt and pepper to pan. Cook spinach over medium heat until wilted.
- Add toasted pine nuts to skillet. Turn off heat.
- Pour egg mixture into skillet. Use rubber spatula to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Preheat regular oven to 350 degrees or convection oven to 325 degrees. Place skillet in oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Set timer to check at 10 minutes to avoid overbrowning.
- Remove skillet from oven when frittata is done. Take spatula and encircle the lip of the skillet with the spatula to loosen the edges from the pan. Slide the frittata onto the plate.
- Cut into four wedges. Serve with fruit or salad. And refrigerate leftovers. They make a great brown bag lunch.
Reheating will overcook the egg, so eat cold or heat until just warm.
