Hakuna Frittata

I got hooked on frittate when we got our first CSA and they supplied a recipe for a "Greens Frittata" (which itself was adapted from Antipasti by Joyce Goldstein) that became one of my goto recipes. It reminded me of the "Use it up quiche" from the Tightwad Gazette.  I adapted it in several ways.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Start with a counter full of veggies

Liberally butter bottoms and sides of 10" pyrex pie pan (or baking dish of your choice).
To make a false crust for the bottom:
Dust with 1/4-1/2 cup of nut meal (I like hazelnut meal for the bottom and almond meal for the top).

Now start layering in vegetables and cheese one kind at a time.
I typically do something like this:

• A layer of cooked chopped spinach
• grated or diced cheese (like aged cheddar) 
• sautéed or caramelized onions (and/or leeks, garlic, green onions ...)
• chopped roasted vegetables (such as beats, parsnips, turnips, carrots, squash)
• finely chopped, blanched broccoli or cauliflour



Cook (boil 3 mins), cool, chop the greens

• grated hard cheeses (parmesan, romano, asiago)

Other possible additions:
chopped meat (ham works well)
chopped cooked bacon
corn
basil

Roast the roastables
(toss with olive oil, salt, pepper.
Roast at 450, turning every 10 minutes until done)

Mix the batter:
8 eggs
1/4 cup dairy (milk, half and half, cream, almond milk, whatever)
salt and pepper
1 Tbs flour (or potato flour if you want to keep it gluten free)

Pour around edges then around the middle of the pie pan with all the veggies/cheese layered in.

For a false top crust:

Sautee the onion-like veggies in butter or olive oil

Sprinkle the top with 1/4-1/2 cup nut meal (I like almond meal for the top)

Dust with a little nutmeg or sweet spice mix.

Bake 25 minutes then check. Continue to cook until the center mostly sets. Remove and allow to cool and fully set.

Slice and serve or refrigerate.

Notes:

Layer the veggies and cheeses in the oven safe pan

I sometimes end up with a runnier center than at others. I suspect this has to do with the mix of veggies, and their water content. I've tried to figure out an internal temperature that tells me when they are done and I still don't have that nailed in.
If you refrigerate or give it a long rest, it usually sets up better than if you rush it to table.

When layering the veggies I am looking for contrasts of texture, color and flavor. I'll oven add some herbs or spices to individual layers as I go to accentuate these distinctions.

Then pour in "batter"

Bake 25-35 minutes until the center mostly sets

Topping with bacon pleases many

Top with roasted beets and purple basil for color

Tomato slices can look nice on top