Hi Everyone!
Today, after I fed our 7 month old (no small task!), cooked lunch (pasta soup with left overs from my mother-in-law’s left overs…yes, there is such a thing….), washed the dishes, cleaned the kitchen (….how does it get so dirty with only 2 1\2 people?), and collected the laundry off the line, you would think I would pull up chair and rest a bit right? (Especially since my husband took our daughter to her grandparents for a couple of hours while he was installing their new PC (….my husband is a programmer) Well, wrong! I thought about dinner (….amazing how that comes to mind right after lunch?) and went right back into the kitchen to think of something. It was one of those days where you just don’t want to eat another “routine” meal. So I thought, “Self, (….that’s what I call myself…) you’ve got 6 lonely eggs in the fridge and you don’t want to make scrambled eggs right?” (…well, I really didn’t think it was too bad of an idea…but my husband doesn’t care much for scrambled eggs…Sicilian blood!…and more than once kindly hinted that…ok, more like a million times…but I’ll move on). So after quick thinking, (…really quick….because our 7 month old will be nice and worked up returning from her nonna’s house and I fear the wrath of her tiny, but strong little lungs when inconsolable from tiredness…) I grabbed some potatoes, spinach, onions and a few other ingredients and alas…..my “Frittata alla An American in Sicily” was born! Yes, I named the frittata after myself (…at least is sounds lofty and makes me feel like I’m famous! =)
So here we go….Maestro, the ingredients please!
-6 eggs (…medium, I’d say?...here in Sicily, it’s whatever size the chicken feels like producing that day 😉 Remember, I usually get mine fresh from the local butcher…)
-1 whole onion
-7 large garlics
-4-6 cups of fresh torn spinach leaves
-1 large zucchini
-1\2 cup of chopped parsley
-1 tbsp rosemary
-2 tbsps white wine (any kind you have on hand)
-1 cup of sharp Italian cheese
-Olive oil
-Salt and pepper, to taste
Chop the onion, zucchini, and potatoes. In a pot, add some olive oil and the wine, searing the veggies a bit over medium-low heat to get them nice and translucent, adding the parsley and garlic at the end so they don’t burn. (…I actually sliced them only because I bought this new mandoline and was excited to see how it worked 😉
In an oven proof dish (….my famous ol’ trusty Pyrex…what would I do without her?…) Add HALF of the veggie mixture. The mixture is still nice and hot..so hot it’s still fogging up as I took the picture =)
Add HALF the spinach leaves on top.
In a separate bowl or container, beat the eggs just to break them apart. Add the salt, pepper, and rosemary. Pour HALF of the mix over the spinach.
Repeat a second layer of all the ingredients like we did for the first layer. Then top with the cheese. Drizzle some olive oil and bake at 350°F \ 180°C for about 30 minutes or until nice and set =)
Looks good huh? Not too shabby for a last minute “creation” (ok, ok “meal”…last minute “meal”…)
When my husband came back home, he told me his mother had just baked fresh bread, and sent a loaf for us…ooooh, it was delicious alongside the frittata! So go ahead and try it.
Buon Appetito!
Wanita =)
For more delicious recipes, be sure to check out my new eBook “Cucina Siciliana” filled with lots of truly authentic recipes given to me by family and friends here in Sicily….it’s only 99 cents!
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