Gruyere, Mushroom and Tomato Frittata

(I'm no longer posting on this blog - enjoy the recipe but if you want to see what I'm up to, visit me here.)

I love frittatas. To be honest, this love stemmed from a serious inability to flip an omelette without losing half the filling or ripping the egg to shreds. The frittata is a cousin to both the quiche and the omelette but comes without the fussiness of the omelette or the time commitment required to make a quiche. Another reason frittatas rock is that they look pretty and come out of the pan in one piece easily. I am a terrible breakfast cook (it's just not a meal I'm good at making - I let J do the French toast, pancakes, and scrambled eggs. I would much rather just have a yogurt or a bagel than try to cook in the morning) so it's awesome to have one food up my sleeve that I don't have to fret about if I have a brunch to go to or someone crashed at our place the night before.

I used Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Spinach, Onions and Gruyere in this frittata but really any combination of vegetables, herbs, cheeses and meats you have on hand will work. It's a great way to use up random vegetables you have lying around in the fridge.

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 eggs
2 tablespoons half & half or milk
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
1/2 an onion, diced
1 large shallot, cut in half and sliced
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
2 medium tomatoes, 1 sliced, and 1 chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the broiler to 475. Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a medium sized ovenproof nonstick skillet or saucepan. I use a saucepan because I don't have to worry about over filling it with ingredients! When the fats are hot, add the onion, shallots and mushrooms. Saute for 4-5 minutes.

While the onions and mushrooms are cooking, crack the eggs in a bowl and whisk in the half & half or milk. Add the salt, pepper and ground thyme. Whisk well and set aside.

Add the two handfuls of baby spinach and the chopped tomato to the saucepan and stir until the baby spinach wilts. The mushrooms and tomatoes will have released a lot of liquid so it is a good idea to drain it off, otherwise you may end up with a watery frittata. Once the liquid is drained and your spinach wilted, stir in the 1/2 cup of Gruyere into the egg mixture and pour into the saucepan with your veggies. Turn the heat down just a little and cover the pan. Let cook for 4 or 5 minutes or until most of egg is set (it's okay if the top is still a little runny). Remove the cover and lay the sliced tomatoes on top of the frittata and the remaining 2 tablespoons of Gruyere. Put under the broiler for 4 or 5 minutes or until the remaining egg is firm and the cheese is slightly browned.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before loosening the edges of the frittata with a rubber spatula. You should be able to then easily slide the frittata out of the pan and onto a plate in one piece. If you are worried it won't come out, let it cool for a little bit longer before trying. Cut into 4 slices and serve.

All text and photographs (except where noted otherwise) © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley