Newspaper Page Text
hm ■ jjj at w HJH HlJw mJI
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Another gift from Italy ...^
... the rrittata
One of the wonders of the Internet
is that it is a worldwide cookbook.
If there’s a recipe you want, or a
cooking tradition you want to know about,
you’ve got the biggest collection of recipes in
the world right at your fingertips and count
less articles on cooking techniques, too.
For example, I had got
ten curious about fritta
tas after seeing five or
six different recipes rang
ing all the way from zuc
chini frittata to a frittata
O’Brien.
A quick trip to Wikipedia
got me started. A frittata
was identified there as “a
type of Italian omelet,”
the big difference being
that it’s not folded like an
Charlotte
Perkins
Staff writer
omelet, but started on the stove top and fin
ished in the oven, or sometimes just baked..
Once it’s cooked and you let it set a
while, you can cut it into neat wedges. In
that respect, it’s something like a crustless
quiche, but more substantial.
This seemed like a good Sunday morning
experiment, so I made one, and, believe me,
you can, too. You may even have the ingre
dients on hand right now.
Here’s my basic blueprint, and you’ll find
other approaches below.
I’ll assume you’ve got a well-seasoned cast
iron skillet.
Turn on the oven to 450 degrees.
Beat up six to eight eggs very well with a
whisk. Add 1/4 cup of milk or half-and-half.
Season with salt and pepper.
Give the cold skillet a thin coating of solid
shortening, on the bottom and up the sides.
You really don’t warit these eggs sticking to
the pan, because later, you’re going to cut
the frittata into pie shape wedges.
I assembled my ingredients
Since this was breakfast cooking, I took
the easy way out. I chose mozzarella and
tomatoes, diced ham and potatoes.
(Tips: I used the prepackaged diced ham,
and popped an Idaho potato in the micro
wave for five minutes before peeling and
dicing it.)
I decided, having reading a number of
recipes, that I would NOT broil the top as
many recipes suggest. Many things are
better “browned,” but not eggs. Instead, I
preheated the oven to 450 degrees.
Never underestimate the beauty, wonder of the 'carrot'
Carrots are such a
beautiful and won
derful vegetable. I
think that they do not get
the attention they deserve.
They are good for snacks
with dips, as part of a main
meal, and in great desserts.
They even make a nice table
arrangement.
We always grew carrots
in our garden and mamma
would put them in soups or
cooktheminbutterandsugar,
Healthy with Betty
If you're concerned about your family’s fit
ness, Betty Crocker has a lot of answers and
resources, as well as recipes, in the Win at
Weight Loss Cookbook. According to Dr. Don
Hensrud at Mayo Clinic, “This book provides
simple, achievable tips for how families can take
small steps towards improving eating and physi
cal activity patterns for the whole family."
It’s under S2O at most bookstores, and can be
ordered from Amazon.com or Target.com.
Corn chips and...
Let’s face it. Corn chips are good all on their
own, but with a good dip. they're irresistable.
Here are three to try.
Knorr Spinach Dip
10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 cup Miracle Whip
1 pkg. Knorr vegetable soup & recipe mix
8 oz. can water chestnuts (opt.)
I heated the skillet over moderate heat,
poured in the eggs and sprinkled the ham
and eggs evenly into the egg mixture. I let it
cook slowly with an occasional stirring .
When it was mostly set in soft clumps, but
still wet, I took the frying pan off the heat,
quickly sprinkled about 3/4 cup of shredded
mozzarella on top, and then put it in the hot
oven ...
After five minutes, I peeked at it and
tested the surface, which seemed firm in
the middle. I topped it with slices of red ripe
tomato, sprinkled the tomatoes with a little
more mozzarella and tucked it back in the
oven for another couple of minutes, just to
let the tomatoes heat up.
Done.
All the recipes I found call for letting a
frittata “set” for 5 to 10 minutes, which I
did while taking the photo you see. (Yes,
that’s the very one we had for Sunday
breakfast.)
After the photography session, I cut my
creation into nice pie-shaped wedges.
Summing up: It was easy to make, with re
heatable leftovers. I’ll use this basic recipe
again.
For creative cooks, basically anything that
would go into a quiche or an omelet will go
into a fritttata.
I’d say that if you’re cooking for a family,
it’s easier than making omelets and “sits
around” better than scrambled eggs. Also,
if you’ve got a “real man who won’t eat
quiche” in your house, the frittata is a lot
more egg and a lot less custard ...
Here are some more recipes I found. They
offer variations in cooking technique.
Frittata O'Brien
This frittata for two is from the American
Egg Board, and like my improvisation, it
uses potatoes.
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups frozen potatoes O’Brien (about
6 to 7 oz.)
1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup (1 oz.) shredded Cheddar, American,
or Monterey Jack cheese
Preheat broiler. Wrap handle of 10-inch
omelet pan or skillet with foil to make it
ovenproof.
In skillet over medium heat, heat butter
See FRITTA TA, page iB
which
she called
candied
carrots.
Carrots
are no lon
ger a sum
mertime
vegetable
because
they are
available
Jean Rea
Cooking with
Jean
year round in the stores and
are not very expensive. They
HUP v|
■ v ■ aj. I
3 green onions
Thaw and squeeze spinach until dry. In blend
er, chop and blfend all ingredients well. Cover
and refrigerate 2 hours. Stir before serving.
Salsa with all that jazz
Add some fresh ingredients to your favor
ite salsa, including chopped fresh onions and
are also very good for us.
Next time you are shop
ping, pick up a big bag of
beautiful carrots and have
some fun in the kitchen.
Carrot Salad
5 to 6 carrots
1/2 to 3/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup salad dressing
Clean and scrape the car
rots and grate them. Add
jfflE jLdiL % W , BSsSivj
wmw ' * ! h ■ ';**••••%*. ~ .)■ d, -. .
HB, ctSr* A;.' >
HK> W ufo- . \ ... Jh i|ar ' ■
jmr Sfiir
* *■ l wS^xblß^R
> ! v v V"
v?.- ‘-V .
jr : .• ’-v ></. >v
fit, - qSp
, . ' r JV JEM W -
Jffl
jgßr , \
M j ■ *
<ww='J|W^. -MBaMllr- 4
Journal/Charlotte Perkins
Frittatas can be made with any ingredient normally used with omelets and quiches.
This one includes diced potatoes and ham and is topped with sliced tomatoes and
mozzarella.
raisins, sugar and salad
dressing. Mis well and serve.
Crushed pineapple may be
added as desired.
Marinated Carrots
2 1-lb. cans sliced carrots,
drained
1 small green pepper,
chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 10 1/4-oz. can tomato
soup ‘
green peppers or black olives. Squeeze in a
little lime juice, and it will taste like you spent
hours in the kitchen.
Seven wonders
Here’s a seven-layer Mexican Dip From Kraft,
that is great for parties, tailgating or just as a
special treat for your family. How can you miss
with so many good ingredients?
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese,
softened
1 tablespoon. Taco Bell Taco Seasoning Mix
1 cup guacamole
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoon, sliced pitted ripe olives
Mix cream cheese and seasoning mix until
well blended. Spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie
plate or quiche dish.
Layer remaining ingredients over cream
cheese mixture; cover. Refrigerate several
hours or until chilled.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2007 ♦
1/2 cup salad oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared mus
tard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients
in order listed in a large
bowl Stir to mix. Refrigerate
overnight and serve cold.
f/o/ Yf O/t ///< ////
Pick a pear
Pears are plentiful now, and in addition to
being good to eat, are
good for you. If you want
to get healthy carbs,
pears are low on the
glycemic index. Also one
fresh pear gives you 10 # # --
percent of your Vitamin C iMr
requirement for the day, S
and is packed with fiber.
The average pear has
under 100 calories.
Super Foods
Dr. Steven Pratt introduced the concept of
Super Foods in his 2004 best-selling book,
Super Foods Rx. Here's his list of the nutritional
powerhouses. How many are in your regular
diet?
Beans (e.g. lentils, black beans, kidney
beans, garbanzo beans); blueberries, broc
coli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, soy, spinach, tea,
tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, wild salmon, yogurt.
Saucy Carrots with
Water Chestnuts
1 lb. carrots
2 tablespoons butter or
margarine
1 8-oz. can sliced water
chestnuts, drained
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme,
crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground gin
ger
See REA, page iB
1B