Loaded Frittata
A Pinch of Background
Long weekends are the perfect opportunity to slow down and dedicate more time to creating something new. That’s exactly what I did when my mom stayed over recently, and I wanted to do something special for her.
Since her favorite meal of the day is breakfast, I knew I had to surprise her with an early brunch! But folks, I mean it, it truly is her favorite meal. We didn’t have much growing up, but I remember how extravagant every breakfast would feel, especially on weekend mornings. I would wake up to the smell of coffee, which meant that the kitchen table was already set up with a grand spread of lush bread, tasty cold cuts, eggs and warm pastries. She always had to have a soft boiled egg, if It came out fully cooked and hard boiled she would make this heartbreaking face, where her eyes would swell with concern and she would try to hide a frown but it was so clearly there. I am not sure if she notices this by now…but I always wait for her to open up her boiled egg, before I dig into mine, just in case I have the softer one she may want to eat.
I had many happy mornings that started with a smile, and I have my mom to thank for that.
Ok before I get all teary eyed as I continue writing this post, because I can honestly go on about it for days, let me get to the point: I try to seize every opportunity to make it up to her. My challenge? My mom wakes up so early! She is always up and ready to go by 7AM. Luckily I was able to wake up before her when she visited recently, so I was already off to a good start that Sunday. Although I did not know what I wanted to make that morning the moment I woke up, the idea came to me as soon as I opened up the fridge. I saw plenty of eggs and vegetables. I also caught a glimpse of ground pork that I had been meaning to cook. This could only mean one thing…I had to make a frittata! Let’s get started…
A few notes before jumping in…
The ground pork is completely optional! You can use pancetta or turkey bacon instead, or just leave meat out entirely. A great substitute is of course more veggies, like zucchini.
A cast iron skillet is best, but feel free to use any nonstick pan. As long as it is shallow! I do not recommend using anything too deep, like a dutch oven, because it will create lots of steam when it is baking in the oven, which would prevent that golden, crispy top layer from ever taking place (no thank you dutch oven…but we love you for many other dishes!)
If you can’t find fennel seeds, that’s totally fine. Feel free to use a light pinch of white pepper or anise instead, or leave it out completely. I only added the fennel seeds in the recipe because I find pork and fennel seeds pair so well together.
If you end up with any leftovers, cut them up into individual portions and make frittata sandwiches the next morning! Here’s how: Fry a few slices of your favorite bread, like boule or ciabatta, in a drizzle of canola oil and butter. Next, place a piece of your warmed up frittata on top of one of the slices and a thin layer of your favorite cheese (I recommend provolone or pepper jack). Top it off with the other slice of bread. You now have a whole new take on your breakfast sandwich. Now, onto the main event.
Our Ingredients
11 eggs (or 10 large eggs)
3 tablespoons of half & half
1 pound of ground pork sausage
1 sweet yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
A few pinches of Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds.
Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté your fennel seeds, onions and red bell pepper. Place a non-stick pan on medium heat. In the meantime, finely chop your onion. Once the pan starts to feel warm as you safely hover your hand above it, add a drizzle of olive oil and toss in your fennel seeds. Fry them until they become fragrant. Then, add your chopped onions and red bell pepper. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Cook (aka brown) your ground pork! Add your ground pork and break them up into larger pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Add a few pinches of salt and some cracked pepper. Let them brown for about 4 minutes, before turning those larger pieces over.
3. Whisk your eggs and cream together. Add the 11 eggs, half & half, oregano and onion powder into a bowl and whisk together until well incorporated.
4. Add the egg mixture to the pan! Start breaking up the ground pork into smaller pieces. Once the ground pork is fully browned, lower the heat to a low flame and add the egg mixture to the pan. Give the pan a little shake so that the egg mixture spreads out evenly across the pan.
5. Place the pan into the oven for 12-15 minutes. Once the eggs around the edge of the pan start to set and deepen in color, it is time to place the pan into the oven! But before you do, sprinkle (or load up) shredded mozzarella over the frittata and use a wooden spoon to push down larger globs of cheese. You can also slice a few grape tomatoes in half and place them in any pattern on top of the frittata (as shown in the photo above). Once you’ve added your toppings, place that pan into the oven for 12-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
6. It’s time to serve! I find placing the pan at the center of the table is best, so that folks can help themselves. Just be sure to wrap a small dish towel around the handle of the pan if you do, to indicate to your guests that the pan is still very hot and to be careful! Finely chop some parsley to sprinkle over the top. Slice up and serve with toast and coffee. Enjoy!
