Frittata Makes Elegant Egg Dinner

An egg today is better than a hen tomorrow – Turkish Proverb

We’ve all had those nights when we keep returning to the fridge, opening the door, hoping that a miracle occurred between this visit and the one ten minutes ago…when our last visit revealed… exactly the same contents.

In the absence of motivation, or groceries, a frittata is a simple, elegant and heatlhy dinner. Perfect solution to the empty fridge syndrome. Like a quiche without a crust or an omelet, a Frittata is an easy and elegant dinner when you’ve got little more than eggs on hand.

Eggs are healthy

But wait, you say, what about my cholesterol? Turns out eggs got unfairly beaten up (bad pun, I know) in the early days of cholesterol research. Most doctors will now tell you that eating an egg a day is not a problem. Even the American Heart Association now says the early research on cholesterol was flawed. Two recent studies failed to find a significant elevation in cholesterol levels or an increased risk of heart disease in those eating 2 eggs a day

Whether you boil, poach, fry, devil, coddle, shir, or scramble them, eggs are a great choice for most of us. If you’re really worried about cholesterol, skip the bacon and sausage!

Two eggs provide:

Protein –about 20-30% an adult needs. Its protein is the most complete protein short of human breast milk, containing many amino acids. The protein in eggs is more readily absorbed by your body – a “bioavailability” of 93.7% versus beef which is rated at 74.3%, fish at 76% or milk 84.5%.
Vitamin B12 – 22%
Riboflavin and phosphorus – 20% of your daily requirement
Lutein – a beta-carotenoid needed for eye health; may reduce macular degeneration in old age; lutein from eggs has been shown to be more bioavailable than that from other sources.
Choline – half the daily requirement of this mineral needed for brain/memory function and fetal brain development
Folate – another mineral critical in fetal development; both choline and folate are also depleted by breastfeeding making eggs a great choice for nursing mothers.

Benefits for weight watchers

Nutritionists and dieticians trying to help clients lose weight often talk about “satiety”. Satiety is the feeling of fullness. The ideal in any weight loss or maintenance program is to achieve a feeling of satiety through the consumption of healthy calories and to maintain the feeling longer. Foods rich in fiber, for instance, take longer to digest elevating blood sugar levels slowly. Both the slow elevation of blood sugar as well as the physical feeling of fullness will reduce hunger and cravings.

Comparing an egg breakfast to a calorically equivalent bagel breakfast, the American College of Nutrition found for the same calories and no difference in total cholesterol, the egg breakfast induced greater satiety. Importantly, the egg breakfast significantly reduced short-term food intake compared to the bagel. In one study, dieters who had eggs for breakfast continued to consume fewer calories than the control group for 36 hours.

To make a frittata:

Ingredients you probably have on hand:

Eggs – half dozen for a 10″ skillet, (serves at least 3-4)
Some fresh herbs
Some cheese
Onion or shallots
Maybe some leftover vegetables or a handful of fresh (onions, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms)
Grated parmigiano-reggiano

Equipment:

A good non-stick skillet is essential. A well-seasoned cast iron skillet would work, too.

Instructions:

1. Break 6 eggs in a blender or large bowl.

Assemble mis en place:

1. Add about 1/3 cup of milk or cream (I use 1%, it’s fine.)
2. Mince or rough chop some fresh herbs
3. Rough chop veggies you plan to use
4. Grate cheese.

Coat pan with non-stick spray, or use small pat of butter with same amount of olive oil. Preheat broiler with rack in middle position.

Buzz eggs and cream, s&p in blender or beat vigorously with mixer or whisk. You want to incorporate air, increase the volume of the eggs for a nice fluffy frittata.

Saute onions, add eggs over onions, toss in herbs, dot with chopped vegetables. Use a rubber scraper to move the egg mixture around a bit, to allow the less cooked egg to contact the pan. When the eggs set up a bit, you can add grated cheese to the top, then place under broiler.

Keep a close eye and you’ll see your frittata puff up and brown.

Dinner is served – buon appetito!

Spring is a great time to find asparagus – a natural for frittatas. My “cleaning out the fridge” version the other night included a couple slices of asiago cheese, a couple of meunster, some fresh basil, fresh parsley, thyme, couple shallots. Grated parmigiano-reggiano on top.