Real Men Definitely Eat Frittata
Brunch if you hate being chained to the stove
I was born in the latter part of the 1970s, making me a Gen Xer. We grew up with a lot of wonky things that definitely wouldn’t fly today: smoking indoors, helmet-less bicycle adventures, and highly-sweetened neon cereal that was “part of a complete breakfast”. We also grew up with some pretty toxic culture around gender.
Apparently, “real men don’t eat quiche”.
It was a joke, of course, or was it? Not many other early 80s satirical catchphrases are recognizable four decades on. Perhaps it was a rebellion by insecure “tough guys” against their wives’ Julia Child-inspired cooking experiments, a political commentary about the French, or a discomfort with squishy-sounding words they were unsure how to pronounce. Whatever guys… just more for the rest of us because quiche is delicious!
That said, making a quiche is a bit of a project. By the time you’ve made the pastry, par baked it, and set the filling you’re looking at a few hours at least. Quiche is not a spur of the moment thing, and if you’re like me and make breakfast with a coffee in hand and one eyeball half open it’s not something you’re likely to manage in the hours denoted “AM”.
Frittata, on the other hand, is much of what a quiche can be, but without most of the effort. It skips the pastry, cooks faster, and its rustic nature is a perfect vehicle for what I call the “little bits of shit” in your fridge. Depending on your organizational skills you can have a frittata on the table in about half an hour, give or take. And best of all, it’s a brunch that doesn’t require you to hover over the stove like an underpaid hungover short-order cook.
You’ll need: an oven-safe skillet (about 10-11 inches), a bowl, a whisk, and a good sharp knife. For ingredients you’ll need nine eggs, 1/2 cup (125ml) sour cream, a splash of oil of your choice, salt and pepper, and whatever mix-ins you’d like (don’t worry, I have some suggestions).
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Chop your “hard” items like onion (some onion is always recommended) and sauté with some oil over medium high heat. “Hard” ingredients also include things like carrot, celery, uncooked broccoli, etc.
Add your “softer” mix-ins like peppers, scallions, or leftover cooked vegetables and meat. Sauté until they soften and are warmed through.
Whisk your eggs together with the sour cream. Add about 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Depending on the saltiness of your mix-ins (like ham) you might use a bit less, or possibly a pinch or two more. Whisk in any chopped fresh herbs.
Spread your mix-ins evenly in the pan and pour the egg mixture over. Sprinkle over any cheese (grated or crumbled).
Cook on the stove top about 5-7 minutes, or until the edges begin to set.
Place pan in the pre-heated oven and cook for 13-16 minutes, or until the middle is just set. (Yes, I know my oven needs cleaning)
Allow to cool and set for about five minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with home fries, toast, salad, fruit, or whatever you enjoy.
I like using sour cream because of its fat content, and it’s something I often have leftover from other recipes. Full-fat cream (35%) is also good, and while you can use lower fat dairy or alt-dairy substitutes they tend to leave you with a spongy-textured frittata. More fat=more uniform and stable.
Cooking your mix-ins ensures that harder items are softened, but also ensures that they aren’t overly wet, which can leave you with a weeping frittata. If you are using things like frozen spinach make sure they are thoroughly drained and squeezed.
And do your pan a favour: don’t use sharp or metal implements to cut the frittata in the pan. You risk messing up your carefully-seasoned cast iron or scratching your non-stick. Don’t screw up your pans unless you like shelling out for cookware - scratches are the beginning of the end.
Leftover bits of almost anything can make a good frittata, but if you’re starting from scratch and need some inspiration try some of these ideas:
Ham, onion, mixed peppers, and Swiss or cheddar
Zucchini, spinach, cherry tomato, and feta cheese
Fresh corn (right off the cob), old white cheddar, fresh dill
Roast chicken, cherry tomato, wilted kale, and blue cheese
Bacon (pre-cooked), cubed salami, onion, Gruyère
Roasted squash, fresh sage, onion, goat’s cheese.
While I’m sure you can make pastry, just because you can doesn’t mean you should or that you’re in the mood for that kind of nonsense on a weekend morning. Being a great cook isn’t a sentence to being chained to the stove but rather a set of tools to make something delicious with what you have.
Women eat fritatta. Men eat frittata. Everyone eats (and can make) fritatta!