Simplify
As I was writing and cooking this recipe, I was fighting every urge to dump in my whole refrigerator–jarred artichokes and pappadew peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers…you name it. It’s so easy for me to get carried away with exciting ingredients and end up masking the more subtle ones. Rather, here the goal is to keep it simple, to bring out the natural flavor of each ingredient and highlight the fresh summer produce.
During my summer in Italy studying food production, the farmers and processors and chefs and instructors alike could not stop with the “keep it simple” lesson. In the field, in the processing facility, and in the kitchen, restraint was about appreciation for the food itself. With exceptional quality, overworking and overpowering the food was a crime.
The Stars
So here we’re celebrating summer’s best produce with a focus on simple, high-quality ingredients:
- organic eggs (fresh and local if you can get them!)
- fresh sweet corn
- fresh summer zucchini
- baby potatoes (golden, red, and purple for a burst of color)
- yellow onion
- fresh garlic
- basil pesto (homemade or jarred)
- fontina (or another mild semisoft Italian cheese)
- good olive oil (truffle-infused if you can get some)
- fresh lemon juice
- fresh chives
- flaky sea salt (fleur de sel)
- coarse black pepper
- an additional protein if desired–Applegate turkey bacon (used here), prosciutto or other Italian ham
Show your ingredients some love
We’ll steam the potatoes first to make sure they’re nice and tender, and sear the zucchini by themselves to get a pretty char and the perfect texture. (Crowding a pan with zucchini in excess moisture can make them mushy, and we won’t have any of that nonsense.) Lightly sauté the corn to keep it crisp-tender, and lower the heat before stirring in the pesto so as not to cook out the flavor.
Layer on the cheese, bacon, and whisked egg, and pop it in the oven at 400º for UNDER TEN MINUTES (with the thinner version). It’s that quick and easy!
Finally, the finishers are everything in this dish: Lemon juice really brightens the flavors. Truffle oil tastes heavenly. Delicate sea salt and coarse black pepper are a must. And chopped chives will show everyone else you know what you’re doing. 😉
The frittata is hearty, filling, balanced, and the perfect healthy meal for literally any time of day. I prefer it as a late-night dinner with some toasty bread. Enjoy!
- 120g (heaping 1/2 cup) baby potatoes (golden or mixed colors)
- 2 slices turkey bacon or meat of choice (optional)
- 1/2 huge (or 1 medium) zucchini
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh sweet corn kernels (from ~1 medium ear)
- 1 tsp white wine
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1.5 Tbsp basil pesto (homemade or jarred)
- 1 oz fontina, freshly shredded
- 3 organic eggs + 2 egg whites
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp truffle-infused oil or drizzle of good olive oil
- fleur de sel and coarse black pepper
- chopped fresh chives
- additional pesto or grated parmigiano-reggiano (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Dice the potatoes into small pieces and steam 10-12 minutes, or until tender. (Alternatively, boil potatoes until tender, then dice when cool.)
- Whisk eggs and egg whites thoroughly with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook turkey bacon (if using) over medium-low heat on each side until crisp.
- Meanwhile, cut the zucchini into thick slices, then in half. Remove the bacon from the skillet, increase heat to medium, and add the zucchini in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear about 2 minutes per side, or until browned but still somewhat firm. Set aside.
- Add a little olive oil to the skillet and swirl to coat. Sauté onion about 3 minutes, then add garlic, corn, and wine, and cook another 3-4 minutes. Stir in potatoes and season with a sprinkle salt and pepper.
- Remove skillet from heat. Stir in pesto and seared zucchini, and spread mixture evenly in the pan. Tear bacon (or other protein if using) and sprinkle over veggies. Layer fontina on top. Pour whisked eggs into pan.
- Transfer skillet to oven for 9-11 minutes, or until the eggs are set.*
- Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a drizzle of good olive oil (truffle-infused is great here), coarse sea salt and black pepper, fresh chives, and additional pesto or grated parmigiano-reggiano, if desired.
- Use a spatula to slice and serve.
- *This cooking time is for the recipe as written (2 servings) in a 10-inch skillet. If doubling the ingredients for an extra-thick frittata, the cooking time will also increase.
