How I make a frittata

I don't even remember who asked. But this is what I make when I have leftover cooked veggies, holy trinity (that would be onion, green pepper, and celery to saute), and too many eggs. It's an egg dish that is done for everyone at the same time, like a quiche, but requiring fewer ingredients and less time to make (as opposed to omelets which are usually done one at a time, unless you're a girl scout and you steam them in ziploc bags...).

It's not a recipe. It's a method. Like most of what I cook (and most of what I sew--I hate patterns, but I love tutorials/methods/plans).

1. Gather ingredients. This is one of the only things I cook mise en place. I chop anything that needs chopping (onion, mushrooms, leftover broccoli, cherry or grape tomatoes in half, etc). I also put eggs in a big bowl and whisk until mixed like for scrambled eggs--how many eggs? Oh, that many. I use a large frying pan and I'm feeding 4 plus Leo so I usually use 8-10 eggs. Like I said, this is what I do when I have lots of eggs around.

2.. Preheat oven to bake (350 or so). Make sure you pick a frying pan that will fit in your oven (for most this isn't a problem but my ovens are shallow).

3. Heat oil on high or medium high heat. Hot pan, cold oil, right? And then whatever aromatics you've got (garlic is always in my kitchen, and then onion, green pepper, and celery) until onion is clear and celery is tender.

4.. Add any other uncooked veggies--if I have mushrooms, for instance, I throw them in here. I don't use hard vegetables for this unless they are precooked leftovers--no cauliflower or carrots or winter squash, things that can't saute fast or just get warmed up.

5. Pour eggs over all this mess. Reduce heat on the stove to medium or so. Add whatever spice you might--I usually add a premixed pizza seasoning because I call this "Egg pizza" when I serve it to my kids. A little oregano and fennel go a long way...I might also go the quiche route and go heavy on the nutmeg (mmm).

6. As the eggs firm up, scooch them towards the center a bit (that's a technical term) and let some of the runny egg take the place. Like you would an omelet.

7. Add any other ingredients: grated cheese, sliced tomatoes, pre-cooked veggies, chopped bits of pepperoni or ham, and so forth. Don't forget olives if you're making it for Maeve.

8. Take the whole pan and stick it in the oven at this point. Close the oven, turn on the light, and watch. It doesn't take long but you want to be sure it is cooked on top. I know some people flip the frittata over first and then bake, but I've found that isn't necessary.

9. It's done when it's done--I mean, the eggs will stop running around. THE PAN IS HOT. I take the pan out and run a spatula under the edges to loosen. Then I slide it out onto a peel (pizza board) but you could use a plate if your pan is smaller, or a cookie sheet, or just serve from the pan. I serve mine with marinara on the side, or pesto, or salsa, depending on the ingredients.