I may sling the term 'Peasant Food' around gleefully, but it really does have a meaning. Peasant Food is generally cheaper and more plentiful foodstuffs that are prepared into flavorful dishes. This typically is done using old family recipes kept from time uncounted, family by family, region by region. Recipes kept running that long develop into methods, techniques, and finally cuisines. There is a case to be made that every cuisine is mostly based on peasant food.
Peasant food, of course, is itself based on making the best with what you have on hand.
Let's look at the Frittata. Originating in Italy, the frittata has a cousin in every nation around the world. The dish itself is beyond simplicity once deciphered. In it's most common version, it centers on using up leftovers and doing magic with fridge smidges (You know... those tiny amounts of leftover ingredients that are too good to toss, but are left in amounts too small to do much with. A sausage, one slice of bacon, 1/4 of a pepper, two slices of cheese, etc).
Whatever else, there are eggs, and the eggs are what ties everything else together.
(Eggs are a quintessential peasant food ingredient, as all but the lowest could keep chickens. Until the early part of the 1900's, most families rural and city had access to eggs still warm from the nest. Even a modest flock of a dozen will keep a small family well supplied with eggs, and on rare occasions supply a Sunday roast as well. Chickens eat scraps and turn them into delicious food. Given the right chickens, they will even make more chickens!)
Beyond the ingredients, Frittata is a method. Like Pizza, there is a formula. Follow the formula, and you have the thing. How good is the thing? Well.... that's where the loving soul of the chef comes in.
First, the hardware. Only one thing is mandatory.... a pan that can begin on the stove and then survive a while in the oven. Preferably a low sided sauté pan with a metal handle. Well seasoned cast iron fry pans perform beautifully in this role. We are enjoying a set of non-stick pans bought on Amazon. They really do suit us quite well.
The image attached is the frittata I made for herself's breakfast this morning, as requested. Let us look at how it's done in this house....
Small Frittata, small sauté pan. Got it. Add in a dollop of butter. Put it on a burner set to medium high. (Butter makes everything better... Everything. We know this. It's science!)
First ingredients: 1/4 of a small onion, chopped. One handful sliced small mushrooms, maybe 8 or 10 slices. One small handful of devil weed (Kale). Season as desired, and sauté till the onions begin to brown and the devil weed wilts in defeat. Stir occasionally over the 3 to 5 minutes this will take.
While those ingredients are cooking, break two fresh eggs into a bowl and add a splash of cream or half and half. Sure, one could use 'skim' milk, but this really isn't the place to save those 6.785 calories. Beat the eggs to golden smooth. (We usually do a few pepper grinds into the eggs before beating. We'uns likes our black pepper hereabouts).
Give the pan ingredients a good last stir, and try to spread them evenly in the pan. Pour over the egg mixture, and set the burner to low. Go ahead and kick on the broiler in your oven as well, with the upper rack set about 6" under the broiler. Do Not touch that pan to stir it. Never again.
Now is the time for cheese if desired (If cheese is not desired.... why in the heck would you even be reading this? I Tell Ya... it's like SOME PEOPLES Kids....... GRRRrrrr).
Today, a few tablespoons of shredded jack cheese were sprinkled evenly over the eggs.
Gently shake the pan, until it seems the eggs are cooked half way through. Yes, the top is still liquid. We want this. Go ahead and slide the pan under the broiler, but DO NOT shut the oven door.
Your job at this point is to watch that pan. What you are looking for is the cheese to begin bubbling, and just begin to turn brown on the high spots. I promise you.... engage in anything else but watching that pan, even 'just for a second', and it's going to overcook and maybe even burn. At that moment when the cheese is bubbly and browning, the frittata is done and the race is ON! It actually finishes cooking as you are sliding it from pan to plate, and carrying it to the table.
Frittatas can be eaten cold, and in fact make a wonderful grab and go lunch that way. But their greatest flavor will always be about 60 seconds after that cheese stops bubbling. It's downhill from there. Not downhill fast at all, frittata will hold for days in the fridge and reheats slick as can be. But..... the best..... the very best.... is within moments of being slid from pan to plate. That's when you want to put this in front of the family.
Let's talk toppings and sides for a moment.
Sides can be anything, or course, from a full blown breakfast layout to even a salad. Frittata is flexible, and makes as good a weekday dinner as it does an easy breakfast. It's all in the ingredients. The sides can determine the meal (Breakfast, lunch, dinner) while the frittata can be designed to accompany.
Toppings.... we like salsa and sour cream, but there is no limit. I've seen folks laying on smoked salmon, caviar, and even chili. You do you, you know?
There is nothing wrong with a planned frittata, as opposed to a spur of the moment use of fridge smidges. A larger frittata laid on the dinner table will gather Ooohs and Aaahs far our of proportion to the difficulty of making it.
Try asparagus and bacon, with the asparagus laid in a starburst in the pan, bacon chunks sprinkled around them, and some shredded parmesan on top. Fancy!
Perhaps try browning big sliced mushrooms in a layer, with finely chopped onions and red pepper to accompany them.
Almost all leftover bits of meat are fair game in a frittata. A single sausage, not enough for anything else, is plenty for an entire pan. A couple chicken thighs, meat picked and chopped up, will do a family sized frittata with no worries.
Have to feed three people and only have 8 shrimp, one orange pepper, four eggs, and a handful of Asiago cheese? Frittata and toast, coming up!
Have a family of picky eaters? No worries. Everyone picks their own ingredients, and the cook can whip out individual small frittatas in minutes. Add a pot of easy rice and beans, and a salad... shezaam! Dinner!
