A frittata is a great solution to those nights when you want something savory but don’t have much time (or desire) to make anything elaborate. The basic technique for making a frittata has appeared on this blog before, but a particularly tasty frittata is one made with peppers and onions–a classic combination of very assertively flavorful vegetables that, in another guise, goes into the summer side dish known as peperonata. Well, just add eggs and you have a great light dinner.
For 4 people, you gently stew two medium-sized red peppers (or green if you like) and an onion, each thinly sliced from top to bottom, in some olive oil until they are quite soft. This will take anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes (or even more, if you want them very soft). Regulate the heat so that the vegetables only slightly brown, if at all. Season with salt and pepper, and allow them to cool, covered, for a few minutes. (This rest under cover will further soften the vegetables and, for some mysterious reason, tends to enhance their flavor.) Then mix the vegetables with six eggs, some grated cheese and a pinch of salt, and proceed as for any frittata.
NOTES: As with peperonata, you can convert this into a more substantial dish by frying some sausage along with the peppers and onions, either sliced or crumbled. Some cubed pancetta might also be nice, though I haven’t tried it. And if you want a really substantial dish, add some cubed potatoes to the mix.
You should slice both peppers and onions vertically, from top to bottom. The onions, in particular, need to be sliced in this way in order to retain their shape; sliced horizontally, onions will simply ‘melt’ away, something you don’t necessarily want for this dish.
Mmm, frittatas are huge in my house; we love to make them on Sundays and have leftovers for Monday lunch. We do one with Swiss chard, garlic, onions and cheese … but this looks fantastic and I can't wait to give it a try.
i love frittatas! this sounds so delicious!