Frittata

Last night's soup turned out perfectly - tasted rich and creamy, but had virtually no fat, since the Greek yogurt garnish was fat-free. It tasted purely of tomato and was a nice summer treat. After Emily and I each had a bowl, there was plenty to freeze for other meals. Using less than perfect tomatoes meant that each serving of soup cost about $0.20 and only 5 minutes of time.

Let's talk about frittata since it is a technique that every parsimonious gourmet should have up his or her sleeve. Frittata uses nearly any less-than-perfect vegetable you may find at the produce market, but gets its protein from eggs, which are a great, inexpensive source of protein. Heres the technique:

Use a skillet that can sit atop the stove and also go in the oven under the broiler. I've had a wonderful one from Calphalon that I received as a wedding gift, so I've had it for nearly 30 years; it's developed a nice patina from years of use.

Place the pan over a medium flame and heat enough olive oil to thoroughly coat the bottom. I use a Spanish extra-virgin oil that I buy at Trader Joes since it is flavorful and less expensive than the Italian oils. Next, slice some potato very thin and place the slices in a single layer in the pan, letting them get golden brown. Then, chop up any vegetables you have on hand: mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes (just squeeze them gently over the sink first - it's called seeding them - so their liquid won't make the frittata mushy. Anyway, broccoli, asparagus, or spinach are also good choices. Let what's available dictate what you use. Toss the vegetables in and saute for a few minutes, taking care not to disturb the potato layer.

Now, beat up some eggs in a bowl. I always leave out at least half of the yolks to save on calories, but you don't have to. Just DON'T thow out the yolks - that's not very frugal! - you can save them in one of those Ziploc containers until you want to bake something. One-quarter cup of egg yolk equals one whole egg.

Pour the beaten eggs over the vegetables and let the eggs set over a medium flame. If you have some basil or parsley, you can toss it on now. When the eggs are not quite done. Sprinkle a LOT of parmesan cheese over the top and slide the entire pan under the broiler. Watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn, and remove it in 2-3 minutes.

Let the frittata sit a few minutes, then place a larger serving plate over the pan and flip it over. Frittata is a great summer dinner or a nice brunch any time of year, along side some crusty bread and a nice glass of wine. I always pour a glass of seyval blanc from Clinton Vineyards because it's not only light and delicious, but the winery is run by my aunt Phyllis Feder. Check it out at http://www.clintonvineyards.com/.

I can't find the exact same pan that I use, but this one listed on Amazon will work equally well:
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