I grew up eating some of the best Italian dishes offered in New York City. My entire family is made up of foodies, but my younger brother, Yu, is probably the biggest foodie in our family. I have to credit my younger brother for introducing me to some of simplest, yet tastiest dishes. One of his favorite salads is an Italian caprese salad featuring mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and finished with a splash of balsamic vinegar. In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of the food I cook features some form of tomato as the star or key ingredient. I love tomatoes in any form – beefsteak, Campari, grape, cherry, heirloom, San Marzano. You name the tomato and I have probably tried it in some form. Tomatoes, when combined with mozzarella, and basil, form the perfect flavor combination. This weekend, I decided to combine the flavors of caprese salad with eggs into a caprese frittata. We needed to use up our abundance of eggs in the refrigerator so making a frittata was the sure way to go. Frittatas are perfect any time of the day. I’ve had frittatas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon snack. The caprese frittata was the perfect dish for a Sunday morning brunch. It was quick and easy to whip up and will hold me over as I finish planning my Thanksgiving dinner menu for 2018.
Caprese Frittata
· 6 large eggs
· 1 cup whole milk
· ½ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, pearls or diced
· 2 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano
· 8-10 Campari tomatoes, thinly sliced
· 3 sprigs (or more) fresh basil, chiffonade
· (Optional) balsamic vinegar, for serving
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
3) Heat oven-safe skillet on medium heat. Add the tablespoon of oil. Once hot, pour in the egg mixture into the skillet.
4) Add in the thinly sliced tomatoes and cheeses. Let the egg mixture cook until almost set, about 5 minutes. Top with half of the fresh basil.
5) Place pan into oven and let cook in oven for 15 minutes until the eggs are set. Carefully remove from oven and let frittata stand for 5 minutes before serving.
6) Top with remaining basil. As an optional step, drizzle on some balsamic vinegar. Serve.
Takeaways: Frittatas can be easily customized with whatever vegetables and cheeses you have on hand. They can be served hot, at room temperature, or cold.