Keep it simple on Sunday with a veggie-filled frittata with or without bacon or ham and a colorful fruit medley on the side. Karen Schneider / For The Forecaster
My family seems to prefer keeping our holiday meals simple and this frittata, a dense, flavorful pie, heavy on the veg, with just enough cheesy eggs to hold it all together, fits the bill for Easter.
You can mix and match your favorite vegetables, interchange varieties of cheese, and substitute the bacon with diced ham or leave it out altogether. Unless you’re cooking for vegetarians, use at least a little bit of salty meat because the additional flavor is so good. I used uncured, sugar-free bacon for this go-round. This frittata can be served as the brunch entree or it can go nicely alongside your Easter ham with hot sauces, mustards and fruit preserves of your choosing.
Karen Schneider cooks and writes in the village of Cundy’s Harbor. You can reach her at iwrite33@comcast.net or 504-0545.
A refreshing fruit salad is always welcome at the brunch table no matter what holiday you’re celebrating. Just remember if wee ones are at that table (or roaming around the room making everything extra sticky), dice the fruit up extra small and cut those grapes in half or even quarter them. You may also want to peel the apples, and perhaps add sliced banana to the mix at the last minute.
And I must add a word about fresh pineapple – be sure it’s cleaned and peeled properly with no “prickles” left in the fruit. I recently experienced a mouth sore from pineapple prickles and I don’t want it to happen again. I didn’t know that could happen and it was most unpleasant.
Lastly, a bowl of unadorned fruit is lovely by itself, but adding just a bit of lime zest and juice along with maple syrup makes it a little more sparkly and special. This is all your fruit salad needs – let’s not coat the fresh, beautiful taste and jewel-like colors with cloying white dairy and non-dairy contenders such as Cool Whip, whipped cream, sour cream or (eek!) mayo. Just enjoy a robust helping of glistening fruit nestled amongst their berry friends served in a pretty cut glass bowl.
So for Easter brunch: a ham perhaps, along with the frittata, a green salad, the fruit salad and some hot rolls, or even just buttered toast points and jam. There will be a walk or board game after the dishes are done. Then we’ll have tea, pass around the Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs and bite the ears off all the chocolate bunnies. Happy Easter, everyone!
Oven vegetable frittata with bacon
4 strips bacon, diced
1 small onion; or 1 small leek, white part only
1 cup small broccoli florets or diced asparagus
1 cup cooked sweet potato, diced
3/4 teaspoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon rosemary
6 large eggs
3/4 cup Asiago or similar cheese, grated
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons grated cheese for garnish, optional
2 tablespoons snipped parsley or chives for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush olive oil on a glass 9-inch pie plate and set aside. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat, saute bacon until it begins to crisp up. Remove from pan and drain off the bacon drippings, on paper towels, saving 1 tablespoon for sauteing the vegetables (or use olive oil if not using bacon).
Add onion and broccoli or asparagus to the pan and saute until tender-crisp. Turn off heat and add sweet potatoes and bacon to the pan, stirring. Season with herbs, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool slightly then add to beaten eggs in bowl and gently stir.
Transfer half the egg and vegetable mixture to the pie plate. Sprinkle on cheese then add the remainder of the egg mixture. Bake for 20-30 minutes until eggs are set in the center and the edges of the frittata are beginning to turn slightly golden.
Allow to cool and set for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with parsley or chives, and more shredded cheese if desired before slicing.
Yield: 6 servings
Fruit salad with zing
1 cup each:
Apple
Clementine or tangerine sections
Pineapple
Grapes
Blueberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
1 tablespoon fresh lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
Dice the apple, clementine and pineapple. If the grapes are large, cut them in half. Place the diced fruit in a large bowl with the berries and stir gently to combine.
In a small cup, combine the lime zest, juice and sweetener. Pour over the fruit and stir gently to coat. Chill before serving.
Yield: 6 servings
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