Wednesday, February 15, 2006

 

The Naked Animal is on ice and in the oven

On ice because I'm busy watching (on TV) and commenting on the figure skating competition at the 2006 Olympics--check out the latest on my skating blog, Dream of the Perfect Double Axel.

In the oven because I've been so busy blogging that I'm heating up leftovers instead of making myself a fresh between-shift meal. But they're good leftovers. Last night, Philip made a brilliant rosemary-rubbed pork roast for "Pal-entine's Day," so I've got a few slices of that, and I've got a nice big slab of a fritatta I'd made the night before. Actually, this frittata should be called a fornata (or something like that), since it's baked, not fried. It also happens to be one of the easiest, healthiest, and most delicious "casserole"-style dishes you'll ever encounter, perfect for any meal and any size of group, and I'd like to share it with you.

Here's what you'll need for the "original recipe," though you can change some ingredients (or size, for that matter) as noted:

a large Pyrex baking dish
a baker's dozen of eggs
six medium zucchini and two large handfuls of crimini mushrooms (or any other veggie)
a hefty block of goat's feta cheese (or any other cheese)
four garlic cloves and half a red onion (optional)
salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste
a small handful of chopped fresh Greek Oregano (or any other fresh herb)
unsalted butter to grease the baking dish

Here's how you put it all together:

Thinly slice the zucchini and mushrooms (or veg of your choice)--and I mean thin, paper thin if you can. Chop up the garlic and onions, and your herbs. Now break your 13 eggs into a large bowl and beat thoroughly. Add your veggies, garlic, onions and herbs to the egg mixture. Crumble (or grate) your cheese into the mixture; add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste; then fold it all together with a wooden spoon or spatula until everything is uniformly blended. Pour the mixture into your Pyrex baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until springy in the middle. For a further twist, you can add some parmesan or pecorino, finely grated, as a topping about ten minutes before pulling it out of the oven. You can also cook it just a little longer to increase the firmness, and serve small pieces of it as an hors d'oeuvre.

Yum, I hope it's not burning--gotta run. Enjoy!

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