Brunch time – Zucchini and Leek Frittata

Brunch.  A meal that’s later than breakfast, but not quite lunch.  Brunch – that’s what I’ve been doing over the past few weekends.  My favorite item to make for brunch is a frittata.  It’s like a quiche without its crust, but more substantial than a typical omelet.  Today’s Zucchini and Leek Frittata is another Ina Garten recipe from her book, Cooking for Jeffrey.

I wasn’t able to find her original recipe online to add as a link, however if you click here you will find a publication that shows the ingredient list.  If you’ve read any previous posts I’ve done on frittatas or have experience making them yourself, you can pretty much figure it out just from the ingredient list.

All basic frittatas start with sauteing cured meats and/or vegetables in butter and olive oil.  Next you pour in a whisked egg mixture that includes some type of milk, cheese and seasonings like fresh herbs, salt and pepper.  You cook the eggs on the stove top briefly, top them with more cheese and then finish them in a 350 oven until the eggs are puffed up and slightly browned on top. Make sure you use an oven safe skillet.  If you don’t have one that can handle high oven temperatures, you need to invest in one.  Lately I’ve been doing a lot of cooking that starts in a skillet on the stove top and finishes in a hot oven.

This frittata calls for a delicious gruyere cheese. Luckily the average grocery store has an entire section devoted to imported specialty cheese.  They are so full of amazing flavor and come in endless varieties.

As you know, I am a cheese lover…haven’t met a cheese I didn’t like (except for that weird rubbery bright orange stuff) that you usually find in the dairy section of most grocers.  So, spring for some special, imported cheese in a recipe like this.  No basic bag of “shredded” american cheese can compare to the delicious nutty, deep flavor of gruyere.

Zucchini and Leek Frittata