A Frittata Where Eggs Play the Minor Role

MY decision to follow a less animal-product-centric diet a couple of years ago has led me to experiment with a lot of recipes. But this particular “invention” (I’m sure it’s traditional somewhere) has stuck with me, largely because it is different, intriguing and good. Time to share.

I call it, for want of a better term, the more-vegetable-less-egg frittata, one in which the proportions of eggs and vegetables are reversed, and the veggies take center stage.

Instead of six eggs and a cup or two of vegetables, I use two or three eggs with three or four cups of vegetables. Think of it as a big vegetable pancake bound with just enough creamy-cooked eggs to hold the thing together.

Which vegetable you use barely matters. Asparagus is gorgeous and classic, spinach works perfectly (chop it and cook it until it’s dry), zucchini, broccoli (like asparagus, parboil it first), peppers and onions ... dare I say there are no limits? I have even made this with foraged samphire (also known as sea beans) and loved it: a pile of salty crunch. You could achieve similar results with chopped snap or snow peas, green or long beans, even garlic scapes.

As in a conventional frittata, cook the eggs slowly, so they stay tender. If the top remains stubbornly runny (less of a problem here than in the more-egg version), run it under the broiler. Then serve it hot or at room temperature.