Loaded Farmer's Market Frittata

Happy "Brunch Sundays" round two! I'm getting into "summery" foods really early this year...

As we all know, winter is my favorite season and favorite time of the year. I love everything about it: the clothes, weather, holidays, the insane amount of breaks in a 3 month period... I love it all! I've never been a huge summer fan. I mean I look forward to it for obvious reasons, aka no school, but I'd much rather have cold weather over the heat. And where I live the heat and humidity are crazy. There is one thing that the summer trumps wintertime in, and that is the food. I love a warm wintery stew or soup, roasted root veggies, and winter produce salads, but there is something about "summer food" that you just can't beat. I think of farmer's markets: juicy tomatoes, handpicked okra, ripe peaches, and sweet corn. Smoked and grilled meat, berry tarts, pickled vegetables, homemade jams... it doesn't get much better than that. Oh, and watermelon. Lots of watermelon.

One thing that instantly reminds me of the summer is a good 'ole frittata.

From about two or three summers back in middle school (probably around 5th-7th grade), I remember waking up almost every morning in the summer-- and some Saturdays in the school year-- and making an omelet for breakfast. I think goat cheese and roasted red bell pepper was my staple combo, but I would get creative and make different ones, also. Those were the times... when all I had to do on summer mornings were make omelets and watch crappy TLC (or Food Network, HGTV, Cooking Channel, Lifetime) shows. That was nice.

At some point, I realized that my omelet skills, while tasty, were not so advanced... at all. My omelets were usually quite sloppy and brown. That's when I discovered the frittata: a fluffier, easier, prettier, and (to me) much tastier version of the omelet. That became my new obsession.

Years later and I still haven't perfected the omelet. Maybe one day... but for now I'll keep making frittatas.

This particular one I made for my parents and me a couple of weekends ago for brunch (along with pancakes, sausage, and ricotta + grapefruit parfaits). We were running low on groceries, so I tried my best to empty what little ingredients we did have. So while this particular one had a random mix of veggies, I call it a "farmer's market frittata" because you can put ANY vegetables in it. And I'm super excited for the farmer's market to open. I'll definitely be remaking this with fresh picked summer veggies in a few short weeks.

Another thing I love about omelets and frittatas-- and really anything involving an egg-- is that they're the perfect canvas for any flavor profile you could ever dream of. You can even go the sweet route with them, although I've never tried that myself. Personally, I think omelets are best when savory, but I may give a sweet one a try one day. Also, this is super easy to make: just toss all your veggies in some olive oil, salt, and pepper, roast them in the oven, throw them in the egg mixture with some cheese, and ta-da: a frittata.

So what's in this frittata:

• red and sweet onion

• red and green bell pepper

• carrot

• garlic

• spinach

• green beans

• cherry tomatoes

• fresh mozzarella + parmesan

• topped with arugula and a leftover avocado dressing my mom made the night before

I kinda went a little crazy with the vegetable combination, but that's what I mean when you can literally put anything (within reason) in this! So go crazy and make yourself a stuffed frittata -- or omelet if you're not as clumsy as me.

Loaded Farmer's Market Frittata

serves 4-6

• 8 eggs (I typically do 2 eggs per person)

• any vegetables you want; see above for what I used

• 2 tbs. milk

• Seasoning: 1 tsp. each: kosher/sea salt, black pepper, dried basil, dried oregano

• 3/4 cup cheese: I used fresh mozzarella; you can use shredded or whole; use less for stronger cheeses like goat cheese*

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

• Any additional toppings: I used an avocado pesto (recipe down below), fresh parmesan shavings, and lightly dressed arugula; other toppings could be fresh herbs, fresh avocado, crispy bacon or prosciutto, etc...

*Use enough cheese to dab an even layer over the top of the frittata before broiling; this will differ depending on pan size, cheese type, personal preference, etc. I recommend layering an even layer covering the entire frittata if using shredded cheese; if using balls/globs of cheese like goat cheese/cream cheese or fresh mozzarella, just do enough so that it will spread and have a little in each bite.

Preheat oven to 425º. Toss all vegetables in enough olive oil to lightly coat them, season with salt and pepper, and roast until tender and lightly charred. 

Whisk eggs, milk, and seasoning together with a fork until lightly frothy. Over medium heat in a lightly oiled/greased (medium sized) skillet, add in 1 packed cup of the roasted vegetables (for 8 eggs) and spread evenly. The vegetables should create one thin layer with space in between them. Pour in the egg mixture and let settle until the sides looked semi-cooked (about 30 seconds). From here, take a rubber spatula and gently lift up the side, allowing some egg mixture from the top to fall beneath it and cook along the sides, creating fluffiness. Do this all the way around and repeat until the top layer of raw egg is very thin. Season with salt and pepper and spread the cheese evenly on top. Place under the broiler until the cheese just starts to melt. Take out and top with grated parmesan. Broil until the egg is completely cooked throughout, it has risen slightly, and the color is golden-brown.

Dress arugula lightly in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Top the frittata with the arugula, shaved parmesan, crushed black pepper, crushed red pepper, and avocado pesto.

Avocado "Green Goddess" Dressing/Pesto:

• 1 avocado

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley

• 1/2 cup fresh basil

• 1/4 cup cilantro

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 lemon- juice & zest

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tbs. white wine vinegar

• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed food processor or blender until creamy. Store in the refrigerator.