Cauliflower, Tomato & Feta Frittata

Frittatas are a favorite food in our house. Second only to vegetable hashes topped with eggs.I mean, really, what’s not to love? Eggs, vegetables and, typically, cheese. So good, we tend to dive in before I can take a decent picture…

I had bought a locally grown cauliflower. These are so big that the quart of florets I used in this frittata only used 1/3 of the cauliflower. I really have never seen anything like the cauliflowers we have gotten this year, they are almost a foot across.

To get the fullest flavor, this frittata takes some advance planning. The vegetables should be prepared earlier in the day (or the day before) so the flavors can meld well. This is full of great flavor!

This will serve 6 – 8 as an appetizer or 3 – 4 as a main dish (which is how we usually eat our frittatas).

Cauliflower, Tomato & Feta Frittata

from Margaret Rose Shulman

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice

Pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (from the garden)

½ medium head cauliflower, cored and cut or broken into small florets (about 3 – 4 cups florets) (locally grown)

2 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

8 large eggs

Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a heavy 10-inch skillet, preferably nonstick. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until it begins to smell fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with liquid, sugar, salt and basil sprig or thyme. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down to a fragrant, dry sauce, about 20 minutes. Remove basil sprig. Taste and adjust seasonings.

While sauce is simmering, steam cauliflower 5 to 8 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Add to tomato sauce and break up into small pieces with the back of your spoon. If possible, refrigerate uncovered overnight or for a few hours.

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in salt (about 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, tomato sauce with cauliflower, feta, optional olives and herbs.

Clean and dry skillet and return to heat. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in the skillet. Hold your hand above it; it should feel hot. Drop a bit of egg into the pan and if it sizzles and cooks at once, pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Swirl pan to distribute eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up edges of frittata with the spatula in your other hand, to let eggs run underneath during first few minutes of cooking.

Once a few layers of egg have set, turn heat down to very low, cover (use a pizza pan if you don’t have a lid that will fit your skillet), and cook 10 to 15 minutes, shaking pan gently every once in a while and lifting up the frittata and tilting the pan to let egg run underneath. Frittata should be just about set, except for the top.

Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Uncover pan and place under broiler, not too closeto heat, for 1 to 3 minutes, watching very carefully to make sure top doesn’t burn (at most, it should brown in spots and puff under the broiler). Remove from heat, shake pan to make sure the frittata isn’t sticking and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes and for up to 15.

Loosen edges with a wooden or plastic spatula. Carefully slide from pan onto a large round platter. Cut into wedges or into smaller bite-size diamonds. Serve hot, warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Serves 6 – 8 as an appetizer or 3 – 4 as a main dish.