Post by Alison Hein.
We’d been trying to get together with our wonderful neighbors Ann and Frank for ages. (You may recall Frank for his tantalizing Frittata Italiana-Mexicana posted here a few years back.) But with daily responsibilities, weekend commitments, and intermittent travel plans, we have been finding it increasingly difficult to coordinate all of our hectic schedules.
We finally decided to simply invite them, spur of the moment, for a glass of wine and some snacks. They immediately accepted, but offered dinner in return. We, in turn, immediately accepted, and offered to bring dessert. Thus, a mini-progressive dinner was born. (Anyone out there remember progressive dinners – appetizers at Neighbor A, soup or salad at Neighbor B, entrée at Neighbor C, and dessert at Neighbor D?
We decided to go with an Italian theme. I kept it simple and served fresh melon with prosciutto to go along with Ann’s amazing fresh pasta with Bolognese sauce, eggplant parmesan, and chicken parmesan. Dessert was fresh berries with zabaglione.
My breakfast recipe lightbulb went off the next day. How about a savory frittata (homage to Frank), replete with a few bites of delicately aged and salted prosciutto, and finished, Italian-style, with some zesty parmesan? A sprinkling of green basil at the finish, and a sweet side of juicy cantaloupe made a delightful spur-of-the-moment breakfast in bed.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons high-heat olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 slices prosciutto, cut into small pieces
7 eggs
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish
Fresh cantaloupe slices on the side (optional)
Preparation
Pour olive oil into a 10-inch ovenproof heavy frying pan, and place on stove over medium heat. Add chopped onion to pan, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato, garlic and prosciutto and cook for about 2 minutes more. Reduce heat to low.
Break eggs into a large bowl, and whisk until smooth and thickened. Stir in ½ cup grated parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pour egg-cheese mixture over onion-tomato mixture. Continue to cook, gently moving uncooked eggs back around the sides of the pan, until edges are set, about 7 to 9 minutes. Sprinkle frittata with remaining parmesan cheese. Place frying pan under broiler, about 5 inches from direct heat. Broil frittata until eggs are firm and do not jiggle, about 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately. Place a serving of fresh cantaloupe on the side, if you like.
Makes 4 – 6 servings.
