This week, we’re excited to bring you a recipe by Susan Reda from Learning Outside, a TLC partner organization providing outdoor environmental education experiences at TLC’s J. Logan and Elinor Moore Irvin Nature Preserve in Orange County. If you attended the December grand trail opening event at Horton Grove, you may have even gotten a taste of the recipe below!
The frittata is an easy and nutritious dish that is perfect to prepare with any aspiring Young Chefs you may know! Just add a salad and/or a cup of your favorite soup for a quick and satisfying weeknight dinner or weekend brunch. This frittata recipe was inspired by the gift of a basket of eggs from Learning Outside’s hens. Children who attend Learning Outside’s programs happily take on the responsibility of feeding and caring for them each day! There are eighteen hens in this beautiful flock and each hen’s name holds a clue to her breed. Ping, for example, is a Buff Orpington, Red is a New Hampshire Red, Connie is an Ancona, and Camp is a Golden Campine. Learning by association is an excellent tool especially for young children. By the way, it worked for me as well!
Frittata
Ingredients:
3 medium sized red potatoes, thinly sliced
(3) 5” to 6” zucchini, thinly sliced
3 baby leeks, thinly sliced
1 med. onion, thinly sliced
1 – 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
8 eggs
¼ to ½ cup of fresh basil, parsley and thyme, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
2 T. olive oil
¾ – 1 cup of goat cheese feta, crumbled
Sauté onions, leeks, potatoes in olive oil over medium heat until onions turn translucent. About 10 minutes.
Add zucchini and garlic. Toss all ingredients well and continue cooking until zucchini begins to wilt a little.
In separate bowl, beat 8 eggs, vigorously, to incorporate air. Add herbs, salt and pepper and cheese.
Evenly pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. Stir gently and lift ingredients with a rubber spatula to make sure eggs are mixed with all of the vegetables.
Cook over medium low heat until eggs begin to set, though middle of skillet is still jiggly. About 10 minutes. Transfer to oven and broil until golden brown, only 3 to 4 minutes.
Let cool, just a couple of minutes, then cut in wedges, and serve your delicious frittata directly from the iron skillet.
Fun fact: Frittata is an Italian word that was derived from “fritto”, which means to fry and was originally general term for cooking eggs in a skillet.
