Italian Fritatta

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I was staying with my sister-in-law Jeannette and she was preparing a dish for her granddaughter’s wedding shower.  So, between snacking on grapes that she kept in in a colander in the refrigerator – which by the way is a GREAT idea – I helped her.  It smelled and looked SO good I had to try it when I got home.  I tweaked her recipe and came up with this version of an Italian frittata.

There are many recipes out there for an Italian frittata – and this one may be like those – but I hope you will try it.  It takes a little bit of time to prepare and has several ingredients but tastes delicious and is sure to please your guests.

You will need Italian link sausages, green onions, mushrooms, celery, grape or cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, edam or gouda cheese, parmesan cheese, half and half, milk, and eggs.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan and crumble in 3 Italian sausages that have been removed from their casings.  When the sausage is browned, remove it with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Drain the grease from the skillet and heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  To this, add a diced stalk of celery, 3 diced green onions and ¼ lb. of sliced mushrooms.  Cook until the onions are translucent, and the mushrooms look done.  Stir in ½ teaspoon of dried Italian seasonings, ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.  Sauté 1 minute longer and set aside.  When it has cooled slightly, remove with a slotted spoon, and add to the sausage.

Chop the grape (or cherry) tomatoes to make 1 ½ – 2 cups.  I halve the smaller tomatoes and quarter the larger ones.  Add them to the sausage mixture along with ¼ lb. of grated Gouda (or Edam) cheese, ¼ cup of grated Parmesan and ¼ cup of chopped fresh basil.

In a medium size bowl whisk 6 eggs until well blended.  Add ¼ cup of half and half and ¼ cup of milk.  Whisk until combined and add to the sausage mixture.  Stir well and pour into a 9-inch springform pan.  Place the pan on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and pop in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the ring from the springform pan and slicing.  Enjoy.

 

Italian Frittata

Serves:  6 – 8

Prep time:  20 minutes

Cook time:  35 minutes

Ingredients:

3 Italian sausage links, casings removed

1 stalk of celery diced

3 green onions diced

¼ lb. of sliced mushrooms

½ teaspoon of dried Italian seasonings

1 ½ – 2 cups of chopped grape or cherry tomatoes

¼ cup of chopped fresh basil

¼ lb. grated Gouda or Edam cheese

¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese

6 eggs

¼ cup of half and half

¼ cup of milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree.  Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray, place on a parchment lined sheet pan and set aside.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan and cook the Italian sausage until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large mixing bowl.
3. Drain the grease from the sauté pan and heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the celery, onions and mushrooms and sauté until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms look cooked.  Add the Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and sauté 1 minute longer.  Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, and add to the Italian sausage.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh basil and grated Gouda and Parmesan cheeses to the sausage mixture.
5. In a medium size bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half and half and milk and whisk until well blended.  Add to the sausage mixture and stir to combine.
6. Pour the mixture into the springform pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the ring and slicing.