16 January 2012
For Your Next Brunch: Pancetta, Onion, and Basil Frittata
I know I said I was going to make Baked Egg Boats for a brunch I had over the weekend, but I had a last-minute change of heart. I wanted to make a separate egg dish and bread dish, since I’m not a huge bread eater. For the egg dish, I went with my go-to “tastes fancy but is really simple” dish: frittata.
For my frittata technique, check out this frittata cooking demo video I made last year. I used ingredients I had picked up for the Baked Egg Boats: pancetta, onion, and basil (basil isn’t part of the original recipe, but when does it NOT work in a recipe?!).
You’ll need (makes 6 fairly large slices):
- large bunch basil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- .5 lb pancetta, finely diced
- 1.5 cups sharp cheddar, grated
- dozen eggs
- .5 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Make it:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Whisk the eggs with the cream and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Saute the pancetta and onions for 5-10 minutes over medium heat in a large oven-safe pan until the onions start to become translucent.
- Stir the basil into the onion and pancetta mixture and let everything saute together until the basil cooks down — another 5ish minutes.
- Lower the heat (you may even want to take the pan off the burner for a few minutes), and then add the egg/cream mixture.
- Cook on the stove until the edges of the egg mixture begin to harden (another 5-10 minutes).
- After the edges are firm, add the cheese and stick the whole pan in the oven.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the middle is visibly firm (not liquidy).
- Optional: I turn on the broiler for a few minutes at the end to caramelize everything. If you do this, WATCH CAREFULLY! It will burn easily.
- Slice and serve!
One of my brunch guests said this was the best frittata she’s ever eaten, and my boyfriend said it may be his favorite thing I’ve ever made. That surprised me, but at the same time, basil does make everything better… so it could be true!
I served the frittata with cinnamon French toast I made using the baguettes meant for the egg boats (recipe here - more like a bread pudding than French toast, so be warned).
Oh, brunch, you’re the best. Unfortunately, now I’m sick, and the only thing that sounds good is (you guessed it) soup.
