Recipe: Spinach-mushroom-pancetta frittata for breakfast, lunch or dinner
An 8-inch cast-iron skillet is ideal for making this spinach-mushroom-pancetta frittata. Debbie Arrington
Frittatas – Italy’s answer to the omelet – can be cooked on top of the stove or baked in the oven. I prefer to do a little of both – starting the frittata on a burner, then finishing it at 375 degrees for a golden brown finish.
That means using an ovenproof pan that can take the heat either way. An 8-inch cast-iron skillet is ideal.
Pancetta adds an earthy saltiness to the mushrooms and spinach in this anytime frittata, which can be an entree for breakfast, lunch or dinner. (Chopped bacon or ham can be substituted for the pancetta, or skip the meat altogether. Make sure the chopped bacon is cooked through before adding the egg mixture.)
I grow my spinach in pots so I can move it out of the scorching sun in summer. But heat-resistant New Zealand spinach will work in this recipe, too.
Spinach-mushroom-pancetta frittata
Serves 2 to 4
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup onion, chopped
½ cup pancetta, diced
2 cups spinach
5 large eggs
½ cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In an 8-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Saute mushrooms and onions until onions are soft. Stir in pancetta; saute until edges start to brown. Stir in spinach, one handful at a time, until wilted.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add cream and hot sauce. Fold in cheddar cheese.
Carefully pour egg-cream mixture into the pan over the spinach-mushroom-pancetta mixture. With the handle of a wooden spoon, gently swirl contents of the pan so the filling ingredients mix with the eggs.
Transfer the pan to a 375-degree oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a thin-bladed knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
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April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
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Garden Checklist for week of June 15
Make the most of this “average” weather; your garden is growing fast! (So are the weeds!)
* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.
* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don’t let them dry out completely. That can encourage blossom-end rot.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
* Pull weeds before they go to seed.
* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather. It also helps smother weeds.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.
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