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This cheery frittata is just right for two

Recipe: Merry Christmas frittata with spinach and red pepper

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED DEC 24, 2023

Bring a little extra red and green to the table Christmas morning with this spinach and red pepper frittata. Debbie Arrington

What do you serve on a cozy Christmas morning? In the colors of the season, this easy frittata is perfect when it’s just you two (and you’re not feeding a crowd).

Eggs, spinach and red peppers make this easy dish.

Spinach provides the green and the last red pepper of the year the vibrant red. If no fresh red peppers are available, substitute pimiento peppers or other preserved red peppers.

Most frittata recipes require six to eight eggs – too much for two people, but needed to fill a large skillet. This mini-frittata uses only four eggs and a smaller pan – an 8-inch oven-proof skillet.

Leftover frittata can be served warm or room temperature. It also makes a good sandwich.

Merry Christmas frittata

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

½ cup onion, chopped

½ cup red pepper, chopped OR ½ cup pickled pimiento peppers, drained and chopped

2 cups spinach, roughly torn

4 eggs

¼ cup cream

½ cup milk

1 cup Italian blend cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Leftover frittata can be served warm or room
temperature, or in a sandwich.

In an ovenproof 8-inch skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Saute chopped onion and red pepper until soft. (If using, pimiento peppers, saute onions alone.) Add spinach by handfuls to the pan and saute until cooked through. (If using pimiento peppers, add after spinach is cooked.)

In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Add cream and milk. Stir in cheese.

Carefully pour egg mixture into pan. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, gently swirl batter so spinach, peppers and onions are distributed through the egg mixture.

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and puffy.

Remove from oven and let cool at least 2 minutes so the frittata pulls away from the edges of the pan. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers.

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RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

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Garden checklist for week of June 7

Afternoon highs are expected to be back in the mid 90s by midweek, then edging towards triple digits. Plan your planting and garden activities accordingly.

* Remember to water early.

* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or other summer favorites. Make sure they stay hydrated.

* 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.

* 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.

* 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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