Chorizo, Potato, and Spinach Frittata with Crumbled Fresh Goat Cheese, Cooking from Your Pantry

Chorizo, Potato, and Spinach Frittata with Crumbled Fresh Goat Cheese

Spanish chorizo is a spicy hard sausage. It can be difficult to slice as thin as you want for this recipe, so to save yourself that step, buy packaged presliced chorizo or buy the chorizo from a deli where it can be sliced for you on a meat slicer.

30 MINUTES

2 teaspoons canola oil (or other neutral-flavored oil)

1 ounce Spanish chorizo, very thinly sliced

2 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter

½ cup canned or jarred potatoes, sliced ½ inch thick (about 16 slices)

12 large eggs

2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about ¼ cup)

Freshly ground black pepper

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until it’s almost smoking (you will begin to smell the oil at that point). Add the chorizo and cook it for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it’s slightly crisp. Turn off the heat and add the spinach to the pan. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and fold the spinach with the chorizo and oil until it wilts slightly. Remove the spinach and chorizo to a bowl.

Wipe out the skillet and then heat the ghee in it over high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook them for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re warmed through.

While the potatoes are cooking, lightly beat the eggs with the kosher salt and pour them into the skillet over the potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-high. As the eggs cook, use a heatproof rubber spatula to draw the edges inward, away from the sides of the pan, tilting the pan so the raw egg runs into the space created. Continue cooking in this way for 4 to 5 minutes, until no egg runs off when you tilt the pan but the top layer of the frittata is still runny and wet looking.

Spoon the chorizo and spinach over the eggs in clumps, leaving room to see the egg poking through in spots and a rim of egg around the edge. Scatter the crumbled goat cheese over the spinach and chorizo and bake the frittata until it’s just set but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.

Run a spatula under the frittata to make sure it’s not sticking. Shake the pan slightly to further loosen it, slide it onto a large plate, and season it with freshly ground black pepper.

Sausage and Piquillo Pepper Frittata with Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Sauce (on the Side)

I like to serve the tomato sauce on the side with this frittata. I don’t pour the sauce on it directly for the same reason I wouldn’t serve French fries with the ketchup poured over them: I don’t want the eggs to get saturated and soggy. Also, people like to use different amounts on their serving. And, just as important, it doesn’t look pretty.

30 MINUTES

½ cup pasta sauce

2 tablespoons canola oil (or other neutral-flavored oil)

1 sweet or spicy Italian pork sausage (preferably flavored with fennel; about 4 ounces)

4 small jarred onions, quartered (about 1 ounce or ¼ cup)

2 roasted Piquillo peppers, ripped into small pieces (about 2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter

12 large eggs

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 ounces fresh mozzarella, shredded (about ¼ cup)

Freshly ground black pepper

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Heat the pasta sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often to keep it from scorching.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oil’s almost smoking (you will begin to smell the oil at that point). Slash the sausage casing with a knife and squeeze the sausage meat out of the casing and into the skillet; discard the casing. Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally and breaking it into small pieces as it cooks, until it’s just browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and sauté the sausage and onions together for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are golden brown. Transfer the sausage and onions into a bowl and stir in the Piquillo peppers.

Wipe out the pan you cooked the sausages in, then add the ghee and heat it over high heat for about 2 minutes. Lightly beat the eggs with the kosher salt and pour them into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-high. As the eggs cook, use a heatproof rubber spatula to draw the edges inward, away from the sides of the pan, tilting the pan so the raw egg runs into the space created. Continue cooking in this way for 4 to 5 minutes, until no egg runs off when you tilt the pan, but the top layer of the frittata is still runny and wet looking.

Spoon the sausage and onions over the eggs in clumps, leaving room to see the egg poking through in spots and a rim of egg around the edge. Sprinkle the mozzarella between, not on top of, the sausage mixture, and bake the frittata until it’s just set but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.

Run a spatula under the frittata to make sure it’s not sticking. Shake the pan slightly to further loosen it, slide it onto a large plate, and season it with freshly ground black pepper. Serve the frittata with the tomato sauce on the side.

Frittata with Anchovies, Chives, and Shaved Truffle Butter

I use truffle butter in this frittata in two places—first in the skillet to cook the eggs, then shaved over the finished frittata. The shaved truffle butter reminds me of the look of shaved white truffles. D’Artagnan makes a really nice truffle butter, shaped in a tube, but there are other brands that are probably just as delicious.

30 MINUTES

2½ ounces frozen truffle butter (about 5 tablespoons), plus extra for shaving on the frittata

12 large eggs

½ cup finely chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon kosher salt

5–8 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Melt the truffle butter in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and heat it for about 2 minutes, until it’s hot but doesn’t brown. Lightly beat the eggs with the chives and the kosher salt and pour them into the pan. As the eggs cook, use a heatproof rubber spatula to draw the edges inward, away from the sides of the pan, tilting the pan so the raw egg runs into the space created. Continue cooking in this way for 4 to 5 minutes, until no egg runs off when you tilt the pan, but the top layer of the frittata is still runny and wet looking.

Smear the chopped anchovy over the frittata, using only as much as you like, sprinkle it with the thyme, and bake the frittata until it is just set but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.

Run a spatula under the frittata to make sure it’s not sticking, shake the pan slightly to further loosen the frittata, and slide it onto a large plate. Use a small, sharp knife to shave truffle butter over the frittata.

Olive and Feta Frittata with Fresh Basil

My favorite feta is a French brand, Valbreso. It has an intense flavor without being too salty, and it’s creamy, not dry or chalky. I like to use basil whole or, if I really want smaller pieces as in this recipe, I use scissors to cut it. Chopped, it tends to bruise and look black on the edges. Besides, I just don’t like it when my basil looks like lawn clippings.

25 MINUTES

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter

12 large eggs

2 teaspoons kosher salt

30 small pitted black olives

2 ounces feta, crumbled (about ¼ cup)

High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Freshly ground black pepper

4 large fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 450°F and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

Heat the ghee in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes. Lightly beat the eggs with the kosher salt and pour them into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-high. As the eggs cook, use a heatproof rubber spatula to draw the edges inward, away from the sides of the pan, tilting the pan so the raw egg runs into the space created. Continue cooking in this way for 4 to 5 minutes, until no egg runs off when you tilt the pan but the top layer of the frittata is still runny and wet looking.

Spoon the olives and feta over the eggs in clumps, leaving room to see the egg poking through in spots and a rim of egg around the edge. Bake the frittata until it’s just set but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.

Run a spatula under the frittata to make sure it’s not sticking. Shake the pan slightly to further loosen it and slide it onto a large plate. Drizzle the frittata with the high-quality olive oil, season it with freshly ground black pepper, and, using scissors, snip the basil into small pieces directly over the top.

Mushroom Frittata with Cantal Cheese and Fresh Thyme

I always resisted the temptation to buy the beautiful jars of mixed marinated mushrooms I saw in Italy because I couldn’t imagine that they could possibly taste any better than the horrible, slimy, domestic mushrooms we have here. But after I took the oath for this book—try everything in a jar or can!—I bought them and was pleasantly surprised at how good they tasted. When you’re shopping for mushrooms, find a brand that contains a variety. The varying flavors, textures, and shapes make this frittata more interesting. The most important thing in selecting mushrooms for this recipe, though, is that they be marinated in oil, not pickled in vinegar. This frittata is topped with Cantal cheese, a pungent French cow’s milk cheese made in a similar way to Cheddar. If you can’t find it, substitute Emmenthaler or raclette.

25 MINUTES

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter

12 large eggs

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 ounces jarred marinated mushrooms (about ¼ cup) sliced ¼ inch thick

2 ounces Cantal cheese, shredded (about ½ cup)

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Spoon the mushrooms over the eggs in clumps, leaving room to see the egg poking through in spots and a rim of egg around the edge. Sprinkle with the cheese, top with the thyme, and bake the frittata until it’s just set but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.

Run a spatula under the frittata to make sure it’s not sticking. Shake the pan slightly to further loosen it, slide it onto a large plate, and season it with freshly ground black pepper.

Shrimp and Jalapeño Pepper Frittata with Avocado and Fresh Cilantro

This frittata starts with cooked shrimp. Because you don’t recook the shrimp, just bake them directly into the frittata for a few minutes, make sure they’re at room temperature before you use them. Otherwise, they may still be cold when you take the frittata out of the oven.

30 MINUTES

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter

12 large eggs

2 teaspoons kosher salt

6 ounces cooked jumbo shrimp (21–25 count), peeled and tails removed, at room temperature

2 small pickled jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced into rings (seeds intact)

1 ripe Hass avocado

Sea salt

Heaping ¼ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves

Tabasco sauce

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Heat the ghee in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes. Lightly beat the eggs with the kosher salt and pour them into the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-high. As the eggs cook, use a heatproof rubber spatula to draw the edges inward, away from the sides of the pan, tilting the pan so the raw egg runs into the space created. Continue cooking in this way for 4 to 5 minutes, until no egg runs off when you tilt the pan but the top layer of the frittata is still runny and wet looking.

Randomly arrange the shrimp over the frittata. Sprinkle the jalapeño peppers around the shrimp and bake the frittata until it’s just set but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.

Run a spatula under the frittata to make sure it’s not sticking, shake the pan slightly to further loosen it, and slide it onto a large plate.

Halve the avocado, remove and discard the pit, and season it with sea salt. Scoop the avocado out of the peel in spoonfuls onto the frittata and discard the peel. Sprinkle the cilantro leaves and a few dashes of Tabasco over the frittata and serve it with Tabasco on the table for people to add more if they like.

Plain Frittata Topped with Prosciutto, Arugula, Shaved Parmesan, and Aged Balsamic Vinegar

This frittata is cooked without adding any extra ingredients to the eggs. The prosciutto and arugula are piled on top at the end, like a salad, and drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar. Italians love the combination of balsamic vinegar and eggs. So do I. I’m conservative with the amount I drizzle over the frittata, because I like to serve the balsamic vinegar at the table for people to season each bite.

20 MINUTES

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter

12 large eggs

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar, plus extra for drizzling and for serving on the table

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

1½ cups loosely packed arugula leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Parmigiano-Reggiano wedge, for shaving

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Bake the frittata until it’s just set but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.

Run a spatula under the frittata to make sure it’s not sticking, shake the pan slightly to further loosen it, and slide it onto a large plate. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the frittata and rumple the prosciutto slices over the top so the egg shows between the slices. Pile the arugula in the center of the frittata, leaving a border of egg around the edge. Season the arugula with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle it with the high-quality olive oil and a little more balsamic vinegar. Use a small, sharp knife or a vegetable peeler to cut or shave 10 to 14 very thin slices from the wedge of Parmesan and scatter them over the frittata. Serve the frittata with balsamic vinegar on the table for people to drizzle over their slices if they like.

Bacon, Onion, and Gruyère Frittata

Who doesn’t like bacon and eggs with melted cheese? The only problem with this combination is that nobody ever eats it except for breakfast. A frittata gives you permission to eat it for dinner, too.

25 MINUTES

2 teaspoons canola oil (or other neutral-flavored oil)

4 strips thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, cut into ¼-inch-wide pieces

10 small jarred onions, quartered (about 2½ ounces or ⅔ cup)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter

12 large eggs

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 ounce Gruyère cheese, shredded (about ¼ cup)

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the oil is almost smoking (you will begin to smell the oil at that point). Add the bacon and fry it until it’s almost cooked, about 1½ minutes. Add the onion and cook it for about 1 minute, until it’s warmed through and the bacon is cooked but still chewy, not browned or crispy. Remove the bacon and onions to a plate.

Wipe out the pan you cooked the bacon in and heat the ghee over high heat for about 2 minutes. Lightly beat the eggs with the kosher salt and pour them into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-high. As the eggs cook, use a heatproof rubber spatula to draw the edges inward, away from the sides of the pan, tilting the pan so the raw egg runs into the space created. Continue cooking in this way for 4 to 5 minutes, until no egg runs off when you tilt the pan but the top layer of the frittata is still runny and wet looking.

Spoon the bacon and onions over the frittata in clumps, leaving room to see the egg poking through in spots and a rim of egg around the edge. Sprinkle with the cheese, then with the thyme, and bake the frittata until it’s just set but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.

Run a spatula under the frittata to make sure it’s not sticking. Shake the pan slightly to further loosen it, slide it onto a large plate, and season it with freshly ground black pepper.

Olive Oil-Fried Eggs on Toast with Fresh Mozzarella and Spicy Harissa Sauce

I made a version of this at Jar, a restaurant in Los Angeles where I served a mozzarella menu from the bar on Monday nights. Because this book is about using jarred and prepackaged products, I make the sauce starting with premade harissa, which is a North African spice mixture, instead of making it from scratch. This dish is very rich, but not quite substantial enough for a meal. I recommend you serve it with a simple green salad or Tri-Colore Salad.

30 MINUTES

4 1-inch-thick slices brioche or large sourdough bread

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing the toast

1 large garlic clove

FOR THE HARISSA SAUCE

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons harissa

2 teaspoons red pepper paste

1 large garlic clove, grated or minced (about 1 teaspoon)

½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 large eggs

6 ounces fresh mozzarella, shredded (about 1 cup)

Sea salt

12 fresh Italian parsley leaves

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet, brush the tops with olive oil, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they’re lightly toasted and golden brown. (You can also toast the bread in a toaster, but without the oil. Then brush the toast with oil after they’re done.) Rub the oiled side of the toast with the garlic and set them on each of four plates, garlic side up.

Turn the oven up to broil.

To make the harissa sauce, whisk the olive oil, harissa, red pepper paste, garlic, lemon juice, and kosher salt together in a small bowl. The sauce may appear “broken,” but this isn’t a problem.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oil’s almost smoking (you will begin to smell the oil at that point). Break one egg into a small bowl, and then pour the egg into the skillet. Let it just begin to set around the edges, then break the second egg into the bowl and pour it into the skillet. (By waiting a moment before adding the second egg, the eggs won’t set together and will be easy to separate and serve individually.) Cook them for about 1½ minutes, until the edges are golden and crispy and the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Remove the eggs to a baking pan or dish and cook the remaining two eggs in the same way and add them to the baking pan.

Sprinkle the mozzarella over the eggs and place them under the broiler for about 30 seconds, until the cheese is melted and the very bottom of the yolks are set but the centers are still slightly runny. (The eggs won’t have the total runniness of sunny-side-up eggs; they will have more texture than that, but not so much that they are like hard-cooked eggs.)

Remove the pan from the oven and carefully slide the eggs onto the pieces of toast. Sprinkle the eggs with sea salt. Whisk the harissa sauce again and pour it over the eggs, dividing it evenly and making sure not to cover the eggs completely, and scatter the parsley leaves over the tops of the eggs.