Frittata with Mushroom, Spinach and Gruyere

Frittata with Mushroom, Spinach and Gruyere – The Italian word frittata comes from the word fritto and means “to fry” (there’s some grammar stuff in there about past participles and whatever, but this is a cooking lesson, not a lesson in Italian, you wouldn’t want to take one from me anyway ;D). In Italy. It was originally a general word that was used to describe cooking any kind of egg in a skillet. Outside of Italy, it was used interchangeably with omelette. It is only in the last fifty or so years that it has become the word for a specific egg dish that resembles an open faced omelette. I kind of think of it as if an omelette and a quiche had a baby, it would be a frittata. The biggest difference between an omelette and a frittata is that you add the ingredients into the egg mixture for a frittata and you fold them into an omelette. Normally, frittatas are made to share and cut into slices like a pizza, this recipe is for an individual frittata but the recipe can be doubled if you want to share it. Also, this has nothing to do with cooking but, does everyone remember the a-coon-a-ma-tata (no idea how to spell that right) song, I’ve now had a-coon-a-frittata in my head for 3 days :D! Happy Cooking!
Ingredients

for the mushrooms

3 Crimini mushrooms, washed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

dash pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil
for the frittata

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 eggs

1 cup spinach, I just use a handful but if you measure, don’t pack it down, also, remove the stems

1/4 cup Gruyere Cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Wash your mushrooms-You can do this one of two ways. For just a few mushrooms, like in this recipe, wash them under cold running water. If you’re washing a lot, put them in a bowl, fill it with water and swirl it around. Then drain them. You’ve probably heard that they absorb water, maybe a little (I’ve never noticed), it won’t hurt (they may not brown as well though) and if you’re cooking them, it cooks out anyway.

2. Place mushrooms in a small (6 inch) non-stick saute pan with the olive oil on high heat.

3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Cook them to desired consistency, there should be little or no liquid left, leave them in the pan.

5. Whisk your eggs in a medium bowl, then add the cheese and spinach.

6. Put your pan (where your mushrooms are waiting) on low to medium – low heat (it depends on your stove, you don’t want to cook this fast though).

7. Spread your mushrooms out evenly and pour your egg mixture into the pan.

8. Allow the bottom to set, about 5 minutes or so, watch for the edges to start to cook.

9. Place it in the oven on broil (after the bottom sets up), if your pan isn’t oven safe, you can either flip the frittata, or cover it with a lid.

10. Allow it to cook until the egg is set – this happens quick, like sometimes in less then a minute so watch your frittata like a hawk and check it often – I keep the oven door a little bit open so I can just glance in every few seconds.

11. Remove the pan from the oven – be careful, your pan handle will be hot.  A smart thing to do, and something we do in professional kitchens is to leave your pot holder on top of the pot handle. This will help to remind you not to grab the hot handle. It also warns others in the kitchen that it is hot.

12. Carefully remove your frittata from the pan, I do this by going along the edges with a high heat rubber spatula and working my way towards the middle to make sure it isn’t sticking anywhere (you don’t want it to tear when you take it out).

13. Enjoy your delicious frittata!