Squash Frittata

My favorite thing about summertime is the fresh produce – tomatoes, berries, corn, beans, peppers, cucumbers and last but not least – squash. My in-laws have about 60 laying hens and a large, high-yielding garden and I get to reap the benefits! This Sunday, they brought me zucchini, cucumbers and the pretties yellow squash you ever did see. I love eating squash raw and chopped up, sauteed, in pasta, soups and many other ways but I always seem to get into a rut with squash and find myself racking my brain for something different. There are the ubiquitous dishes like squash casserole and fried squash but I feel that those dishes tend to overcook the squash and really downplay how wonderful it is.

I remembered a beach trip last spring during which my fiance and I stopped at a lovely cafe for brunch and I had the best quiche of my life. I could make a squash quiche! No.. too heavy for the 100 degree weather yesterday and I really didn’t want to bother with a crust. Squash frittata it is! Like quiches are frittatas are made for, the ingredients in this frittata are items from my refrigerator desperately needing to be used up. That’s the beauty of frittatas – you can add just about anything your heart desires. I feel like this would have been good with turkey and brie as well but I didn’t happen to have those on hand. I had this for supper but you can have frittata any time of day.

Squash Frittata

2 medium yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 oz deli ham, chopped
1 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 c chevre, crumbled
1/4 c hard cheese, such as manchego
sea salt, pepper, to taste
olive oil

Heat oven to broiler setting.

Heat 2 T olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, squash and ham to pan and saute until vegetables are just softened. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl to cool. Wipe out pan.

Add vegetable mixture, parsley and cheese to lightly beaten eggs. Stir until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat 2 T olive oil to nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Pour in egg mixture and cook until edges start to solidify. Place pan in oven and allow to cook for about 3 more minutes or until set.

You may flip over onto a serving plate or just serve straight from the pan.

Serve while hot with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

Not-Your-College-Ramen – Fourth of July Weekend Part II

To continue my previous post on throwing things together on a busy weekend, I bring you ramen. Yes, the kind that’s so cheap it’s almost free. Caleb (aka Mr. Wonderful) loves ramen. I, on the other hand, refused to eat it in college because it’s the stereotypical college ‘meal.’ But since it’s hurricane season, I decided I’d stock the pantry with non-perishables, including about five package of ramen noodles. I couldn’t bear to serve the noodles with that insipid sodium packed seasoning and so I devised my own little take on ramen. 

Not-Your-College-Ramen

2 packages ramen noodles
1-2 zucchini (according to your preference), sliced lengthwise and cut in 1 1/2″-long pieces
15-20 leaves Tuscan kale (according to your preference)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups water
2 cups Old College Inn Culinary Broth – Thai Coconut Curry 
sriracha to taste

Ajitsuke Tamago (Marinated Soft-Boiled Eggs)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sake
2 T sugar

1. Combine soy sauce, sake and sugar in medium size mixing bowl. 
2. Bring water to a boil and boil eggs for four minutes.
3. Remove eggs from water and peel (I’m terrible at this as you can see). Gently place in bowl.          Most recipes will direct you to marinade for upwards of four hours but I only did it for 30                minutes and the effect was still there.
(Only part of the marinade is in the bowl in this picture.)
4. Add broth and water to pot and bring to a boil. Add ramen, zucchini, kale and garlic and cook       for 2-3 minutes. Add sriracha to taste; a little goes a long way here. 
5. Add broth and noodles to large bowls, top with kale and zucchini. 
6. Slice eggs in half and add to top of noodles. Add sliced green onion if desired.