My alma mater was pretty awesome all around, but the cafeteria was a different story. Not exactly the paramount of culinary majesty, let’s just say that I was uber-happy to have a kitchen in my dorm room for my junior and senior year. The cafeteria was certainly manageable if you knew exactly what you liked that was safe to eat – limited salad bar, yes but grilled cheese and cheese fries, no. On my safe list was a broccoli frittata made on weekends for breakfast – they doled out huge spoonfuls of fluffy eggs, broccoli, shredded carrot and cheddar cheese. For a cafeteria where cheerios and milk could prove dangerous, I adored the broccoli frittata.
Years later, jonesing for that good ol’ recipe, I came across a similar version on the Whole Foods website. Who knew? Maybe my school wasn’t so bad after all! Or at least whomever was making the broccoli frittata back there in the kitchen was holding it down. This recipe is uber-simple and works well hot or warm, so break it out for a breakfast, lunch or brunch option. It also holds up with other varieties of veggies, so feel free to raid your produce bin for other stars of the frittata.
Recipe for
Broccoli Fritatta
Ingredients
2 crowns of broccoli
1/4 c. of chopped onion or shallots
2 tbs of butter
1 c. of milk
1 c. of cheddar
1/2 c. of swiss
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. of white pepper
6 eggs
1/4 c. of flour
Chop up the broccoli and shallots (or onions) finely – I do mine in the food processor. Sauté the veggies in butter in a frying pan until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, black pepper, white pepper, flour and nutmeg until smooth. Stir in the broccoli mixture, cheddar cheese and swiss cheese. Turn out into a greased baking pan, 13x9x2 for a thin frittata or a 9×3 inch round pan for a thicker frittata, on 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the middle. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.