There is much to be said for a light supper. We don’t always want or need a large meal in the evening and so when hubby and I are feeling only a bit peckish, a frittata is one of our favorite dinnertime solutions. Similar to an omelet, but without the technique laden flip and fold, it’s a quick and easy one pan meal with no special shopping necessary. As long as I have a few eggs  there are usually plenty of tasty ingredients on hand in the pantry and refrigerator to fill out the dish. 

Omelets and frittatas are one of the best ways to utilize those leftover bits from previous meals that don’t quite add up to a proper meal for two, but for this one night  I had to start from scratch. No leftover Chinese cartons of fried rice or mac and cheese peeked back at me from the inside the frig. However, I did have a lovely bunch of Swiss chard and decided that IT should be the centerpiece of the dish. What made this frittata different from the ones I’ve made in the past was that I used the whole bunch of greens and a smaller amount of potato so that  the greens actually created the bulk of the dish. I think the combination resulted in a more toothsome frittata, and I’ll stick with this high vegetable ratio  whether filling the eggy cake with broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms or other countless vegetable combinations the next time.

To give the filling extra flavor I cooked the onion, potato, chard stems and greens in bacon fat. In my opinion, just a touch of salty pork makes everything taste better, but if you want to keep your frittata on the vegetarian side, skip the bacon and substitute a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. To make the meal seem less Spartan, serve this simple meal with a glass of wine à la Elizabeth David who “regard(s) a glass or two of wine as not, obviously, essential but at least an enormous enhancement of the enjoyment of a well-cooked omelet.” I’m not sure of Elizabeth’s wine preference, but I prefer a non-oaked chardonnay with most egg dishes.  If you can find it,  Kim Crawford makes an especially nice yet inexpensive quaffer.

So there you go. The recipe for a simple, civilized meal is probably lurking in your refrigerator at this very moment. Elizabeth David said it best, “Let’s just have an omelet (or frittata) and a glass of wine”!

Kitchen Counter Point: When it comes to filling omelets and frittatas, greens reign supreme. Dark green leafy vegetables are, calorie for calorie, perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. Chard is one of my all time favorites. I just love the magenta stems and leathery green leaves, but don’t overlook other tasty options such as escarole (yes, the lettuce), frisée, collards, dandelion, arugula, mizuna and spinach. I haven’t included kale here, because it is very tough and most times needs more than a quick sauté to render it tender. As I said above, greens love salty pork, but they also have an affinity for onions and garlic.  I usually begin the sauté in olive oil with the onion and stems, followed by the greens and then add the garlic for only the last few minutes to insure that it doesn’t over brown and become bitter.

Serves 2

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 Yukon gold potato, finely diced, about 1 cup
1 bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and thinly sliced, stems finely diced
Pinch salt
Pinch nutmeg
Grind of pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
5 large eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons half and half, milk or water
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 grinds fresh pepper
Pinch Cayenne
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Heat the olive oil in an 8-inch cast iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned and crispy on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Remove the bacon from the pan and transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve.

Cook the onion in the hot fat in the pan until it softens, about 3 minutes. Add the finely diced potato and chard stems, reduce the heat to medium and sauté the potato, stirring every now and then until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the Swiss chard in bunches, adding more greens as they wilt and room allows. When the chard is wilted, add the pinch of salt, nutmeg, pepper and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes or until the greens are tender.

Beat the eggs with the salt, pepper and pinch of cayenne.

Set the oven rack to the second highest position and preheat the broiler.

Crumble and sprinkle the reserved bacon and feta cheese into the greens and pour the eggs evenly over all. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 2 minutes, covered. Uncover and transfer the pan to the broiler and broil for about 4 minutes or until the eggs are set and the top is browned. Remove the frittata from the oven and let rest for 3 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve hot or at room temperature.