Caper Zucchini Ricotta Frittata
PrintIngredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 Medium Onion Sliced
- 2 Medium Zucchinis Chopped into chunks
- 1 Tbsp Capers
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Fresh thyme
- 6 Large Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Milk Preferably whole
- 1/2 Cup Ricotta Divided in half
- 1/4 Cup Marinara or tomato sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- Heat a medium cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onions to the pan. Stir the onions and cook until translucent.
- Add the zucchini and capers and stir until the zucchini start to brown. Once the zucchini are brown, add the salt and stir.
- While the zucchini is cooking whisk the eggs, milk, and 1/4 cup of ricotta in a large bowl.
- Pour half of the egg mixture to the pan. Spoon a few dollops of marinara or tomato sauce over the top. Add the rest of the egg mixture to the pan and spoon the rest of the marinara over the top. Dollop the rest of the ricotta across the top. Don't worry about making the marinara or ricotta perfectly even, you want pockets of these flavors throughout the frittata.
- Let the frittata cook on the stove top for 3-4 minutes or until the edges start to firm up just a bit. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top of your frittata has puffed up and turned golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
In her award-winning book, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,” chef Samin Nosrat boils down four critical elements to consider when developing a recipe. Salt to enhance flavor, fat to bring out the flavor, acid to balance the flavor, and heat to develop the texture.
A documentary series on Netflix based on this book is a must-watch if you want to become a better home cook. This truly changed the way I approach cooking at home. Samin is a delight to watch as she explores ways to incorporate each of these elements into various recipes.
Thanks to her teaching, what was a simple fridge clean-out turned into a delicious frittata that was too good not to share. To incorporate the element of salt, I turned to capers. Salty, briny capers are a funky way to add a little savory element that enhances the flavor of the dish.
A half eaten tub of ricotta cheese tucked in the back of the fridge was begging to be used as my fat element. Creamy cheese is the perfect vessel to deliver the punchy caper flavor.
For acid, dollops of marinara left over from pizza night swirled throughout the eggs create balance in this dish.
Finally, this frittata gets baked in the oven to create pillowy soft eggs with a puffy, toasty top.
This frittata is wonderfully balanced, savory and such a delight. It was so fun to get creative with the elements in this dish and I highly encourage you to check out the “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” documentary on Netflix.
