It’s the weekend! So here’s to sleeping in, wearing sweats as late as possible and my favorite meal ever, brunch. That golden hour somewhere between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm when I sleep past breakfast but I’m not quite ready for lunch is my favorite time of the weekend.
As much as I love meeting up with friends at one of our favorite brunch spots, there are some mornings when the allure of staying in sweats and not doing anything with my hair is too much and I opt to cook something instead.
Frittatas are a great brunch option. They can feed a crowd or if you’re cooking for one or two, they’ll keep in the fridge for a couple of days. There are a few basic ground rules when it comes to making a good frittata but once you have those down, you can make one with just about anything you have in the fridge.
The best formula for a frittata is 6 eggs to 1/4 cup of milk. Another key is to season each component while you cook to ensure the fluffy egg bake has flavor throughout. After that, whatever you want to add is pretty much fair game.
This frittata is made with fennel, which has a sweet, almost licorice-like taste. Fear not fellow licorice haters, once you cook it down and get it caramelized, the sweet flavor of the fennel comes out more and the licorice tones get overpowered. If I can eat it, you can eat it.
I start by slicing my fennel really thin and throwing it in a pan with olive oil over medium heat until they soften and turn a little brown. Then I toss in a zucchini and cook until soft before pouring in my mixture of eggs, milk, and cheese. The whole pan goes in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the eggs puff up and the top loses it’s glossy sheen letting you know the eggs are cooked through.
There are 6 eggs in the picture above, I promise. I had twin yolks in one of the eggs. Perfectly safe to eat, I Googled it.
This is such a great dish to entertain with but easy enough for the mornings when you don’t want to do anything. Try it this weekend!
Fennel Zucchini Parmesan Frittata
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Fennel Bulb
- 1 Medium Zucchini
- 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
- 6 Eggs
- 1/4 Milk
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Thyme (optional)
Turn the oven to 375
Heat an oven-proof skillet over Medium heat and add olive oil. While the pan is heating, slice the fennel (just the white part) and zucchini. Add the fennel to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Once the fennel has softened and slightly caramelized, add the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Crack the eggs and beat with a whisk. Add the milk and continue to whisk thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the parmesan and add the egg mixture to the pan, combining everything.
Pop the skillet in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until firm. I like get it out of the oven right when the top gets puffy and is no longer shiny.
Top with some fresh thyme (optional) then cut, serve and enjoy!
