Learning to cook has been a lifelong process for me. Each time I go to the kitchen, take out the mixing bowls or saucepans, I commit to learning something new even if it’s just a different herb or spice or cooking gadget. The BEST way to learn to cook is frankly, get in the kitchen and cook. Follow recipes from a cookbook you trust or a food blogger/writer you trust and cook. Once you understand the ratios, you’ll be able to cook without recipes.
Cook what you like to eat. I’m constantly amazed when I hear things like I heard at the market yesterday.
Woman to friend: “I need to buy some kale for smoothies this week, don’t let me forget.”
Friend to woman: “Do you like kale smoothies?”
Woman to friend: “No, I have to hold my nose and drink it.”
I couldn’t believe it. The only time I’d hold my nose is if I were pushed off a bridge into a river. With all the different foods available, why punish yourself to the point of holding your nose?
For sure I don’t like everything I taste but I keep tasting because it’s possible I need to let it grow on me. That’s a lot different from going to the market and buying something I know I don’t like because someone else told me it was good for me.
Kale was just an example. Kale lovers, don’t be hatin’. I have tried baked kale chips and those went down without any nose holding and without a tremendous amount of bitterness. Some people enjoy a bitter taste but I could do without it.
What I do love is a vegetable frittata any time of the day. It’s simple as can be to make, only requires whatever vegetables you’ve got in the fridge or pantry, plus eggs and cream and a bit of salt and pepper and anyone can make it. There’s no crust to worry about and with a simple salad, it’s a complete meal.
Yes, it was overfilled. Yes it made a mess in the oven. Don’t do what I did. BUT… it tasted heavenly! You should use less vegetables or a bigger pan.
- Pumpkin or winter squash
- Sweet potato
- carrot
- 1 tbsp oil
- Zucchini
- Red onions
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups cream
- 1 tbsp each chopped green shallot, parsley, and thyme
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup chopped feta cheese
- Roast vegetables (pumpkin sweet potato,carrots, onions in oil in a pan)
- Prepare zucchini cut into chunks and set aside
- Combine 5 eggs, 2 cups cream, finely chopped shallots, parsley
- Use a quiche tray and line with silicon or baking paper or a baking dish
- Sprinkle parmesan (1/2 cup) over base of tray
- Pour cream and egg mix into tray on top of parmesan
- Sprinkle with grated cheese
- Arrange vegetables so they stand up from the edge of the pan at odd angles
- Top with feta which is also cut into large chunks
- Bake until firm at 180 C for 40 – 45 minutes.
Maureen:
I am laughing like crazy!!!! This is one of the funniest posts that I have ever read. Really priceless!!!
Well, as you I could not swallow something that my palate do not accept although I have tried many times ( in my case, it is salmon). Just its smell makes me nauseous. If that woman or any kale haters would try the Brazilian-style kale, that hate would go away. We cut the kale in very, very thin strips (chiffonade). The kale is then sauteed with bacon, garlic, and spices. All who have tried, fell in love with it (even those who are not big fans of kale). Thank you for sharing your experience in the market and make me laugh. I so need it today.
I’m still learning to cook, too. Even when you think you know something, you don’t know everything – that’s what’s so cool about food. I do like kale, but I have to say I don’t really understand the craze for green smoothies. All the ingredients that go into these smoothies usually make a great salad – and I find it easier to make a salad than I do a smoothie (I’m weird, I know). Anyway, lovely frittata recipe. I normally make mine in a frying pan (I start in on top of the stove, then stick the pan in the oven to finish), but your quiche pan looks great. Thanks.
That’s how I normally make them but I saw a friend sprinkle grated parmesan on a buttered tin and I thought, “I have to try that.” I really liked it and it was super easy.
OMG hahahahaha, I am in total agreement with you, why is it worth holding your nose to drink something? Ridiculous! 😛
There are so many different ways to enjoy different foods that are good for you, definitely through a constant learning process! 🙂
I love this frittata recipe, it looks absolutely delicious!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Me too, Uru. There are SO many wonderful foods to eat that if you hate one, don’t eat it. Didn’t Julia Child say if someone put cilantro (coriander leaves) in a dish she’d pull it out and throw in on the floor? LOL If she could not like something, there’s hope for the rest of us.
I feel the same way Maureen. That’s too bad that some people still force themselves to eat things they don’t like. Then again maybe it’s easy for me to say since I love so many different foods. Your frittata looks scrumptious!
Just doesn’t make sense to me. Life’s too short to eat food you don’t like. Food should be joyful both in the preparing and the eating. 🙂
This really looks so delicious. So much so I can see me eating the majority of it myself!!
I won’t admit how much I ate 🙂
I can’t understand why on earth anyone would eat anything they had to hold their nose to eat. Life is too short!
Your vegetable frittato looks fabulous Maureen. I love the idea of baking it in a tart tin. I’ll have to try that 🙂
Me either! It was like it was trendy so she had to eat it even though she hated it. I can tell you, if eating cockroaches gets to be trendy, count me out. 🙂
Very funny post, Maureen and so true. You don’t get to be a better cook until you try and use the mistakes as a learning experience. You may be tempted (and give in to the temptation) to throw things or scream in frustration, but it’s ONLY cooking. It’s not rocket science. 🙂
I’ve never made kale chips but the kale was great in soup where you appreciate the stronger flavour especially if you pair it with something like hot Italian sausages. I’m gradually adding more veggies to my diet.
Today I made an asparagus quiche aka a frittata with a crust. We must be in synch mentally.
Oh we must be. It’s been cold here and quiches and frittatas seem more summery to me but I love them. I don’t always stick to seasons for recipes, only ingredients. 🙂
We’ve had a handful of unseasonably warm (10 deg F higher than normal) days and after having the heat on last week, I’ve got the air conditioning on this week. so quiche, pizzas and salad are showing up in my kitchen.
Do you ever find, after having put together a recipe (and sometimes while it’s in the oven) you suddenly come up with brilliant modifications that you should have made? I was baking my asparagus quiche when I remembered that I had some crab meat in my freezer that would have been perfect inside.
That is the beauty of cooking…I am always learning and improving…I believe that this will go on forever.
The frittata looks beautiful Maureen, and I love the veggies sticking out.
Thanks for this fun veggie and hope you are having a great week 🙂
I suppose for people like you and me who love to cook, learning new things is always fun 🙂
I have just one word: YUM!
it WAS yum and I think I need another one 🙂
I think you never stop learning ,Ideas and inspiration are everywhere! This recipe looks fun, generous, and delicious!
Thanks heaps for coming by and I hope to be learning up to the moment they close the casket 🙂
Thanks for the chuckles today too!
Is AMAZING food wise what some people will do!
Your frittata looks beautiful (large veggies and all) TRUE! 🙂
Cheers! Joanne
What’s On The List
http://www.whatsonthelist.net
I love big veggies. They are well roasted and easy to cut with a fork. 🙂
I learn new things about food and cooking every day of my life and could never get sick of that! Laughed and laughed when I read the conversation you overheard, Maureen. This dish looks very delicious! And nourishing.
it was good. I love roasted veggies and putting them in the frittata made it a meal.
Looks delicious! I love vegetables… I remembered the first time I tried cooking. I cooked chicken macaroni soup for my boyfriend. He was sick. When it was done, I had to throw it because it was a total failure!! He was asking why I threw it. I had to! The macaroni was overcooked and the vegetables too. It didn’t taste good. I was really frustrated. lol. Oh, memories… Yep, I agree, we should learn from our mistakes. That’s how I learn cooking…
Maureen! that has to be the single most appealing beautiful dreamy looking frittata I have ever seen! I must make it! As in like this week! I must
How delicious!
Sorry it made a mess of your oven but that sure was a good looking frittata, Maureen. With so many roasted vegetables, I bet it tasted even better than it looked.
Roasted veggies are my favorite addition to a frittata, love this recipe!
“The only time I’d hold my nose is if I were pushed off a bridge into a river. ” ??? HA HA HA good one! But I will say that I have never had a kale smoothie and probably never will. But this fritatta? Oh yeah! Perfect perfect lunch!
I’m with you – life is too short to punish ourselves with things we hate. I’m inclined to think that most ‘good for you foods’ can be made enjoyable, but sometimes, it just isn’t going to happen. I don’t like avocado plain and that is that! In truth, I’m not a big frittatta fan myself either, but I do embrace the spirit of your over-filling 😉
My mother brought over a salad on Mother’s Day that was predominately kale. It wasn’t bitter at all as she had massaged it until it turned a different colour and that apparently takes out the bitterness. I’m yet to try it but if it works for me I’ll post the method and the recipe xx
Maureen I love the way it’s puffed up at the sides and bursting at the seams. It looks so inviting!
That is one seriously looking frittata. Love that it is just one step in the oven.
Had to laugh out loud when I read about the woman holding her nose to swallow the kale smoothie, sounds like punishment.
Hehe what a funny conversation! I often catch bits of odd conversations. It’s always interesting to hear what people think of food and food preparation! 😀 This quiche looks fantastic, I like the fact that it puffed up-that would mean that it’s nice and light right? 🙂
Maureen – I have been following your blog for a long time now and I am also subcribed via email so that i dont miss any of your posts….I love your recipes …This frittatta looks scrumptuous… I love the additions of veggies and roasted veggies sound too good…
Thanks heaps, Shema, I’m really glad you left a comment so I can visit you now. 🙂
This frittata looks yummy, especially with those cheeses!
Maureen, I’m thankful your lifelong learning in the kitchen resulted in this marvelous frittata. That last photo is killin’ me. Actually, the one preceding it is “food art” at its finest! I agree with you — eating what you like is infinitely preferable to punishing yourself because of someone else’s “shoulds.” Great insights, great post!
Maureen, you had me laughing out loud. You are so funny. I love your overstuffed, must a made a hugest mess in the oven fritatta. Those great little veggies and toppings and you can bet that would not be once that I have to hold my nose to eat any of your delicious recipes.
My thoughts exactly! I so was not on the kale bandwagon either…but admit I tried it as a pesto and really enjoyed it. But then it had nuts and olive oil to counter it’s kaleishness!
Funny, JUST made a fritatta for the friends I’m staying with for dinner Monday night. They had never had one and now see what a great dish it is for cleaning up leftovers! We had asparagus, some grilled onions, half a pint of baby tomatoes and a myriad combination of cheeses. Like John, I do mine in a skillet but it sure isn’t as pretty as yours!
That looks so delicious! I actually do like kale but there are for sure things I will just not eat because I just don’t like them, no matter how good they are for me.
You’re a woman who thinks like me!
I’m sad becuase this recipe won’t pin to my Pinterest board! 🙁 x
Hi Tracie, what happens when you try to pin ? I thought everything was happily pinnable.
Wish we could be neighbors 🙂 Love the way you cook, photograph them and tell the story with sheer passion and fun. It’s always a pleasure to read your posts. I’m glad that I found you, Maureen 🙂
Love ‘n hugs.
Oh you are so kind! Thanks for being my friend.
oh that looks so good, I would probably eat it all, giggle. xo
I nearly did!
Love this post, and what a gorgeous frittata! I can’t say I’ve ever seen a square frittata before, but it sure looks delicious!
I’m pretty square 🙂
Dear Maureen, You are exactly right! If you want to learn how to cook you must get in the kitchen and begin. It is a lifelong process of experimenting and tasting.
I enjoy a roasted veggie frittata it is easy and a complete meal for anytime of day. Blessings dearest, Catherine xoxo
I learn something in the kitchen every day either from a cooking show, a blog or a cookbook. Sometimes just practicing. 🙂
I think every cook should be humble… because we have all had our share of disasters in the kitchen and we are always learning. That’s why I love watching cooking competitions because sometimes the best of the best can even find themselves getting chopped. 🙂 I am always my worst critic when it comes to my own recipes…. but when I see people dive into a dish and really enjoy it… it makes me feel like a super hero. 🙂
I love this frittata… it looks like something I would dive into and enjoy eating my way out of. 🙂 I also love how you stuck all the veggies into it and the egg custard just enveloped it all. YUM!
Anyone who’s ever watched the really old Julia Child’s live cooking shows she did will feel SO good about his or her own cooking. If the great Mrs. Child could drop things on the floor, spill things, break things and not think a thing of it while broadcasting to millions, my little goofs are nothing. 🙂
Hi Maureen – absolutely, know the ratios and get to cooking without recipes, but you know what? Something I’ve especially been re-discovering as of late… sometimes it’s good to forget all your personal traditions and methods and follow recipes again. Rare is the time I used to follow recipes, but I’ve been doing it a lot with different things recently and I’ve really been having fun learning new things!
I always follow a recipe the first time, exactly as written. Then I know if I like it. My second attempt will always see tweaks. I can’t help myself.
I’m with you life it too short what was she thinking?! That’s a seriously grown up frittata with all that cream but then thats what makes it so delicious. Tipping your kale smoothie friend wouldn’t touch it thought even if she wanted to!
LOL Yes, you wouldn’t want all that cream every day but on special occasions and in moderation, I think it’s fine. I’d have to do a marathon on the Great Wall if I ate it every week 🙂
Why do some people succumb to eating something they don’t like???
Anyways, I want this frittata in my life!! Looks incredible, Maureen 🙂
I honestly don’t know. Peer pressure, perhaps?
I had to laugh at your captions Maureen. I always put a pan under baking, I just hate cleaning the oven! What a gorgeous recipe, I love the vegetables used too and the pan makes it look so festive. A nice green salad and your gourmet lunch is complete, oh and perhaps a glass or two of wine as well.
I used to worry about the oven and I always have a drip tray underneath the racks. Now I heat the oven to 65C and put a up of ammonia in the top rack. On the bottom rack I put a big bowl of boiling water. Shut the door and come back tomorrow morning and wipe it all out. It’s almost like magic. 🙂
Oh yes wise words Maureen… Maybe the lady from the market wasn’t creative enough to add some ingredients that would enhance the flavor to her liking, so to say she wasn’t smart… Maureen I know that I would be happy to enjoy your Frittata and I would savor it with all my senses!
Thank you Helene. I wouldn’t ever eat something that I didn’t enjoy unless it was medicine and it was required. 🙂
Yummy! I love a good frittata – especially with sweet potatoes.
This was so soft and creamy. When the sweet roasted veggies were added it just made it perfect.
Maureen – I could not agree with you more! My sentiments exactly!! And your frittata looks divine! My husband has a lactose intolerance so I can’t use that much cream – would it work with 1 cup perhaps?
oh dear.. I honestly don’t know. Work with the conversion and try it in a cupcake size and see 🙂