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“Nothing tastes better than free!” says Bob Blumer, author of 2021 Gold winning cookbook, Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better. “My Weekend Free-ttatas™ are an effective way to rescue your tired veggies, cuttings, and miscellaneous bits that lurk in the crevices of your fridge, and turn them into a hearty zero-waste breakfast that is gratifying on many levels. Flexibility, creativity, and resourcefulness are the hallmarks of a well-made Free-ttata™. No two are ever the same—which is part of what makes Free-ttatas™ the Stone Soup of egg dishes. Once you discover how rewarding they are to make, you will instinctively become more proactive about repurposing your unloved ingredients and scraps, instead of automatically tossing them.”
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Weekend Free-ttata™
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp oil
- Palmful allium chopped
- Handful protein chopped
- 2 to 4 cups greens chopped
- 2 to 4 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs
- 1 cup chopped veggies
- 8 eggs
- 2 tsp harissa optional or an appropriate amount of your favorite hot sauce—or nothing
- Salt and black pepper
- ¼ to ½ cup grated or chopped cheese
Instructions
- Set rack in center position and preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a cast iron or ovenproof sauté pan over medium- high heat, add the oil, and your chosen allium.
- Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it browns. Add a handful of chopped protein and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the greens, a cup or so of veggies, stemmed herbs, and a splash of water. Cover with a lid and let steam for 3 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking, stirring occasionally for another few minutes until greens reduce in volume by about half.
- While greens are cooking, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, harissa, salt, pepper, and cheese.
- Pour egg mixture overtop and poke around the pan contents with a wooden spoon so that the egg mixture is spread out evenly and sinks between the pan contents. If you have any extra grated hard cheese leftover, sprinkle some of it overtop.
- Transfer immediately to oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until eggs are cooked throughout. If eggs seem cooked throughout, but still loose on top, finish under a broiler for 2 minutes, or until top is fully cooked and nicely browned.
Notes
OIL: rescued oil from the dregs of a sun dried tomato jar, jarred artichoke hearts, canned
fish, or from anything else stored in olive or vegetable oil—or any mix thereof
ALLIUM: sprouting garlic or a handful of the neglected teeny center cloves, the unloved middle section of a leek, or that last bit of an onion—or any mix thereof
PROTEIN: leftover bits of cooked ham, sausage ends, sandwich meats, smoked or cured fish—or any mix thereof
GREENS: beet tops, radish tops, turnip tops, celery leaves, fennel fronds, or any tired wilted
greens such as spinach, kale, or swiss chard—or any mix thereof
FRESH HERBS: Whatever you’ve got that pairs appropriately with your chosen ingredients
VEGGIES: Cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, potatoes . . .
CHEESE: (about 1 cup, chopped) leftover ends of stale cheese from your fridge, or the last grating of a Parmigiano Reggiano rind—or any mix thereof Excerpted from Flavorbomb by Bob Blumer. Copyright © 2020 by Bob Blumer. Photography © 2021 Suzi Q. Varin. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Excerpted from Flavorbomb by Bob Blumer. Copyright © 2020 by Bob Blumer. Photography © 2021 Suzi Q. Varin. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
