Clean Out The Fridge Frittata

I moved into Logan’s apartment in the West Village a year and a half ago. So basically, I have wanted to move for a year and a half. It’s not that the apartment is terrible. In fact, it’s a pretty epic space for a single dude. For a couple? Not so much. (Especially when one half of the couple requires significant closet space.) The apartment is railroad style, meaning that it’s long and narrow, and all of the rooms are connected in a row. The main problem with this is that there are no doors. Other than the bathroom, our apartment is a door-free zone, which is both weird and annoying. Let’s just say that if you’re into  “privacy” or “space,” railroad apartments aren’t for you.

To be honest, I spent a long time living in fear of the day when Logan and I would get in a huge fight and I wouldn’t want to be in the same room with him. What would I do, angrily shut the curtains between the living room and the bedroom? What if I got stuck on the bedroom side? Unless it was nighttime, I would be screwed. All the cool stuff is on the living room side! Luckily, this curtain-pulling fight never took place, and Logan and I have done remarkably well in this door-less environment.           

That said, for the past few months we’ve both been itching for a change of space. So when we finally bit the bullet and started looking for apartments a few weeks ago, I was thrilled. I was also terrified because apartment hunting in New York is a nightmare, but I braced myself for the horrors of bidding wars, broker fees, and disappointment, and pressed onward.

Miraculously, Logan and I encountered none of those things in our short apartment search. We responded to a promising Craigslist ad on a Sunday morning (yes, the illusive Craigslist “dream apartment” does exist!), saw the apartment before brunch and signed the lease two days later. No hassle or heartache involved. I’m sure there’s a catch somewhere, but I’m blissfully unaware of it right now, and I am beyond excited to live in this new palace. It has so many doors! I can’t wait to open and shut them!

In my excitement over finding this glorious apartment, I blacked out the fact that in order to live there, we would actually have to move all of our stuff out of our current apartment and into the new one. Buzzkill. Moving is the WORST. This past weekend was spent packing up all of my belongings, which was pretty traumatic because it led me to a horrible realization: I am a hoarder. This isn’t necessarily breaking news, since Logan’s been telling me this for years, but you have to be confronted with an issue like packing for it to really sink in.

Obviously, I am in possession of large quantities of clothes. However, I choose not to consider my clothing as part of my hoards because it is necessary, I use it everyday, and my wardrobe is awesome. I’m more worried about the weird, unnecessary stuff that I own. There is a lot of it. (Logan would probably argue that owning six turtleneck bodysuits qualifies as weird and unnecessary, but that is just one person’s opinion.) In the living room alone, I uncovered a copy of my high school term paper, my French visa application materials, a hundred back issues of important periodicals (US Weekly, Glamour, Vogue etc.), an unopened surprise ball, infinity chargers that don’t appear to charge anything I own, and at least 15 packs of novelty gum.

Logan also found several random things of mine and demanded to know what they were and why I needed them. This made me very panicky, especially when he threatened to throw some of these things out. Examples:

Logan: “Is this a back brace? Is it yours? Why do you need a back brace?”

Me: “Yes! Keep that. I might need it after the move.” (I have never once worn a back brace, and I don’t know when I bought it, but better safe than sorry.)

Logan: “What are these??? They smell good, but what are they for?”

Me: “They are lavender-scented foot pillows. You can microwave them and put your feet inside and feel like you’re at the spa. Keep those. I need them.” (I have never once worn said foot pillows, but again, better safe than sorry.)

These hoarding tendencies are very scary. I have promised Logan that I will work on them, and I tried very hard to lessen my hoards during the move. I threw out all of the US Weeklies and the novelty gum. Somehow, we managed to get everything into boxes by Monday morning, at which point some very nice men arrived with a truck, carried the boxes down the stairs, drove the three blocks to our new address, and then carried everything up to our new apartment. I got very sweaty just watching them.

Unfortunately, our official move-in date isn’t until July 15, but the current tenants let us move all of our belongings into the living room, since Logan and I will be out of town for the next few weeks. By New York standards, these guys are practically saints, especially since they will be hanging out with this for the next three weeks…

Hoarders.

Based on our move-in date, I obviously couldn’t bring any of my perishable fridge items along for the ride. Since I’m really good at grocery shopping, and I do a lot of it, my fridge is usually pretty full. Cleaning it out this past weekend was easily the low point of the move. Turns out, I also hoard food (specifically condiments), which is unfortunate and kinda gross. However, packing gave me a lot of time to brainstorm ways to make use of the things in my fridge. That is how the “Clean Out The Fridge Frittata” came to be.

During the spring and summer months, I tend to have asparagus and fresh peas in my fridge, which are two of my favorite things, so I was very excited to use those in my frittata. I also added some zucchini, shallots, garlic, and a good amount of goat cheese, which are perfect for a light summer meal. Everyone loves fluffy eggs with fresh green vegetables and creamy goat cheese, right?

While I highly recommend this ingredient combo, the best part about a frittata is that you can use anything you happen to have in your fridge for the filling. Feel free to experiment with different types of meat, hard and soft cheeses, and any vegetables that strike your fancy. Frittatas are one of the simplest meals ever, and even though they’re usually just a bunch of leftovers mixed with eggs, they always manage to taste deliciously decadent. You can also easily scale down the recipe for a single serving frittata, which is my favorite go-to breakfast/lunch/dinner for one.

If you’re planning on entertaining (you know I love it when you do that), frittatas are definitely impressive enough to be served at your next brunch, lunch, or even dinner party. They both look and sound fancy (just picture Giada saying “free-tat-ta”), and paired with a simple arugula salad, some fresh bread and a bottle of wine, a frittata makes for a light, yet satisfying meal. Cleaning out the fridge has never been this delicious, people. Get cooking!

 Clean Out the Fridge Frittata: (Serves 2-4 depending on hunger levels)

-Start by blanching the peas. If you don’t know what blanching is, don’t panic. That’s why I’m here: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute. Strain and transfer to a small bowl of ice water to shock them. (This will stop the cooking and keep their pretty green color.) Strain again. Prepare your other vegetables and set them aside.

-Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in an 8-10 inch non-stick pan. When hot, add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

-Add the peas, asparagus and zucchini to the pan. Cover and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat until just tender.

-While the vegetables are cooking, lightly beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water, salt, and some fresh ground pepper. Don’t over-mix the eggs, people.

-Add the eggs to the pan and immediately lower the heat to low. You want the pan to be very hot when you add the eggs, so that the bottom sets, and then you want to cook your frittata slowly. While your frittata is cooking, pre-heat the broiler.

-Cook your frittata for about 7 minutes, and then add the goat cheese and cook for another 2-3 minutes. At this point, the sides of your frittata should be set, but the top should still be a little runny.

 

-Carefully transfer the frittata to the broiler and cook for 2 minutes until it puffs slightly and the top is golden brown. Keep an eye on it! If you leave it under the broiler for too long, it will be dry and tough. Remove the frittata from the broiler (using oven mitts or a dishtowel, duh), and transfer it to a plate. Slice and serve immediately. I recommend topping it with some arugula and a little extra goat cheese. Wine is also encouraged. Happy fridge cleanout!

Clean Out The Fridge Frittata

Author - Serena Wolf

Print recipe Save RecipeSaved!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Yields: 0

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ½ cup fresh peas shelled (Yes, you can use frozen peas if you must.)
• 8-10 asparagus spears woody ends removed, sliced diagonally into ½ inch pieces
• ¾ cup chopped zucchini about half a medium zucchini
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 ounces goat cheese crumbled

Instructions

• Start by blanching the peas. If you don’t know what blanching is, don’t panic. That’s why I’m here: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute. Strain and transfer to a small bowl of ice water to shock them. (This will stop the cooking and keep their pretty green color.) Strain again. Prepare your other vegetables and set them aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in an 8-10 inch non-stick pan. When hot, add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the peas, asparagus and zucchini to the pan. Cover and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat until just tender.
• While the vegetables are cooking, lightly beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water, salt, and some fresh ground pepper. Don’t over-mix the eggs, people.
• Add the eggs to the pan and immediately lower the heat to low. You want the pan to be very hot when you add the eggs, so that the bottom sets, and then you want to cook your frittata slowly. While your frittata is cooking, pre-heat the broiler.
• Cook your frittata for about 7 minutes, and then add the goat cheese and cook for another 2-3 minutes. At this point, the sides of your frittata should be set, but the top should still be a little runny.
• Carefully transfer the frittata to the broiler and cook for 2 minutes until it puffs slightly and the top is golden brown. Keep an eye on it! If you leave it under the broiler for too long, it will be dry and tough. Remove the frittata from the broiler (using oven mitts or a dishtowel, duh), and transfer it to a plate. Slice and serve immediately. I recommend topping it with some arugula and a little extra goat cheese. Wine is also encouraged. Happy fridge cleanout!

I’m psyched to be part of Food Network’s Summer Fest this week. For more pea-inspired recipes, check out the awesome blogs below.

Dishin & Dishes: Smashed Pea Bruschetta with Mint
Feed Me Phoebe: Sweet Pea and Green Onion Soup
Taste With the Eyes: Peas and Pasta with a Garlicky Yogurt Sauce and Smoky Walnuts
Weelicious: Peas and Pasta
Devour: Quick Salad with Peas
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pasta with Spring Peas, Mushrooms and Greens
Red or Green?: Szechuan Spring Peas, Asparagus, Pine Nuts and Brown Rice Salad
Blue Apron Blog: Sweet Corn & Pea Fritters with Pea Tendril Salad
Pinch My Salt: Homemade Tuna Noodle Casserole
Virtually Homemade: Summer Lasagna with Skinny Alfredo Sauce
The Sensitive Epicure: Pea Puree with Roasted Salmon and Chives
Daily*Dishin: Marinated Spring Pea Salad
The Heritage Cook: Pea, Potato and Bacon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
FN Dish: Favorite Shelled Pea Sides