Come December, it seems that all the ink in the food section goes to big holiday celebrations: What to make for Hanukkah, what to cook for Christmas, what to bake for Kwanzaa, what to drink for New Years’ Eve.
We get so worked up about the marquee events that we forget about every other night of the month.
But the fact is, an afternoon spent baking cookies can result in one heck of an appetite.
You gotta eat. And fess up—you’ve already overspent your pizza budget for the year.
You want something good, because you’re hungry. You want something healthful, because you need to offset the inevitable 5 pounds you’re going to gain this month. You want something cheap, because your wallet is already holiday-stretched.
And most of all you want something easy, because frankly, you’re sick of cooking.
You can’t get any easier than a baked frittata. Here’s a simple, nourishing one adapted from “A Twist of the Wrist,” by renowned Los Angeles chef Nancy Silverton. It takes less than 30 minutes to make, and is perfect on the couch in front of the television.
Step 1: Pour yourself a chilly glass of Spanish albariño.
Shrimp and Jalapeño Frittata
Adapted from a recipe by Nancy Silverton. Makes enough for four people. Serve it with a spinach salad (simply toss a bag of spinach leaves with some red onion, croutons, a little lemon zest and your favorite vinaigrette).
Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
12 large eggs (if you’re concerned about cholesterol, substitute 4 large eggs and 10 egg whites here)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
About 10-12 cooked jumbo shrimp
2 small jalapeños, sliced into rings
1 ripe Hass avocado
Sea salt
Heaping cup cilantro leaves
Tabasco sauce to taste
Directions
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Heat the butter in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes. Lightly beat the eggs with the kosher salt and pour them into the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium high. As the eggs cook, use a heatproof rubber spatula to draw the edges inward, away from the sides of the pan, tilting the pan so the raw egg runs into the space created. Continue cooking in this way for 4 to 5 minutes, until no egg runs off when you tilt the pan but the top layer of the frittata is still runny and wet looking.
Randomly arrange the shrimp over the frittata. Sprinkle the jalapeño peppers around the shrimp, and bake the frittata until it’s just set but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.
Run a spatula under the frittata to make sure it’s not sticking, shake the pan slightly to further loosen it, and slide it onto a large plate.
Halve the avocado, remove and discard the pit, and season it with sea salt. Scoop the avocado out of the peel in spoonfuls onto the frittata and discard the peel. Sprinkle the cilantro leaves and a few dashes of Tabasco over the frittata and serve it with Tabasco on the table for people to add more if they like.
Tucker Shaw: 303-954-1958 or tshaw@denverpost .
