an eggs-cess of eggs

As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it, or leave it.

—Buddy Hackett

I had no idea that Buddy was related to me. As my kids will tell you, that is pretty much the menu around here every night.

We are actually suffering from a very happy problem these days: too many eggs.

When the egg container starts to look like this, it's a signal that I need to get rid of a bunch of eggs before disaster strikes. We hosted a family baking party yesterday, with the treats going to families displaced by Sandy. Unfortunately we still had a dozen plus eggs left over after the bake-fest.

That, plus some hand-me-down leftover ziti (gifted from a holiday party) could only mean one dish:

Pasta Frittata

2 T butter or olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic gloves, minced

1-2 C leftover pasta (best with tomato sauce), cut into 1 in lengths

12 eggs, beaten

1 C grated parmesan

salt & pepper to taste

(If you wanted to make a smaller portion, just half the quantities of eggs, pasta, etc. and choose a medium-sized pan.)

Heat the butter or oil in your largest fry pan on medium-high heat. Make sure to tilt the pan so it coats about 1 inch up the side. 

Saute the onion for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute.

Add the pasta to the pan; reduce heat to medium. Stir into onions/garlic and heat for about 4-5 min. Arrange in level layer in pan.

While pasta is heating, combine eggs, cheese and salt & pepper in a separate bowl. Beat to combine. Add to pan and stir gently, then allow to cook for about 10 minutes. 

When sides are cooked and middle is firm when you shake the pan (there will be little volcanoes bubbling throughout frittata), the top will still be slightly liquid and uncooked. The next bit of brilliance is courtesy of my father: put it under the broiler, with the rack about halfway down in the oven, to finish cooking. Keep a close eye on it, and when the top turns a toasted brown and looks cooked, take it out.

Yum! Well, at least I think so. The boys initially rolled their eyes, because we have had this dish a fair amount as of late, thanks to productive chickens and random gifts of leftover pasta. But they all chowed it down with a side salad and multigrain bread to add a little non-protein nutrition. 

(Their exact quote: "Are you finished taking pictures now, so we can eat it?")

That leaves us with a half dozen eggs in the fridge, at least until tomorrow morning when we will be gifted with a few more. I wish we could preserve the egg-cess now, because with the winter coming and the hens getting older, we won't always have such bounty. We just have to enjoy it while it lasts.