I was thrilled to see a new vegetable in season at my local farm stand–zucchini.  They were just picked and the perfect size for a frittata.  The ideal sized zucchini is about 6 to 8 inches long–not too many seeds or too watery.  This is the first dish I make when zucchini come into season every summer.

My neighbor Beppi taught me this frittata–beautifully simple–just onions, eggs and zucchini–no cheese, which would obscure the natural sweet, delicate flavor of the fresh zucchini.  Beppi  makes his with butter and oil, but I prefer just olive oil.  I also add a touch of half and half to my eggs, which I find lightens their texture.

The main thing to remember when making a frittata–especially one without cheese–is to adequately salt it.  Both the eggs and the vegetables call for more salt than you think.  This is one dish you can’t add salt to after the fact, therefore you must add enough while you’re cooking.

Today, we’re having the frittata as a sandwich–on a freshly baked buttered whole wheat  roll.  This is a perfect midday snack–or a great sandwich to wrap in paper and take to the beach.  It holds beautifully at room temperature for a few hours.

Zucchini and Onion Frittata

serves 4

6 small zucchini–about 6 to 8 inches long, sliced into 1/2″ disks

1 large onion, sliced into 1/4″ strips

4 large eggs

3 tbls half and half

3 tbls extra virgin olive oil

2 tsps salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

In a broad skillet (I used 10″), begin sauteing and browning the zucchini and onion together  in 2 tbls olive oil, tossing often. 

This will take at least 10  minutes, depending on the strength of your flame.  Add 1 tsp salt and continue browning until onions are caramelized and most zucchini slices have turned golden.   Taste for salt–they should be nicely seasoned.  If too salty, cut the remaining salt to be added to the eggs.

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, half and half, remaining salt and pepper.  Transfer the zucchini into an 8″ nonstick skillet (for a tall, fluffy frittata) until sizzling.  Pour in the egg  mixture and stir with heatproof rubber spatula to combine the eggs and vegetables. 

The eggs will begin to cook immediately.  After stirring for about 10 seconds, stop stirring, but continue gently lifting and holding up the sides of the frittata, letting any loose eggs run to the bottom of the skillet. 

On low heat, let the frittata turn golden brown on the bottom (check by lifting edge with spatula and peeking underneath.  When the underside is golden, place a large plate over the skillet and invert the frittata onto the plate.  Add the remaining oil to the skillet and quickly slide the frittata back into the skillet, uncooked side down.  Immediately tuck down the edges all around with the spatula, to maintain the round shape.

Brown on the other side for about 5 to 8 minutes until golden. 

Let rest for 10 minutes, then serve.