Hakuna Frittata

In The Lion King, when Simba meets up with Timon and Pumba, they teach him their secret to life: Hakuna Matata, which means "No Worries". And a Frittata is exactly that, a no worries, delicious breakfast, that's sure to impress.

What's great about a frittata is that they look a lot harder to make than they really are, and when you present the dish, you look like a pro. A frittata has the exact same ingredients as a scrambled egg dish or an omelet, but it's presentation blows both of them away. And best of all - it's simple!

What you'll need (Serves 2):

8" non-stick or well oiled pan
Oven - set to broil
4 Eggs
Milk
2 Sausages of your choice - I'm using an Italian fennel sausage
1/2 a yellow onion
1 tomato
Gruyere cheese
Small handul of spinach
Small handful arugula
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

Quick note about the pan size -- for 2-4 people, I use an 8" pan (my wife's sister and husband actually bought me a Calphalon fritatta pan after making them one), but you can use a 10" or even large if your going to use more eggs. For 2-4 people, an 8is nice because it makes your frittata nice and thick.

In terms of ingredients, this is just what I had in the fridge today, but really, you can make a great frittata with just about anything. I always like to have 1 meat, some onion, cheese, and a few different kinds of veg. Here I'm using spinach, arugula, tomato (really a fruit), but I could just as easily have asparagus, broccoli or whatever.

First off - turn on the oven to broil. Now, in a bowl, crack in your eggs add a glug of milk (like 1/4 cup), sprinkle in some salt and grind some pepper and whick the eggs until they're well beaten.

Next - get out a cutting board and slice up your sausages -- I usually cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. Put the sausages into your pan, put on high heat, add olive oil and start to brown. As the sausages begin to cook, slice up your half onion and tomato (I like to cut my tomato in big slices, then quarter each slice). When the sausages have some color on them, turn down to med-high heat and add the onions.

While the onions and sausages are sauteing (about 3 mins), give your spinach and arugula a quick rinse. Check on the pan -- if the onions look like they're getting nice and soft, add the arugula and spinach (if not keep cooking until they do). Add some salt and pepper to the pan and cook until the spinach and arugula STARTS wilting. Personally, I like my greens slightly underdone -- I find it gives better flavor.

Once the green are soft and have reduced in size so that they are manageable in the pan, turn the heat to med.-low and pour in your eggs. Let cook for about 3 minutes. The edges cook faster, so around the pan with a wooden spoon and push down on the more cooked eggs and let the uncooked portions in the center pour into the gaps you create. This will help to avoid having a runny center of your frittata. While you're monitoring your eggs cook, quickly grate about a cup of Gruyere.

After about 3 minutes, turn off the heat and place your sliced tomatoes on top. Next, evenly spead the Gruyere over the top. Now take the pan and put it in the oven for about 10 minutes -- or when the Gruyere starts to get a nice golden-brown crust on it. You'll see the frittata rise in the pan slightly as the eggs cook and get fluffy.

After about 10 mins, take the pan out of the oven and use a knife to press on the middle of the fritatta. I should feel pretty firm. If it is, let it sit for 2-3 minutes. If not, put it back in for a few more minutes. If the cheese is getting too brown, cover with foil before putting back in.

It's important to let it sit and cool -- this will make it easier to take out of the pan and easier to cut. You don't want this thing of beauty to fall apart on you! After you've let it rest, go around the edge of your pan with a knife and make sure the eggs aren't sticking to it. Get out a cutting board, take your pan and tilt it, using the knife to gently pry and slide the frittata onto the board. Let sit for another 2 mins, then slice, serve and enjoy!

Hakuna Frittata!