What the hell is this?

"Pizza" Frittata

My husband, Steve, is a picky eater due to food-related trauma when he was younger. There was lots of food-related trauma, but the worst was when his mother would make something really terrible, like liver, and make him sit at the table until he either finished it or it was bedtime.  

Imagine that: You are an 8-year-old child, sitting at the kitchen table while the rest of your family is in the adjoining room watching Ed Sullivan and you are staring at a plate of cooling, congealing liver knowing that you could never, ever eat it without barfing. Oh, and did I mention that his mother was a terrible cook?  If anyone you know currently engages in this form of child abuse, please call CYF. Thanks. 

As a result, he is very hard to feed, and is completely unfiltered in his reaction to new foods or any food he doesn't like. For example, I will make something that I think is delicious and he will take a couple of bites, start pushing it around his plate, then look up and say, "What in the hell is this?"  Or, he'll eat it and say, "Well, I wouldn't order that again." 

It sounds rude, but it's actually hysterically funny and my daughter and I occasionally replay all of his comments and laugh until we pee. He's not mad, he's just disappointed.  

Anyway, he also travels a lot, and when he finds something out that he likes, he'll email me the menu and ask if I can try to figure out how to make it. The result of that has been some really terrific dishes, like bacon wrapped shrimp stuffed with pepper jack cheese, which I'll make and post another time. My oldest son likes that one so well that you have to give him a limit on how many he can eat when you set them out or he'll just hoove all of them. That boy can eat.

This week I made what I am calling "Pizza" Frittata. He had it at a breakfast place in Chicago. The first time I made it I did it wrong because all I had was a fairly brief description from the menu. Steve neglected to mention that it was actually made like a pizza, with the frittata itself standing in for the crust, then topped with marinara sauce and grated cheese. When I made it the first time, I made it like a traditional frittata and just tossed in the veggies and cheese. When Steve ate it he remembered to tell me about the presentation and the marinara sauce and all that jazz. So now I know.  

One recipe note: these ingredient amounts are all approximates. Frittata's are not meant to be set in stone; use as much or as little meat/vegetable as you like. This is a low carb recipe, but can be made Paleo by leaving off the cheese. Assuming you're not a strict, uptight, Paleo cop, of course. If you are: Sigh.

"Pizza" Frittata

6 eggs, beaten. Add a bit of milk or cream if you'd like. I don't. 

1/2 pound Italian sausage

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup green onion, diced

20 pepperoni slices, chopped

black olives, chopped or sliced

provolone cheese, shredded

marinara sauce, warmed

1. Preheat broiler. 

2. In a large, broiler safe skillet, cook Italian sausage over medium heat. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

3. Add a bit of oil or butter if there's not enough from the sausage, and saute the mushrooms and green onions until they soften. Add in the pepperoni, Italian sausage and olives. 

4. Pour egg mixture over the meat/veggies. Cook until the eggs are set on the bottom and partially cooked through. 

5. Put skillet under broiler until the eggs are cooked and the top is puffy and browned. 

6. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then spread marinara sauce on top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Broil again until cheese is just melted.

5. Again, let it set just a few minutes. Slice and serve! Fruit is a good accompaniment -- potatoes are great, if you eat potatoes, which my husband does not.