A Southern Grace: caprese crazy

June 24, 2015

caprese crazy

Yum

The chef at one of my previous places of employment couldn't properly pronounce "caprese" if his life depended on it. Fortunately, that didn't stop him from having the best knack for perfectly combining flavors of anyone I've ever met.


Enough about him, let's talk about me! I've been on what can only be described as a caprese rampage over the past month or so. The trigger for this obsession was my first taste of fresh basil from our garden. I've been looking hard for places to use it, and it often ends up combined with tomatoes or mozzarella, and usually both. Those people of Capri really knew what they were doing when they joined those three ingredients.

My brother and sister-in-law recently gave us 3 dozen eggs from their chickens, so frittatas, quiches, and egg-focused breakfasts (and breakfasts for dinner) have been staples of late. For this frittata, I made use of that wonderful and addictive caprese blend and added sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and grated mozzarella. The flavors were great, though the structure of the egg pie was, shall we say, weak. I didn't think about it at the time, but a drizzle of balsamic reduction would've been an awesome finishing touch.


Because I've become so enchanted by the medley of mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes, I've issued myself a challenge: Make a caprese concoction using basil and tomatoes from our own garden and mozzarella made from scratch in my kitchen. I've purchased a mozzarella-making kitand plan to tackle this endeavor immediately! By the time I've mastered mozzarella, hopefully our tomatoes will be ripe and ready to pick! Stay tuned...

Crazy-For-Caprese Frittata
Serves 4
Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced into rounds
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup milk, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat an 8-inch ovenproof, nonstick skillet (cast-iron is great!) over medium heat. Add the olive oil and tomatoes.
Season the tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until they are soft and beginning to fall apart, about 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the milk, basil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper and whisk together until light.
Pour the egg mixture over the tomatoes, sprinkle with the mozzarella, and bake for 45-60 minutes, until browned and just a little bit jiggly. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

18 comments:

Jenn said...

Yum, yum, yum. I could feed my kids nothing but Caprese Salad for dinner and they'd be completely satisfied. This looks wonderful. But frittatas make me nervous

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Colourful and scrumptious!

Cheers,

Rosa

Unknown said...

Caprese is a perfect summertime flavor combination. I purchased two heirloom tomatoes at the farmer's market last weekend and they will be on my table tonight in the form of a caprese salad!

Love how you have introduced the combo to a frittata. Good work!

Angie's Recipes said...

So summery and delicious!

Erica said...

Perfect dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Simple and delicious!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Mozzarella is easier than you anticipate!

I love caprese. And margarita pizzas. Perfect combinations!

Marjie said...

I don't think you can ever go wrong with either tomatoes or mozzarella. A friend brought me some fresh mozzarella from some old Italian dude on Long Island who makes it at his house, and it was outstanding. You can seal up and freeze your mozzarella, and it's just as good when you thaw it! (Just in case you go wild and make too much.)

lisa is cooking said...

I could eat caprese combinations every day of tomato season! Love the thought of this mixture in a frittata. And, I'd love to make mozzarella some day. Can't wait to hear how it goes.

Marcela said...

OMG. Looks so scrumptious! I totally love mozzarella and tomatoes... lovely recipe! thanks for sharing!

Marcela said...

OMG. Looks so scrumptious! I totally love mozzarella and tomatoes... lovely recipe! thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Totally love caprese... any time of any day. However, can't see me making my own mozzarella any time soon! LOL.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Ooh what a great idea now that you've got lovely summer tomatoes. We're in Winter in Australia although I'm in Thailand and first thing I ate had tomatoes in it and I realised how much I missed them!

Carolyn Jung said...

Aren't the pasture-raised chicken eggs amazing? The yolks are just so brilliant orange and perky looking. It's always a treat when my husband's colleague gives us a dozen from his birds. ;)

Beth said...

This sounds delicious - and I can't wait to see the results of your challenge!

Pam said...

I am crazy for caprese too. This frittata looks AMAZING! Yum.

foodhoe said...

Yum, those definitely are the flavors of summer, can't wait to hear about making mozzarella at home. I recently got to make butter, which is another kitchen staple that is really easy to make.

I can't wait till our tomatoes are ready to eat!

I Wilkerson said...

The cherry tomatoes are beautiful sliced in this. Great idea!

Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies said...

Hmmm... Other than the basil, I have everything on hand. Guess I should grab some a the farmers market this weekend. I've never introduced husband to a Frittata before, I think it's time :)