I’ve watched more cooking shows in the past month (rehabbing the knee) than I have in my entire life. It came in handy on Sunday, as I tried 2 new recipes for a Mother’s Day brunch. Both recipes are my adaptations of Giada’s recipes from her show “Giada at Home”.
They are so EASY! I hope you like them.
Baked Italian Fritatta (Serves 4 – 6)
Ingredients
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, diced
1/2 lb. Spicy Italian Sausage (casings removed)
8 large Eggs
1/3 cup Whole Milk
1 tsp Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
1 small Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups grated Mozarella Cheese
1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley (plus some for garnish), chopped
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray an 8 X 8 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until translucent (3 – 5 minutes). Add the sausage and cook until brown, breaking sausage into small pieces with wooden spoon (about 5 minutes). Drain oil from sausage and onions (or blot with paper towels) and let cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper, until smooth. Add the red bell pepper, 1 cup of Mozarella cheese and 1/4 cup of parsley. Stir in onion/sausage mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes (or until golden brown).
4. Cut the fritatta into wedges and sprinkle with remaining parsley before serving.
NOTE: This recipe doubles easily. Use a 9 X 13 inch glass baking dish and extend the baking time by 10 minutes.
Pancetta and Cinnamon Waffles
These are delicious waffles! They are great with a few sliced strawberries on the top, too.
Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts
1 Tbs. plus 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
8 oz. Pancetta, diced (I use the cubed 4 oz. packages from Trader Joes)
3 cups Belgian Waffle Mix (Krusteaz is great)
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Water
1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
Maple Syrup (Again, I use Trader Joe’s real maple syrup)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts on baking sheet, in an even layer. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the waffle iron.
3. Heat 1 Tbs. of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until brown and crispy (about 3 – 5 minutes). Transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet to cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine waffle mix, eggs, vegetable oil, water, cinnamon and salt. Use a whisk to blend the ingredients until smooth. Stir in the pancetta.
5. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the preheated waffle iron (using the amount recommended by the waffle maker’s instructions). Cook waffles for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown.
6. Place waffles onto serving plates. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and drizzle with maple syrup.
NOTE: When making waffles for a group, you can keep the waffles warm in an oven set to 175 degrees.
