Smoked Salmon App

This is so easy peasy, I can't really call it a recipe. All it takes is a few slices of chewy dark rye bread spread with some cream cheese. Top these with some high quality smoked salmon and a 'grind' or two of black pepper.  If you happen to have a bottle of capers, strew a few on the serving platter along with some wedges of lemon.

Cabin Fever Frittata

Every February for the past many decades an antique show by the name of Cabin Fever rolls into town. After the feverish first few hours of the show, my husband and several friends manage to tear themselves away to break for brunch.

Frittata is a useful item for a brunch menu given it doesn't have to be served as soon as it is cooked, and in my experience, people (like my husband) are often late for brunch. The basic recipe of onion, eggs and milk can be modified in any number of ways by adding pretty much anything that appeals to you. For example, various shredded cheeses, diced fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cooked potatoes, cooked asparagus, cooked sausage, or fried bacon. The list of potential ingredients is endless.

Although the frittata is quick and easy to make, I was serving a number of items at brunch and so was getting a head start on food prep the night before the antique show. As such, I washed and sliced the leeks into small discs, covered the bowl, placed it in the fridge and went to bed. I left my husband's supper warming in the oven since he was eating late. When asked the next morning how he enjoyed his meal, he said it was lovely although he found the salad a bit odd and one dimensional. Since I had not made him a salad, I had no idea what he had consumed. His description of a bowlful of "green round things" did not clarify the matter. 

As it turns out my previous night's food prep had been for nought, since my husband had eaten the bowlful of raw leeks the night before. Apparently, with poppy seed dressing.

 Basic Frittata Ingredients:

• 8 large eggs

• 1/2 cup milk

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup of diced onions 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

My Frittata Customization:
I used 10 eggs and slightly more milk. Used sauteed leeks rather than onions. My flavour additions were 140 grams of smoked Coho salmon, 130 grams of chevre, and about a quarter cups of chopped fresh dill weed.

Methods: 
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
In a 10-inch heatproof skillet (I used my trusty cast iron pan), saute the diced onion in the oil over a medium heat. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl (don't over whisk), then add the milk, salt and pepper. Stir the salmon, cheese and dill into the egg mixture, our into the ovenproof skillet, and cook on the stove for about 5 minutes until the edges of the frittata start to pull away from the pan. Place the frittata in the oven and cook for another 18 minutes, or until set. It can be eaten warm or at room temperature.