Make This: Frittata, King of Flexibility

An easy breakfast, a delightful lunch, a great vessel for leftovers

I’ve got a handful of dishes I lean on when the fridge is bare and I’m low on time or inspiration. Any committed reader will know of my love for frozen peas, and the mealtime solutions they provide. (Pea Pasta, Minted Pea Puree, Peas & Onions, and Risi E Bisi are just a few of the favorites I’ve covered over the years.)

If, like me, you wear the apron in the relationship, you’d be wise to find your own back-pocket dishes, too. Know them, perfect them, and have them ready to deploy.

May I suggest the humble frittata?

The frittata is a forgiving vessel.

You can toss various ingredients into a frittata and the result will be more than the sum of its parts. This versatility makes it the ideal meal when you’ve got some leftover vegetables and no idea what to do with them. A few ragtag carrots hanging about? Great. A fistful of cherry tomatoes? A few fading springs of parsley or dill? Chop them up and watch them transform as they coalesce in the eggy suspension.

The frittata makes you look experienced in the kitchen. Less saavy friends will remark: “Wow. How did you just make this so easily?” It seems like it requires skill, but all it asks for, like so much good food, is confidence.