Late Harvest Meals Get Creative

We had root vegetable chowder for dinner the other evening, and it was delicious. I didn’t make it—Mike did—and he made some interesting combinations that I might not have considered, but it definitely worked. It was a chunky, gruelly (and I mean that in the best possible way) concoction of potatoes and onions, with a sweet potato and one stray beet that got overlooked, and not only did it taste great, it was a beautiful golden color, too. Unfortunately, he didn’t write down what he put in it, exactly, but it proves that sometimes you can get great results when you make it up as you go along.

I unearthed something similar I did at the end of the season last year. I liked it so much that I did write down what I’d put in it so I could make it again. I call it a “Late Harvest Frittata,” so if you have an interesting assortment of vegetables in the next week or so, you might give it a try. Or you can try Mike’s method, and give cooking without a net a shot. All of our vegetables taste so good, how can you go wrong, no matter what you do with them.

Late Harvest Frittata

1 or 2 small eggplants, peeled and diced
2 or 3 sweet peppers, seeded and sliced
4 to 6 small tomatoes, green or red or a combination, diced
Any other vegetables or greens that look good (if you use potatoes, you might want to dice and boil them first)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup grated asiago cheese
6 large eggs
3-4 Tbsps. olive oil
pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and black pepper to taste
4 strips of bacon, fried and crumbled (optional)

Heat the oil in a large iron (or otherwise ovenproof) skillet over high heat. Sauté the garlic until starts to brown, then add the eggplant and sauté for about 5 minutes, until it is soft and brown. Add the tomatoes, peppers, and any other vegetables and cook for another 3 or 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat the eggs and add the asiago cheese, red pepper, and salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to broil, then reduce the heat on the burner under the skillet to medium low and add the egg mixture. Mix the vegetables and the eggs together in the skillet, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the egg just starts to set but the center is still fairly soft. Take off the lid, sprinkle the bacon on top and broil in the oven until it finishes cooking—about 2 minutes. Cool the frittata in the pan for a few minutes, then cut in slices and serve.