Introduction: PASTRAMI, SWISS CHEESE & ONION FRITTATA

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About: I am a 82-year-old self-proclaimed Chef who has spent most of his life in the hotel/resort tourism industry. I have traveled up and down the east coast of the United States from New York to Key West, and from …

Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, or Dinner, this recipe is quick and easy to make, and it's good anytime of the day or night.

Step 1: INGREDIENTS (for 2 Servings):

  1. 3 TBS unsalted Butter
  2. 1/2 medium onion, sliced and diced (I prefer Red, but any color onion will work well)
  3. 4 large eggs
  4. 1/2 cup Pastrami, diced
  5. 2 TBS heavy cream (you can use plain milk if you wish)
  6. 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Salt Sense (or Kosher or Sea salt)
  7. 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  8. 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (optional)
  9. 1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
  10. 1 TBS fresh chopped herbs of your choice (I used Basil and Cilantro simply because I had them)
  11. 1/2 cup shredded Swiss Cheese (or cheese of your choice - but Swiss goes good with Pastrami.

Step 2: PREPARATION:

  1. Slice and dice the onion
  2. Slice and dice the pastrami
  3. Finely chop the fresh herbs
  4. *Mix together the S&P, Cayenne and Paprika
  5. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the cream or milk and the salt, pepper (including cayenne if using, and the smoked paprika
  6. Measure out the 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and keep all of the ingredients ready to use.

*NOTE: Both the Pastrami and Swiss Cheese contain salt (especially if you use packaged shredded cheese as I did, so you want to be very careful about adding additional salt to this recipe. I usually specify Diamond Crystal Salt Sense because it claims to contain about 33% less sodium them regular table salt.

Step 3: DIRECTIONS:

  1. Melt 2 TBS of the butter in a medium-sized non-stick oven-safe skillet over medium heat.
  2. Place a rack about 8 inches below the broiler elements and preheat the broiler over low heat.
  3. When the butter in the skillet begins to bubble or foam add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften (about 5 minutes), then remove them from the pan and place them in a small bowl to cool. Reserve the skillet on the stove top (but off of the hot burner).
  4. While the onions are cooling, whisk together the eggs, cream, and S&P mixture (including the smoked paprika and Cayenne Pepper if using).
  5. Once the onions have cooled for a few minutes, stir them into the egg mixture along with the chopped herbs, then fold in the half cup of shredded cheese.
  6. Add the remaining 1 TBS of unsalted butter to the non-stick skillet and reheat the pan over medium heat just until the butter has melted, then pour the Frittata mixture into the pan and stir, making sure that all of the ingredients are well mixed. Cook, stirring gently a couple of times during the first 2 or 3 minutes of cooking. Then let the mixture cook undisturbed until the bottom sets (about 5 minutes - try lifting the frittata gently with a rubber spatula; if it can be lifted, it is probably set).
  7. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil just until the eggs are set around the sides and nicely browned. Remove the pan from the oven, cover it with a lid, and let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Step 4: TIME TO EAT . . .

After the frittata has rested in the covered pan for about 5 minutes, gently lift it out and slide it onto a serving dish (I think you are supposed to invert the pan over the dish, but I haven't always been successful at this maneuver, so I slid a big flexible spatula under the frittata and eased it out of the pan and onto the dish)!

As you can see here, I enjoyed my Pastrami Frittata with a toasted and buttered bagel, and, since I was having mine for dinner, I also enjoyed a well-deserved scotch and soda!

Mangiare e gustare

Step 5: NUTRITION:

I have estimated the nutritional value of this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer. Bagel and cocktail not included.