Here we are at Friday again! How are you hanging in? It's such a busy time of year what with school winding down and summer events and celebrations gearing up. More than ever we need quick, easy and family pleasing recipes to keep everyone happy and healthy and ourselves sane, right?! That's where the new Food 52 geniuses Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs come in with their brand-new, life-changing (truly) cookbook about to get through each week calmly and deliciously, A New Way To Dinner: A Playbook of Recipes and Strategies for the Week Ahead. And today I present this wonderful summery veggie and cheese filled frittata that will not only solve your dilemma of what to make for a quickie dinner tonight, but see you through another meal and maybe a snack or two also. If getting dinner on the table every night is something you grapple with, this Famous Fridays is for you!!

Organization and pre-planning--that's what it's all about. As working moms, both Amanda and Merrill understand this and so the book (which is divided by season) explains how a few hours of cooking ahead on the weekend or whenever you have a block of time, will make putting together weeknight meals so much less stressful. It's not really a new idea, I mean, we all know this, but the book organizes it for you and encourages you to become comfortable with a bunch of different recipes that you can then easily add into your repertoire and tweak to make your own. The other key element here is to prepare at least double quantities of everything you make so that you wind up with at least 2 full meals per dish that you can simply reheat or repurpose in some creative way. Many of the recipes are a little fancier, more varied and with more courses for a weeknight meal than what I would normally make for my family, but I love the basic concept and can't wait to try more.

And now onto this frittata which I know I'll be making again and again, especially on steamy summer nights! I've never thought about cooking salad greens and using them in a frittata before, but it works amazingly well, as do the dollops of ricotta which get meltingly luscious under the broiler. 

And the whole thing comes together so easily. You could make it ahead and reheat but if you have 30 minutes at your disposal, you can make it fresh and use the leftovers for another dinner or lunch the next day (Cold frittatas packed for lunch taste quite good!) Also, this is a very versatile dish--you can swap in or out any veggies or cheese you prefer or have on hand. 

And though it's "just eggs", the peas, greens, Monterey Jack and ricotta turn it into a satisfying, filling entree. Add a side salad and a piece of crusty bread and dinner is complete!

It's breakfast for dinner and every bite is so happy and relaxed. Just what we all need. So pick up a copy of A New Way To Dinner and if you have some spare time this weekend (ha ha!) start making next week's meals tastier and more enjoyable. I'm certainly going to try my best! Meanwhile, to my biggest boy, Happy Graduation!! We're so proud, now get to work! A big congrats to all of you with graduates too!! Have a fun and delicious weekend!!

A New Way To Dinner's Frittata with Peas, Spring Greens and Ricotta-Famous Fridays

Makes 6 servings, depending on how hungry your eaters are--the recipe doubles well and would make at least a dozen servings.

Prep Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup freshly shelled peas (you could use frozen here in a pinch)
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 cups young greens, coarsely chopped (I used arugula but you could use baby spinach or whatever you like or have on hand)
• 9 eggs
• 2 ounces Monterey Jack (or any semisoft cheese you like)
• 5 fresh chives, chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh ricotta

The Recipe

1.  Place the oil in a large cast-iron or other ovenproof non-stick pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the peas and a pinch of salt and cook for another couple of minutes, until the peas turn bright green. Add the chopped greens to the pan and cook for a minute or two, until they begin to wilt, tossing now and then. Remove the pan from the heat.

2.  Into a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, Monterey Jack, chives and some salt and pepper. Place the pan back over the burner and turn the heat to medium. Pour in the egg mixture and stir just a bit to combine things. Then let the eggs cook for about 10 minutes, until they are nearly set but still a little wet.

3.  Adjust the oven rack so it's about 4 inches away from the broiler and turn the broiler on. Spoon the ricotta evenly over the top of the frittata and place the pan in the oven. Cook for about 5 minutes, watching carefully, until the eggs are set and the ricotta begins to melt and get a bit brown. Remove from the oven. If you want neat slices, you need to let this cool. Otherwise, cut into wedges and serve immediately. 

4.  Leftovers can be wrapped well and stored in the fridge for several days. It's good cold or can be reheated in a low oven for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from A New Way To Dinner by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. I halved the recipe and tinkered with the proportions and with only 3 of us at home now, we still had substantial leftovers. I also swapped Monterey Jack for the fontina and left out the marjoram. Feel free to sub in or out anything you like or don't. This is a very versatile recipe.