There was a time, not so long ago, when they could do nothing.
My kids, I mean. They could do nothing.
They couldn't sit, stand, or walk. They couldn't dress themselves, or take a bath alone. They couldn't run, swim, ride a bike, or speak in grammatically correct sentences. They couldn't do crap.
And then, kaboom.
They could.
Now they can read 600 page books, write elaborate stories about mythical lands, and name more Beatles songs than I'll ever know. (I mean, come on. Who the hell has ever heard of Savoy Truffle?) They can whoop me at ping pong and often at Scrabble, and their command of international coins far exceeds my own. They can get their clothes on, and off, and wash them, and dry them, and fold them up, and put them away in square little piles. (Haha! Just kidding. But they can get them on, and off, and then squish their pants into a ball and heave them towards the closet, where they fall on the floor.)
The one thing they really couldn't do, at all, I just recently realized, with a mixture of shame and embarrassment, was cook.
Ooops.
But I'm rectifying that.
We've just completed Part 1, Lesson 4 of You'd-Better-Listen-to-Me-And-Pay-Attention-Because-I've Got Things-To-Do Summer Cooking Boot Camp. Part 1 is egg cookery. We've covered scrambled (lesson 1), fried (lesson 2), omelettes (lesson 3), and poached (lesson 4, this morning).
I even started making them type up the recipes after they cook them, so they can refer to them later, and so they'll have a little cookbook to print out when the summer's over.
Tomorrow's lesson? Frittata.
Followed by a remedial laundry folding seminar.
Bring your sons by. Door opens at 8am.
...
Recipe for Three Meat and Goat Cheese Frittata
When you want a light dinner that comes together quickly, and you've got some scraps of cheese and meat lying around, crack a few eggs and grab a skillet. Frittatas are infinitely variable, and while I usually stuff mine with vegetables, this time I went for the bacon, sausage, and prosciutto.
Serves 4
5 strips bacon, cooked, blotted of excess oil, and crumbled
1/2 to 1 chicken (or pork) sausage, cooked and diced
1 to 2 pieces prosciutto (or ham), torn to bits
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons cream
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
Goat cheese (as much as you like)
Preheat the broiler, with one rack towards the top of the oven and a second rack in the center.
Toss the 3 meats in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and cream, and season generously with salt and pepper.
In a 9-1/2" to 10-1/2" ovenproof, nonstick skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute gently until soft and translucent. Sprinkle the meats on top and pour in the egg mixture. Dot the goat cheese on top in little blobs.
Cover and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until the bottom sets but the top is still runny. Pop under the broiler, on the top rack, until the frittata starts to brown and looks set, about 4 minutes, then move to the center rack and cook another 2 to 3 minutes longer to get the inside cooked through.
Serve immediately, or at room temperature.
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