With just over a month to go until the big day, it finally dawned on me that I should probably think about losing a few pounds so I can fit into the dress I bought - or - I can do what I usually do...continue eating with abandon right up until the day before the big event and then panic, say a prayer pleading to wake up 50 pounds lighter and when that fails (we seem to have prayer-proof ceilings in our house) run to the mall and buy the first thing I find at Omar the Tent Maker.
This Frittata is a big part of my "eating better" plan-of-action. It's got everything I love - chewiness from the wild rice, which is not really a rice but a grass so it's reasonably low in calories, shallots which give this frittata a nice mild crunch, mushrooms that absorb the itty-bitty-pat of butter and turn into creamy gems and then there's just enough bacon to make it worth while. Oh, and a little cheese. I happen to have the nutritional info on this, too...one slice is 210 calories...hardly enough to worry about!
The eggs are added to the mushroom/wild rice mixture - and they are flavor-packed with fresh rosemary, nutmeg and parsley...but wait, there's more! A nice sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese finishes the fritatta off - this one is company worthy my friends! I've made this 3 times in the last month - the mister is not a huge fan as he hates wild rice, but he will eat it, clean his plate in fact, and when I served it to him for the third time he said, "Why do you keep feeding me this crap? I'm not a hippy!! And if I was I'd rather smoke grass than eat it!" Hardy-har-har...that's probably the funniest thing the mister has ever said...might have to put that on his tombstone!
Mushroom and Wild Rice Frittata - Adapted From Eating Well
For the Wild Rice:
1/2 cup wild rice, rinsed
2 cups water
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the Frittata:
5 large eggs
2 large egg whiles
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots (or red onion if you want a stronger onion taste)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 lb. cremini mushrooms
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
5 slices center-cut bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
Prepare wild rice: Combine water, rice and salt in a small heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the rice is tender with a slight bite, 40 to 50 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Prepare frittata. About 20 minutes after you start cooking the rice, in an oven-proof skillet cook the bacon until it is almost crisp, remove to paper-toweling to cool a bit and then cut into 1-inch pieces.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and egg whites with parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, nutmeg and rosemary. Set aside.
Drain any bacon grease from skillet, add the butter and when melted add shallots and the remaining 1/4 teaspoons of salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have released their liquid and the pan is dry, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in wild rice. Pour reserved egg mixture evenly over the rice mixture. Partially cover and cook until set around the edges, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bacon pieces. Place the pan under the broiler and broil until the eggs are set and the top is nicely browned, about 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
This is good, healthy and would be great to serve for brunch or lunch! The original recipe calls for an assortment of mushrooms, so if you don't like cremini 'shrooms then put in the ones you do. It also called for proscuitto instead of bacon...I was fresh out of proscuitto and while I love it, if I have a choice I'm always going to pick bacon...bacon, bacon, bacon!
