PEPPERS AND EGGS

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on here and have heard from a few people asking me to submit some new recipes. Since it is lent, I am going to post some meatless recipes.

Meatless Fridays!! How I hated them. I grew with EVERY Friday being meatless as well as Christmas Eve. I drove my mom nuts every Friday because I just hated fish of all kinds. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the only thing I would bring to lunch. Friday evening meals were worse. I can remember actually eating mustard sandwiches because I wouldn’t eat anything else except maybe a bowl of cereal. Bless my mom, she catered to me. I was such a brat!!! She would even prepare pancakes on a Friday just to accommodate my fussy eating habits

I don’t think Peppers and Eggs necessarily means that this is a favorite Lenten dish, but I believe it is the most identifiable. If you should ask an ‘ole’ Catholic what is the first thing that comes up in his/her mind when asked to name a Lenten dish, Peppers and Eggs would be it. Even now, on Hot Dogs stands have their Marquees signs featuring LENTEN SPECIAL PEPPERS AND EGGS.

I can still picture my mom making this Frittata in the cast iron skillet which I still have. It’s not necessary but it surely makes preparing this dish easier in a “seasoned” skillet. An important ingredient in this recipe is the Italian Bread. It’s worth your time and effort to find a bakery or store  that sells a great loaf of Italian crusty bread. In Chicago, the best place for Italian bread that I know is D'Amatos on Grand Avenue near Racine.

This recipe is good for at two healthy sandwiches.

1 green pepper, seeds and veins removed and cut into ½” strips

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

4 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

salt and pepper to taste

1. Over medium heat in the skillet (or non-stick skillet, saute garlic and oil until the garlic begins to sizzle. 
2. Add the green pepper  and cook until pepper strips are tender, about 15 minutes
3. In a medium size bowl, beat eggs and milk adding salt and pepper
4. Pour egg mixture over peppers and let them set briefly
5. With a wooden spatula, turn the eggs to allow the uncooked to reach the bottom. Be careful not to turn too much or you will have scrabbled eggs.
6. After the eggs are pretty well set, take a platter slightly larger than the skillet.  Place the platter face down over the skillet and carefully and quickly turn the skillet upside down to allow the eggs to fall on the platter
7. Place the skillet back over medium heat and slide the Frittata back in the skillet.
8. Continue to cook for just a minute or two remove from skillet and cut.
9. Slice the Italian bread in slice and place Frittata between two slices

ENJOY