Celebrate Mom with Eggs & Bubbles!

A frittata is an easy, one-skillet egg dish. Think of it as a crustless quiche. I know, I know the “price of eggs” but still, a dozen eggs costs less than a whole chicken or a pound of ribeye. Plus a frittata can be made with just about any leftovers you have on hand. It’s delicious hot from the oven or at room temperature. It’s great as a standalone dish or pairs well with a salad, soup or any kind of bread. Serve it with toast or muffins and a sparkly spritz for an impressive Mother’s Day brunch you can make at home (and that’s going to cost less than a meal at a restaurant for sure).

My very first frittata was from Mark Bittman’s award-winning cookbook How to Cook Everything (copyright John Wiley & Sons, 1998). My kids loved the cheddar cheese, bacon and apple version. These days I riff on that original recipe, changing up the cheese and meats, adding different vegetables depending on the season, my mood and what’s in the fridge that needs to be used up.

If you prefer no meat or don’t want the fat of the bacon, simply leave it out or replace it with chopped cooked chicken or turkey or add extra mushrooms and spinach.

I encourage you to experiment and use what you have on hand. Red peppers, kale, chopped apples, broccoli, etc. are all good frittata ingredients. Open up that crisper drawer and get creative.

Make sure the skillet you use is ovenproof (I prefer cast iron but not everyone has a big cast iron skillet so anything ovenproof will work). Also, make sure the skillet is totally oiled or buttered before adding the egg mixture. You don’t want the eggs to stick and the only way to keep them from sticking is to use enough oil and/or butter to make them slide out once they’re baked. I typically use a mix of oil and unsalted butter in my skillet. If I’m using bacon in the frittata, I use the leftover bacon grease and butter to smear around the skillet (the bottom and sides) before pouring the egg mixture into it.

Now for the drink. Wine spritzes date back to the 1800s in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Popular spritz variations include the Aperol Spritz and the Campari Spritz, both made with digestive bitters, Italy’s own sparkling white wine, Prosecco, and soda water. The Hugo Spritz, on the other hand, replaces the herbal aperitif bitters with a sweet, citrusy elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain, a French liqueur made with fresh elderflowers, hand-picked once a year in late spring. Every bottle of St-Germain contains up to 1,000 elderflower blossoms.

You can substitute elderflower syrup or another brand of elderflower liqueur for the St-Germain but the elderflower component is key to the Hugo Spritz; it’s what sets it apart from the others and creates a light, floral, bubbly, low-ABV drink.

Mushroom, Bacon, Spinach Frittata

Makes 4 to 6 servings

12 large eggs
1 tablespoon half & half or heavy cream
Pinch of kosher salt
Several grinds of black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
4-6 slices bacon
1/2 white or red onion, thinly sliced or chopped small
1 cup thinly sliced baby bella or cremini mushrooms
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach or arugula leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2-4 tablespoons unsalted butter for skillet
Minced chives or scallions, for garnish

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Break eggs into a large glass measuring cup or medium size bowl. Whisk in half & half or heavy cream. Add salt, black pepper and oregano. Set aside.

Place bacon slices in a cast iron (or any heavy ovenproof skillet) over medium heat. Fry bacon until crisp then remove from skillet and drain on paper towel. Chop into small pieces.

In same skillet over medium heat, add onions to the bacon drippings and sauté until they begin to soften. Then add mushrooms and tomatoes, cooking and stirring until softened. Stir in spinach and garlic and cook until spinach is wilted. Remove vegetables from skillet and stir them into egg mixture. Stir cheese and bacon pieces into egg mixture. Add enough butter to remaining bacon grease in the skillet to coat sides and bottom completely. Pour egg mixture into skillet and cook on medium-low burner on stovetop until bottom of frittata is set. To finish, slide skillet into hot oven and bake frittata until top is set and eggs are cooked through, approximately 8-10 minutes.

Let cool slightly before turning out onto a cutting board or large plate for serving.

Hugo Spritz

For any spritz, the typical ratio is 3:2:1 – 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts liqueur/bitters, 1 part soda/sparkling water. For the Hugo Spritz, muddling a mint sprig and garnishing with a lemon or lime slice are the extra touches that make for a most excellent brunch drink.

For one spritz:

2 ounces St-Germain elderflower liqueur
1-2 sprigs mint
Ice cubes
3 ounces chilled prosecco
1 ounce soda or sparkling water
Lemon or lime wedge or slice

Put the elderflower liqueur and 1 mint sprig in a wine glass. Gently muddle and let sit for a couple minutes. Add ice, prosecco and sparkling water. Stir briefly to combine.

Garnish with mint sprig and lemon or lime.

This article appears in Source Weekly May 1st, 2025.