Chorizo Frittata with Chickpeas and Spinach
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It is my sincere belief that frittatas are nothing short of heroic work horses that more than pull their weight when it’s crunch time in the kitchen. Nothing planned for dinner? No problem… grab some eggs and whatever the heck else you’ve got in the fridge or pantry and you can have dinner on the table in minutes.
One of the reasons I think that frittatas are such an awesome meal choice is that it’s really kind’ve hard to mess them up. They accommodate just about any ingredients; they’re good hot, warm or cold and great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They can be super healthy or scrumptiously indulgent and you really don’t even need a recipe. OK, so that there would be like 6 reasons to love and appreciate the humble frittata.
And among all of those frittata possibilities, this has become my all-time very favorite so far. I came across the recipe on the Food 52 website and couldn’t wait to get it made because it also involved two recent favorites of mine…homemade chorizo and freshly cooked up chickpeas.
And I couldn’t resist topping it with a little of that romesco sauce we made not long ago.
(shameless plugs for previous posts, but they were seriously awesome contributors to the deliciousness of this frittata).
I’m not sure I can even tell you specifically why this frittata tastes so much better to me than others that I’ve made. Obviously, it's got some pretty scrumptious flavor combinations going on, but somehow the way that these ingredients interact with the eggs also creates a very wondrous textural experience. It won my heart and it may just grab yours too. Here’s the recipe…
Chorizo Frittata with Chickpeas and Spinach
Click here for a printable recipe
Recipe courtesy Food 52
This is has become one of my all-time favorite frittatas. I used chickpeas that I cooked up from dried and they were impossibly tender and lovely in this. I also used my homemade chorizo which we thought was rather killer. This recipe calls for the more traditional Spanish chorizo that comes fully cooked in links. If you use the Mexican-style chorizo sausage, just remove it from the link casings, crumble it into the pan and continue with the recipe, making sure to cook it all the way through. I've also used frozen spinach instead of the fresh, and it works great. Just be sure to thaw it and squeeze it thoroughly dry before adding it to the pan. It really doesn't matter what kind of spinach or chorizo you use or whether your chickpeas are freshly cooked or canned, this is a crazy good frittata!
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
1 roasted red pepper
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup of diced chorizo (see headnote)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 big handfuls spinach
5 eggs, beaten
salt
1. Finely chop the onion and garlic and saute in a frying pan in a good glug of olive oil until soft and fragrant.
2. Dice the red pepper and chorizo into chickpea-sized chunks and add to the pan with the chickpeas and paprika.
3. Saute everything together until the orangy paprika oils run from the chorizo.
4. Add the spinach and keep stirring until it wilts and everything starts to meld together in the pan.
5. Add the eggs and stir gently to incorporate the eggs into the whole mixture, then allow to set over a medium heat.
6. Preheat the broiler, then slide the whole pan under the broiler to set the top of the fritatta, it will only take a minute or two to become light gold and puffy.
7. Gently loosen from the edge of the frying pan with a knife then place a large plate over the pan and invert the fritatta onto it. Then place another plate on top and invert once again so the glossy grilled top of the fritatta is on view.
8. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.
9. Allow to cool slightly before slicing into canape sized cubes or wedges. Serve hot or room temperature as a tapas or with a salad.
