Meatless Monday!

The Carroll Gardens Patch has launched a new weekly column in the spirit of the Meatless Monday initiative, which promotes going without meat one day a week to reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Here we'll share favorite recipes submitted by neighbors and local restaurants in which vegetables are the main attraction.

Today's recipe was contributed by Sackett Street resident Greg Cicero who, in addition to whipping up vegetable frittatas, enjoys simmering his own marinara sauce on Sundays and has been known to crisp up pancetta at the last minute to toss in a salad. Cicero says he "guesstimated some of the ingredient quantities for the frittata because I'm used to cooking without a recipe."

Vegetable Frittata

Ingredients

8 whole asparagus
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 zucchini, sliced into half moons
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
12 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
6 Fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Toss asparagus, peppers, and zucchini with olive oil, salt and pepper; place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.

3. Increase oven temperature to 425ºF.

4. Beat eggs and add milk, pinch of salt and pepper and pecorino Romano cheese. Set aside.

5. Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in 12" oven-safe skillet at medium heat. Add egg mixture. Cook approx. 2 minutes without stirring until eggs begin to set. Arrange vegetables as desired. Drop in spoonfuls of ricotta cheese throughout.

6. Place skillet in oven and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until frittata is firm.

7. Remove from oven and run butter knife along edge of skillet to loosen. Let cool 30 minutes. Remove from skillet onto serving platter. Sprinkle basil in top. Serve.