Dear Chef Kathleen,

How do you stay inspired to cook? I get so tired of it. I can't afford to hate to cook because I need to lose weight and I've heard you say often enough that cooking at home is better for us.

Kris


Dear Kris,

I don't always feel Julia Child-enthusiastic about cooking either, but I've learned that with a little effort, it's easier to keep things fun most of the time.

For instance, I subscribe to several cooking magazines because the photographs are really inspiring and the recipes are usually pretty short.

I'm a cookbook fanatic for many of the same reasons, but also because they can offer one-stop shopping. When you're in the mood for vegetarian, it's nice to be able to go straight to a book that specializes in the cuisine such as Jack Bishop's latest, A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen: Easy Seasonal Dishes for Family and Friends, or another favorite by the same talented author, The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook.

I don't know Bishop, I'm just a huge fan of his work. His recipes are dependable, concise and to the point.

Nothing will dash your eagerness to cook quicker than a recipe that doesn't work out. When I find an author whose recipes I can count on, I put all their books on my wish list.

Farmer's markets, produce stands and gourmet grocery stores are a great source of inspiration too. I was in the market the other day and spotted a little basket of locally grown summer squash. There were yellow and light green varieties in long and patty pan shapes.

Though I wasn't really in the mood to cook because the weather was unbearably hot and humid, I couldn't resist picking them up. I was determined not to let them become vegetable-drawer soup, if you know what I mean, so on the way home I decided they'd be perfect in a frittata. I had some basil in my garden, some garlic and a wedge of Parmesan cheese.

I washed and dried the squash before I put it away so when the mood to cook struck, all I had to do was slice the squash, peel and slice a clove of garlic, chop a handful of basil, crack a few eggs and grate a little cheese.

It's a supper you can whip up start-to-finish in 15 minutes and it is heavenly reheated.
When you whip open that refrigerator door in a help-I'm-starving-moment and there's leftover frittata to grab, you're in Cooking Thin city!

Tip: I like to use fresh eggs, but egg substitute will work just fine.

If the Queen's Coming to Supper: Garnish the frittata with a little fresh chervil and a few edible flowers such as nasturtiums, available in gourmet grocery stores or your backyard garden if you planted any this year. I'm no Gretta green thumb, but they're both really easy to grow, so pick up a few seed packets and plant them next season. Mother Nature will do the rest.

Frittata

2 whole eggs
8 egg whites
Coarse salt and cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 pound summer squash, about two medium squash, thinly sliced
1 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh basil
1/2 ounce grated Reggiano Parmesan Cheese, about a scant 1/2 cup

Preheat broiler.

Whisk 2 whole eggs and 8 egg whites together in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Place olive oil and garlic in a 10-inch nonstick pan with an ovenproof handle. Turn heat to medium and cook until garlic just starts to sizzle. Add summer squash and cook and stir every now and then until the garlic is lightly golden and the squash is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour egg mixture and basil into pan and using a heatproof spatula, slowly stir eggs in a figure eight motion until just beginning to set on edges. Continue cooking, occasionally sliding spatula around edges of pan to let raw egg flow underneath, until frittata is set on bottom, but not all the way on top, 4 to 5 minutes.

Scatter cheese over frittata and place pan directly under broiler just until top is golden brown and set and cheese has melted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Let frittata stand 5 to 10 minutes.

To serve, slide frittata onto a serving platter and cut into wedges.

Frittata may also be cooled to room temperature, then cut and served.

Serves 4.

kd@chefkathleen.com