Meatless Monday #2 – Mushroom & Leek Frittata

Happy Monday!  Where did the weekend go?  Time flies when you’re having fun.  The Payaso and I had a busy weekend, and I think we are both feeling the effects of not having enough down time.  Maybe five things over the course of three and a half days was a little excessive.  There’s just so much we want to do, and people we want to see now that I don’t have any homework to do over the weekends.  Uff-dah.

This week’s Meatless Monday dish is adapted from one I found on Epicurious years ago.  I love this recipe because it’s completely versatile, and you can add whatever veggies or cheeses you need to use up in your fridge.  The original recipe calls for fontina cheese, but I’ve used provolone, white cheddar, gouda, and Swiss in its place with equal success. Fontina is a great choice for this dish don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I don’t want to spend $10 on a fancy cheese when I know something in my fridge will do just fine.  I’ve added sliced tomatoes to the top of this frittata, and I’ve added things like jarred roasted red peppers, spinach and artichokes, too.  Use what’s in your fridge and don’t be afraid to go loco.

Two important things to remember with this dish:  clean the leeks and make sure you are using an oven proof skillet.  I adore the taste of leeks because they are a cross between an onion and garlic with a very mild flavor.  They are grown in loose dirt or sand, which gets into each layer of the leek.  This is why it is super important to clean them out before you cook with them.  I generally cut the leek in half and then cut little half-moon shapes about 1/2” thick.  I use the white part and about 1/2 of the green part of the leek.  I add these half-moons to a colander and fill a sink with cool water.  Using my fingers, I separate each of the half rings and swish them around in the water for a few minutes.  Empty the sink and rinse with cool water for another few minutes.  It’s very easy, and if you haven’t tried cooking with leeks yet, here’s a great recipe for you to try.   The other tip is to use an oven proof pan.  Really you’re just making sure there isn’t any melt-able plastic on the skillet before you put it into the oven.   Just remember to have fun and play with your food.  Look inside that fridge to see what needs to be used up.  Got a question about adding something to the dish?  Comment below and let me help you.  I have friends and coworkers from my and the Payaso’s job that frequently ask me questions, and I absolutely love it!  Don’t be shy and think of it this way – it could be a question another person wants to ask.  If you prefer to send me an email, I’m at gringo@livinglavidagringo.com.  Here’s a picture of the leeks and mushrooms as they are getting sauted, and here’s another when the frittata comes out of the oven.  It looks like a little pizza, but I swear there’s no crust here.  I like to use a larger pan to get a thinner frittata, but you can use whatever size pan you’d like.  Just know that you man need to lengthen the cooking time depending on how large or small your pan is.

One of the things the Payaso and I did over the weekend was we watched Kinky Boots at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul.  We decided to buy tickets a little late into the production, so our seats were in the front row of the Gallery, which is on the top floor. Now listen, I’m afraid of heights – like deathly afraid of heights.  Being in the front row in the top section made me sweat as soon as I saw where our seats were going to be.  I saw the seats, froze and the Payaso had to gently push me along to our seats about 25 feet from the safety of the hallway door.  And look, given I weight nearly 1,000 pounds, most of it in my stomach, my balance can sometimes be a challenge.  “But, Gringo, there’s a railing so you don’t plummet 35 feet to your death onto those poor unsuspecting theater goers,” you’re thinking.  And you’re right, there is a railing – it’s about 2 feet off the ground, which comes up to just below my knees.  Think of me going to my seat like a large, chunky geisha doused in sweat, shuffling her feet in super slow motion, and that’s what it I looked like getting to my seat.  Even the floor usher was laughing.   Clearly she had never seen a 1,000 pound geisha in the form of a chunky 41 year old man wearing khakis and a polo shirt.  You can believe it when I tell you that once I sat down in that seat, I had no intention of getting up until intermission.  But dang I was wrong.  We had the last two seats in that particular section, which meant that every time someone sitting in the middle of the section needed to get to their seats, I’d have to stand up and let them pass.  When I stand up, I lean forward so every time someone needed to get to their seat, I had to look down at the folks on the ground level.  And then I had to sit back down (again, leaning forward to sit down).  I would try to use my butt to get the chair to fold down, but it was super awkward.  I have no doubt it was a spectacle for everyone in the Gallery to which I say…you’re welcome for the pre-musical entertainment!

At last, the first half is about to start, and I quickly glance down our row to count that everyone is in their seat and I won’t need to envision me going over the railing for the next hour or so.  The musical is lively, the actors are in great voice, and the audience seems open to a musical about a rural Englishman making boots for drag queens.  And like that, the first half was over.  We get up and I geisha-walk my way back to the doorway in the hallway.  We decide to try one of the signature cocktails – the Lola – to enjoy during intermission, and I drink it down a little faster than I should.  We’re taking in all that the Ordway has to offer with a drag queen singing a floor below us next to a grand piano, and another drag queen selling merchandise for the show.  The Landmark Center is beautifully lit up next to Rice Park, and there’s a great energy in the air.  An usher walks by, and tells us the show is starting again in five minutes by gesturing an open hand with five extended fingers.  The only problem is the alcohol has hit me too fast, and I can’t tell if he’s playing some prank on me by saying five but showing double the amount of pudgy digits coming from his hand.  Crap – I’m buzzed after one drink.  We hadn’t eaten before the show, and the last time we ate was a late brunch with friends around 11:00 A.M. We also don’t drink much so I’m really feeling it that Kinky liquor and prosecco.

We start to walk to the safety of the hallway when I ask the Payaso, “do you think anyone would notice if I crawl to my seat?”  I may have been buzzed, but I’ll never forget his facial expression, which had a sort of WTF are you talking about look to it.    “It’s cool, I got this,” I think to myself until I see that there’s another 800 pound man standing where I need to walk through in order to get to my seat.  I quickly assess his belly and look at my belly to determine I’ll make it through, but it’s going to be a narrow squeeze.  I have a sudden thought of me grabbing onto him as I pull us both over the railing, crushing those waiting for Act II below us; however, I give my biggest smile and shuffle my feet as slowly and steadily as I can back to my seat.  Luckily, we are the last of our row to be seated so I don’t have to loom over the railing every time I would need to stand up for people getting to their seats.  Okay, obviously, he didn’t weight 800 pounds, and I don’t weight 1,000, but there are days I sure feel like that, and I’m one to often eat my feelings.  “By the way, you have something in your teeth,” my loving husband, the Payaso tells me after I’ve just given the 800 pound man the craziest smile in theater history.  Oye.

Kinky Boots’ last show was yesterday evening.  It’s a wonderful musical with a very positive message about being yourself, and not following dreams imposed by others.  There’s a wonderful Oscar Wilde quote cited in the first ten minutes of the show: “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”  Tamar Braxton says the same thing in her “Get Yo Life” phrase.  The point here is to remember to be yourself, and reflect on who you are to always have an understanding of your authentic self.  I’m far from perfect, and  I also know that I suffer from trying to please everyone.  It’s a lesson I struggle with daily, and I hope one I continue to grow and work towards finding confidence in my inner voice.  I’m not going to be everyone’s cup of Joe, and that’s okay.  I’m thankful for musicals and artists who provide amazing examples for the rest of us.  I’m thankful to my friends that show their vulnerability in showing their true selves in our friendship (LOVE YOU, OJ!).  I’m thankful to the Payaso for his constant encouragement in my struggle.  I’m thankful to all of you reading this.  Remember, “Be yourself.  Everyone else is already taken.”  Do you, and please try this frittata.