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   The past few days I have been preparing dishes for my family using extra ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator left over from our holiday cooking and baking extravaganza! Thursday evening we decided to have one of our favorite theme dinners we call “Dippy Dippy Night!” AKA… Breakfast/brunch food for dinner night. With a day old loaf of sandwich bread, 4 extra homemade Italian Sausage links, and a few ripe  vegetables a delicious Dippy Dippy Dinner, of Italian Sausage Pepper and Onion Frittata and Baked Brown Sugar French Toast  was quickly prepared and on the table. Dinner was enjoyed by all, served and cleaned up in less then an hour, just in time to have movie night in the living room as the storm moved in on Cape Ann. 

Italian Sausage Pepper and Onion Frittata

Ingredients

4 large Italian sausage link ( I prefer to use my homemade tomato cheese & parsley sausage)

1/4 cup olive oil; plus 4 tablespoons

8 large eggs

2/3 cups Romano or Parmesan cheese

1 cup Fontina cheese; shredded or cut into thin pieces (Mozzarella cheeses can be substituted and both can be purchased at “The Cave”)

3/4 cups diced red pepper

 1/2 cup sweet onion; diced

3/4 cup green pepper; diced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup vine ripened tomato; diced

Note ~ The Cave on Main Street in Gloucester carries Trupiano Sausage, tomato cheese and parsley sausage is available through special order)

Step-by-Step

1 place sausage links in medium size frying pan; fill pan with enough water to submerge sausage halfway up the side of likns; bring to rolling boil; cook five minutes; turn links; cook additional five minutes

2 drain water from frying pan; place 2 tablespoons olive oil in frying pan, fry sausage over high heat until top and bottom sides of sausage links are golden brown; remove from fry pan; slice sausage links into 1/4 inch -1/2 inch thick pieces; reserve

3 combine eggs and grated cheese in mixing bowl; whisk well; add Fontina cheese; mix well; reserve

4 in separate oven proof frying pan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat; add peppers onions, salt and pepper; sauté three minutes; add ¼ cup olive oil, tomatoes and sliced sausage; mix well

5 pour egg/cheese mixture into frying pan; using spatula pull cooked eggs from outer edge of pan towards center allowing loose uncooked eggs to fall towards edge of pan (only do this process one time); allow eggs to set 2 to 3 minutes over high heat; remove pan from heat

6 place oven proof frying pan in preheated 375° oven; bake 7-10 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked evenly throughout Frittata

7 cut Frittata into wedges

8 serve with fresh garden salad, warm or chill several hours in refrigerator and serve cold

Note ~ this is one of many combinations of frittata ingredients I make for my family, this recipe can be easily adjusted to your liking by simply adding your favorite vegetables, meats and cheese. I remember my grandmother Felicia making hot dog Frittata on Saturdays using leftover hot dogs from her Friday night hot dog and beans dinners…. get creative and have some fun!  If you’re an asparagus fan, I encourage you to try making an asparagus frittata it’s one of my all-time favorites!

Note ~Steam Asparagus before adding to fry pan with olive oil