By Father's Day. Jim called in the morning, which I wasn't expecting — he's a man of few words and we don't have a natural kinship the way Sarah and I do, but he called and we talked for twenty minutes about his work and the boys and what he was hoping to do when things opened up. It was a good conversation. I've been thinking lately about the connections that go unattended in ordinary life — the ones you assume you'll get to when there's more time — and how this strange year has forced certain reckonings.
I made a proper Father's Day dinner for myself: grilled steak, the first of the summer, with roasted garlic and a salad from the garden. Opened a bottle of red wine I'd been keeping for an occasion. Sat outside at the table on the porch until it got dark, listening to the birds come in and the bats start their evening rounds. The property looked beautiful. Thirty-seven years I've been working this land and I'm still not tired of looking at it.
The boys sent a card with drawings in it — Teddy's was a caricature of me at the maple boiler (he actually captured the posture pretty well), and Finn's was a round orange figure with the label "GRAMPA" in large unsteady letters. I put both on the refrigerator.
Summer produce is picking up. The first zucchini, which always feels like an abundance until it becomes an avalanche. I made a zucchini frittata, the simplest thing in the world — eggs, cheese, zucchini, herbs from the pot on the porch — and ate it for two days. The garden demands you cook simply this time of year. There's too much coming in for anything elaborate. That suits me.
That frittata I mentioned — the one that appeared almost by necessity when the first zucchini came in — is something I’ve been making a version of for years, and it never feels like a chore. There’s something fitting about ending a day like that Father’s Day with food this uncomplicated: eggs from the hens, zucchini from the garden ten steps away, a handful of herbs from the pot on the porch. It fed me two days running, which is exactly what a good make-ahead breakfast should do.
Make-Ahead Zucchini Frittata
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini (about 2 cups), thinly sliced or roughly grated
- 6 large eggs
- 1/3 cup whole milk or cream
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Gruyere cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (chives, thyme, or parsley), roughly chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 375°F. Position a rack in the center.
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and cook another 4–5 minutes until the zucchini is just tender and any moisture has cooked off. Spread the vegetables in an even layer in the pan.
- Whisk the eggs. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half the cheese, the fresh herbs, and red pepper flakes if using. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the vegetables in the skillet.
- Cook on the stovetop. Let the frittata cook undisturbed over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, until the edges just begin to set.
- Finish in the oven. Scatter the remaining cheese over the top, then transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the center is set and the top is lightly golden.
- Rest and serve. Let the frittata rest in the pan for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold straight from the refrigerator the next morning. Keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 230 | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 390mg