Rustic Vegetable Frittata

Two weeks out. I did the Great Falls radio interview on Thursday — a morning program, friendly host named Marco who'd actually read the book and whose questions were better than I expected, specific and curious rather than generic. He asked about the relationship between cooking and sobriety and I answered honestly, which I'd decided to do before going in. "The kitchen was the first place I could feel competent," I said. "When everything else was chaos, a good meal was still possible." Marco nodded and let the silence sit for a beat and then moved on, which is what a good interviewer does. The silence did the work.

Sarah called afterward to say the pre-orders jumped after the interview. Not a huge number but real and meaningful — real people who heard something on the radio and went home and ordered a book. That causality still feels remarkable to me. Words spoken into a microphone and then other people going somewhere and exchanging money for a thing I made. The circuit of it.

Patrick had a good week. He's been more talkative than usual, which I think is related to spring — he comes alive when the land does, has always been this way. He told me three stories this week that I hadn't heard before: one about his father's relationship with a difficult mare named Sorrow, one about the winter the creek froze solid for three weeks and they had to melt snow for the livestock, one about the summer he almost sold the ranch and what changed his mind. I listened to all three without hurrying him. These stories are the inheritance that doesn't appear in any will.

Tom sent me the first twenty pages of the third book — typed now, which means he's decided it's right. It's good. It's very good in a different way than the mule book: quieter, more interior, more willing to sit in uncertainty. Eighty-three years old and still finding a new register. I want to be like that at eighty-three, if I get there. I want to still be finding something I haven't said yet.

Shakshuka this week — eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce, with good bread and feta crumbled over the top. Quick and satisfying and somehow the right food for this particular May eve. Something coming to readiness in a warm place.

I’d had shakshuka in mind all week — something warm and egg-centered, something that felt like potential held in a pan — and when I couldn’t pull together all the right ingredients, the frittata stepped in as a worthy stand-in: the same unhurried readiness, the same sense of things coming together in their own time. After a week of interviews and Patrick’s stories and Tom’s good pages arriving in the mail, I wanted food that rewarded patience without demanding much of it. This is that dish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced into half-moons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) and position a rack in the center.
Whisk the eggs. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until just combined. Set aside.
Sauté the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and garlic and cook another 3 minutes, until the zucchini is just tender. Stir in the smoked paprika and red pepper flakes, if using.
Add the eggs. Spread the vegetables in an even layer across the skillet. Pour the egg mixture over the top, gently shaking the pan so the eggs settle around the vegetables. Let cook undisturbed on the stovetop for 2–3 minutes, until the edges just begin to set.
Finish in the oven. Scatter the feta over the top and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the eggs are fully set in the center and the top is lightly golden.
Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest for 2 minutes. Scatter with fresh parsley, slice into wedges, and serve warm from the pan with crusty bread alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Rustic Vegetable Frittata — Something Coming to Readiness in a Warm Place