Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata

For those that celebrate Hanukkah, they know that I am a few days early to be gathering for the holiday. This week I wasn’t able to make the Saturday farmers market because I was hosting a Hanukkah holiday brunch at my home with family and friends. Us Jewbans have to continue family holiday traditions to pass on to the next generation. Wait…did she just say Jewban? I sure did! Its how I describe myself when someone asks what my background is. My father’s side of the family is Jewish, my mother is from Cuba and when both cultures collide, you get one of the most rare combinations of people.  However, I can tell you that both cultures share a lot of similarities. Eating delicious food and gathering with family and friends are my two favorite. It makes sense that I am completely in my element when I am doing both of these things. Here is a photo of me and my parents that day before we started chowing down on all of the delicious eats.

I served some of my favorite traditional Jewish food including homemade blintzes, Israeli Salad, Bagels, Lox and Rugelach. I also served a Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata, Click on link for recipe. Of course, no brunch would be complete without mimosas!

The frittata was probably the easiest thing to make on the menu. You literally just whisk the eggs, top it with spinach and crumbled goat cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes. Everyone loved it and kept asking me for the recipe. They couldn’t believe how simple it was to make. I mean, I will confess that I do have a few secret ingredients that I always add in my egg dishes that will totally keep your guests in suspense. I actually disclosed the secret ingredients in the recipe so don’t forget to check it out! So yummy!

Every time I make blintzes, I think of my uncle making my family and I breakfast when we would go to visit him in Massachusetts when I was a kid. When I got old enough, I started to make them with him and really enjoyed creating those special memories in the kitchen. My recipe is a little different than his, as I use homemade ricotta. I made the ricotta and assembled the blintzes the night before so that they were ready to fry up the next morning before my guests arrived. There is just nothing like fresh ricotta. It is one of the easiest things to make and tastes so different from the store bought products. I also added a little bit of lemon zest to the filling to give the blintz a fresher and lighter feel. I served it with sour cream and a fresh blueberry sauce. I literally only had one that did not get eaten.

 

The Israeli salad was such a simple salad and balanced out the rest of the menu well. Tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, mint, parsley, salt and pepper. That is it! The herbs gave the salad such a freshness. You can easily turn this salad into an entree by adding a little bit of feta cheese and grilled chicken or grilled fish. It would be great to serve on any brunch or lunch menu.

 

When i think of a Jewish brunch, the first thing that comes to my mind is bagels and lox. Lox, traditionally referred to as belly lox, is salt cured, not smoked. This one was so buttery and just melted in your mouth when you took a bite. It was perfect with the chive cream cheese and assorted toasted bagels that I paired with it.

I may not have used many local ingredients in this menu, but you can easily find eggs, fruit and veggies to incorporate into your recipes at the farmers market or through local food businesses. The brunch was absolutely delicious but what I enjoyed most of all was carrying on holiday traditions and making new memories with my family and friends.