Dinner with Kirsten

My favorite restaurant in Spain was a little Indian food place down the street from the restaurant where I worked. After a few weeks of eating exclusively Spanish food, I was ready for an injection of Indian spice. After I discovered it, my fellow American friend Jillian and I became obsessed and addicted. We were curry addicts. We went about once a week, scarfing down a three-course meal, along with naan and a bottle of Spanish red wine (we liked anything Rioja). Maybe it’s because Spain is closer to India than the U.S., or maybe my palate was starved for non-Spanish flavors, but I’ve never tasted Indian food as good.

It doesn’t sound like a great idea, and I’m not a huge “eggs for dinner” fan, but a stirring of my old curry addiction drove me to make this frittata. It’s like a quiche without a crust or an omelet without a fold, but it’s also similar to tortillas españolas, the potato egg omelet-like creation beloved by Spaniards. My two worlds collided in this dish—spicy curry and egg-loving Spanish, together as one. It really made me crave a good Rioja.

This came together in a flash and I loved the flavor. I mixed a little olive oil with the leftover chutney to make a cumin-spiced salad dressing the next day.

Curried Pea Frittata with Fresh Tomato Chutney
Adapted from Bon Appétit

1 12-ounce container grape tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon (or more, to taste) ground cumin
1 small garlic clove, peeled
1 1/8-inch-thick round peeled fresh ginger, chopped
8 large eggs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons curry powder (or more, to tastes)
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Preheat broiler or oven. Place tomatoes, brown sugar, cumin, garlic, and ginger in processor. Switching on/off, blend just until tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Transfer chutney to small bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

Place eggs in same processor bowl. Add cheese, curry powder, and salt and blend well. Heat oil in large broiler-proof nonstick skillet (I used cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add green onions and peas. Sauté until onions wilt, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture. Cook until top is almost set and bottom is golden, lifting edges to let uncooked egg flow underneath, about 7 minutes. Place frittata in broiler until top is set, about 1 minute. Run heatproof rubber spatula around frittata to loosen and slide out onto plate. Serve warm or at room temperature with tomato chutney.