Breakfast for dinner (or romance)

Recipes: Frittata with deep greens, Huevos rancheros

I love having breakfast for dinner. There's something about breakfast that's so intimate, so just-you-and-me, that to bring it to a candlelit table at night seems a most romantic thing to do. Breakfast is almost always about comfort food, and who doesn't need comfort in the early darkness of winter, in the busyness of the holiday season? It's a matter of survival.

An omelet is a traditional breakfast dish, and the most common is the folded omelet. My favorite omelet for dinner, however, is a frittata, which is an Italian version - a substantial flat omelet that contains a variety of vegetables, including potatoes, that have been cooked in advance and then assembled and finished with eggs. With the addition of sauteed greens (or a green salad, if you prefer), it's a complete meal and really satisfying on a cold winter evening.

Frittata with Deep Greens

• 2 medium red potatoes, washed and with skins on
• Sea salt
• 1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup diced cooked ham or sausage (optional)
• 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 eggs
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Cut potatoes into quarters. Put them in a saucepan, add water to cover, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/2 inch slices and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the other vegetables and the ham or sausage, if using, and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a well-cured or non-stick pan. I use a cast-iron pan that is well seasoned from lots of use. Add the sliced potatoes and cook, stirring gently, until they are golden brown. Remove them to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Heat then add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, over high heat until they start to brown. Remove and set aside with the potatoes.

Add the bell peppers and onion to the pan. Cook about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted.

Now add butter and stir. Add the potatoes, mushrooms, and meat (if using) and cook about 2 minutes, stirring to mix.

Beat the eggs very well in a bowl and pour them over the ingredients in the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium high heat, stirring the eggs gently with a spatula. Lift the sides of the omelet to let egg run underneath, and then cover the pan. Let cook about 2 minutes. The omelet will remain slightly unfirm on top.

Sprinkle the omelet with the red wine vinegar. Loosen the sides by running a knife or spatula around the edge of the omelet.

Here's the slightly tricky part, although it's really not difficult. Place a dinner plate - one that's a little larger than the pan - upside down on top of the pan. With pot holders on both sides, invert the pan while holding the plate tight to the top so the omelet falls onto the plate. Voila! Cut into wedges and serve, OR first saute some delicious deep greens to mound on top of your finished frittata.

Sauteed Deep Greens

Wash and slice any amount of deep greens: Kale, chard, spinach, perhaps a bit of sorrel if you have it. Remember the volume reduces quite a bit when cooking.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a wide skillet over medium high heat. Pile the greens in handful by handful, until they cook down, then add some more. Kale takes the longest, so put it in first, then the others. Sprinkle with salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Turn over with tongs until the greens are tender. This should take about 5 minutes or so.

Sprinkle a little red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice over the greens before you mound them on top of the frittata. Then cut the frittata in wedges and serve.

Huevos Rancheros

We're definitely on an international kick today. Huevos Rancheros is a traditional Mexican breakfast dish for those who want a substantial start to the day (ranch hands, originally). It translates beautifully and scrumptiously to dinner. Yum!

Huevos Rancheros should be served right away once they're made, so be ready to eat!

• 4 corn tortillas (unless you make your own, I like the handmade style thicker tortillas. Regular corn tortillas work fine too. Don't use flour tortillas for this dish.)
• 4 large eggs
• Refried beans (leftover pinto beans or a can of plain refried beans) or black beans, slightly mashed.
• A can of green chile salsa or fresh tomato salsa (when tomatoes are in season, which they are not right at the moment)
• 1/2 cup or more grated cheddar cheese, or crumbled queso fresca

Turn your stove's broiler on to high. Plan to use dinner plates that can be slid under the broiler for a minute or two*, and if possible put them near the stove while you're cooking to heat them a little.

Heat the beans in a small skillet and set them aside.

Fry the eggs the way you like them, hopefully "sunny-side up" or "over easy or medium". I think it's nice to have a slightly runny yolk, if you like it that way.

Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 15 seconds to warm and soften.

Overlap 2 tortillas on each dinner plate. Top the tortillas with beans, then the fried eggs, then several spoonfuls of salsa. Generously sprinkle grated or crumbled cheese over all.

Slide the plates under the broiler* for a minute or two, until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

*This last step can be eliminated if your plates won't survive the broiler - it will still be wonderful.