Charred Corn and Poblano Frittata

This article about viral recipes that ran on Vox this week mentioned that aging millenials are going out less and cooking at home more. Honestly I think that’s great. I’ve always loved making a meal at home. For one it’s cheaper, and for two, I don’t have to wear real pants. But it’s still totally true that as a 20 something living in NYC I ate out a lot. I’m not really sure how I made that all work money wise. Were we just good at finding deals (or pretending that mounting credit card debt was a problem we could put on the back burner until our 30’s – HA)? Or maybe there were just more home cooked dinners than I remember.

But brunch – we ALWAYS went out for brunch. Make eggs at home? What are we, monsters? We’d pull our hungover asses out of bed, take a cab downtown (again my fiscal decision making was nothing if not STELLAR), and then wait in line for at least 40 minutes before being seated in a tiny chair, at a cramped table, in the loudest corner of any restaurant that has ever existed. But then the fun began.

Bottomless brunch (where stupid thoughts become stupid actions)

I had never experienced a place where as long as you were sitting and had ordered food, the waitstaff would continue to fill your glass with watered down mimosas and bloody marys. Once my group of friends learned of this magical unicorn of a breakfast lunch hybrid we were hooked.

But this is not a blog about bottomless mimosas – this is a blog about food. And friends, that food was BAD. To be fair this was probably due to our choice of restaurant which was usually based on the price of bottomless brunch admission – ie cheap. But the cheap brunch food was really pretty shitty – hence all the booze. If you’re really drunk you probably don’t mind that your eggs are a bland, dry mess.

Home cooking, or cooking at home

So back to the article I cited way up there at the top. It says that millenials are cooking more at home. If that’s the case I certainly hope they are cooking brunch, because to see that tradition of hungover camaraderie and eggs bite the dust would be a damn shame. Of course I’m half joking – there’s NO WAY that brunch is going ANYWHERE. And honestly, if people are making it at home it’s probably markedly improved.

So what are you making for brunch?

Well if I’m a millenial (which technically I am, even if I’m on the waaaaaaaaay old side of things), then I’m probably looking for something simple and easy to pull off but impressive enough to make everyone social media jealous of my #goals life. Oh also, it’s gotta be delicious, and even better if it doesn’t have me standing upright over the stove for too long (so made to order omelets for me and four guests is totally out of the question).

That’s where my friend the frittata makes his glorious appearance yet again. I know we’ve frittata-ed before, but there are good reasons for that. Frittatas are cheap, easy, very nearly hands off, can be super fancy or reasonably humble, and are great for feeding a crowd. Basically all the things a millenial could ask for at 11 AM on a Sunday.

Charred Corn and Poblano Frittata

So this one is a little extra special because I wanted it to be like a party. And when I think of a party these days I think of Mexican food. It’s fun, communal, and there are toppings! And honestly toppings make my little heart skip a beat. So the bones of this frittata are based around eggs (duh), spicy poblano peppers, charred corn, and cheddar cheese, but the rest is up to you. I like a little salsa, red onion, and sour cream action on mine, but maybe you want to top yours with crispy tortilla strips, avocado, and pickled jalapenos.

Tips for making a great frittata

Not a lot, as I like to keep things pretty simple here, but there are a couple tips to keep in mind.

• Use a non-stick or close to non-stick skillet. Make sure if it’s really non-stick that it’s also oven safe – ie: no plastic handles. I use my cast iron for this.
• This recipe calls for half and half. You could substitute whole milk for this, but don’t go any skinnier than that – the eggs need some fat to hang on to (insert lewd joke here).
• You can char your peppers ahead of time, in fact you can make the whole corn and pepper mixture the day before. Then the next morning just throw it into the pan to heat through for a few minutes and continue with the rest of the recipe
• This isn’t a frittata cookery tip – just a bonus really: A slice of leftover frittata between two pieces of toast is the easiest breakfast sandwich you’ve ever had.

So that’s that. Takeaways? Brunch at home is superior now that I’m in my 30’s, I am barely a millenial but I’m holding on to that label super hard, and frittatas are the best, easiest, dish for a crowd that you can also instagram. Except maybe avocado toast – but we’re over that already, aren’t we?

If you read to the bottom then yay! You get a cookie. Well no, not really, but thank you so much for reading and making the recipes, and hopefully sharing them with your friends and family (because food is best when shared with people we love, or at least like, or maybe even “like like”). If you do make this or any of my recipes I’d love if you gave it a star rating (below) or took a pic and tagged me on Instagram (@jo_eats_). You’re the coolest. Happy Friday!

Charred Corn and Poblano Frittata

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This corn and poblano frittata makes an easy weeknight dinner or delicious, savory brunch. I love it served with all the garnishes I might add to a taco!

• Author: Jo
• Prep Time: 5 Minutes
• Cook Time: 40 Minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 Servings
• Category: Eggs
• Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

2 medium poblano peppers
8 large eggs
1/2 C half and half
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 T flavorless oil
1 1/2 C corn kernels
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 C grated, sharp cheddar cheese
Plus sour cream, salsa, green onions, and avocado (or any other taco type garnishes you might like).

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

Char the peppers directly over an open flame (or under the broiler), turning frequently until the outside is completely charred and black – about five minutes. Place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Set aside.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs together with the half and half, 1/2 tsp of kosher salt, and the black pepper. Set aside.

Heat a cast iron, or non-stick, oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add oil and corn kernels. Spread the corn into one even layer and cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Then stir and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes. The corn kernels should brown and start to barely char in places.

Remove the peppers from the bowl and using the back side of a knife, scrape away the charred skin*. Then remove the stem and seeds and chop the peppers into a small dice. Add the chopped peppers to the corn mixture and stir to combine.

Add the cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and remaining salt and cook for one minute.

Spread the corn and pepper mixture into an even layer and pour the egg mixture to cover. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until set in the middle, puffed, and golden brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve, garnished with toppings of your choice.

Notes

*Don’t worry about getting all of the charred bits off the peppers, just most of it. Do not rinse them, or else you’ll lose all the good charred flavor.

Half and half is really the best option for this, but it will also work with heavy cream or whole milk. Don’t use skim or reduced fat milk though.

Keywords: mexican frittata, easy vegetarian brunch, weeknight dinner