tomato basil frittata with homemade wheat berry bread

There is nothing like growing your own food. So satisfying. Not just because you see it grow from seeds, to flowers, to fruit which then ripen, but because you know exactly what went into it. Why? Because you were there from the start.

That may be why this frittata was the best I've tasted in a long time. That and the 1/2 cup of grated romano melted on top.

Tomato Basil Frittata
Makes one 8-inch frittata, adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Cook Book

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 medium-small tomatoes (1 1/2 cups), chopped
• 5-8 basil leaves, sliced
• 7 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Instructions

1. Heat oil in 8-inch skillet. When hot add onion, salt and pepper and cook until soft. Add tomato and lower heat. Cook until dry and reduced. Add basil and stir to combine.
2. Meanwhile whisk eggs with salt and pepper. Pour eggs into the pan and smooth over vegetables to cover. Add cheese.
3. Cook undisturbed until mostly firm. To complete setting the eggs place in oven at 350F for 5 minutes.

Wheat berry Bread
Makes two loaves, adapted from Bread Alone Cook Book
(Bread takes two days to complete - one for the starter and the next for the bread. The starter doesn't take much time to prep, but day two of making bread requires at least 5 hours - I sometimes let the bread ferment over night, if my schedule doesn't allow for making the bread all in one day, and that seems to be okay.)

Poolish (Starter) Ingredients

• 3/4 cup spring water
• 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour

Final Dough Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup spring water
• 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
• 2 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 14/ - 4 1/4 white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup whole wheat berries

Instructions: Day One

1. Place wheat berries in a medium bowl and cover with spring water. Let sit over night.
2. Combine water and yeast of poolish. Let stand a minute and then mix to dissolve.
3. Add poolish flours and stir with a wooden spoon for about 100 strokes. You know you are done when the gluten strands come off the spoon when pressed to the side of the bowl.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel (to keep it dark) and leave over night in a relatively warm place. I use the stove top.

 Instructions: Day Two

1. Poolish should be bubbly, soupy, and puffy with a wheaty aroma. Place poolish in a large bowl and add final dough water and yeast. Mix to break up the poolish making a uniform consistency.
2. Add the first amount of flour and drained wheat berries. Stir until combined. Add salt and enough of the rest of the flour to make a thick mass of dough that doesn't stir easily. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 15-17 minutes, adding flour as needed. Dough is ready when a small amount pulled away bounces back.
3. Shape the dough into a ball and cover with oil, turning it in the bowl to cover all the sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel and place in a warm spot for fermentation, until doubled in volume, about 2-3 hours. Dough is ready when you push your finger in and it leaves a dent.
4. Deflate the dough by pushing in the center and pulling up on the sides. Place on a floured surface and cut into two equal pieces. Gently flatten each piece with the palm of your hand, pressing the bubbles out. Shape each piece into balls. Place loaves on a wooden surface and cover with a damp, clean dish towel until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
5. Heat oven to 450F one hour before you are going to bake. Oven rack should be in the middle of oven.
6. Carefully place loaves onto a baking sheet, one at a time - I used a pizza pan - trying not to deflate them too much.
7. Place in oven and spray inside with water to create steam. Quickly close the oven to capture the steam and bake for 3 minutes. Repeat the water spray and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Lower temperature to 400 and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. You can tell if it is done by patting its bottom. If it sounds hollow it is done.