Spring is right around the corner! It’s that time of year when we host parties to celebrate a recent engagement, the birth of a baby, or to fundraise for a local charity. This week I will demonstrate the versatility of Bull’s Outdoor Kitchen, which makes cooking for 100 people a breeze!
Listen..I get it. For the average person, cooking large-volume dishes can be very overwhelming. Not to worry! I will guide you and carefully explain how to organize, prep, plan, cook, portion, and plate a delicious frittata, which will be ready to go the day before the event! The day of your party, you’ll be stress-free and will look like a pro!
This week on the menu – fire roasted vegetable frittata. Fresh cut zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and whole garlic are roasted next to the open fire of the Bull extra large pizza oven. Tossed with shredded cheese, dried herb seasoning, and topped with egg, the frittata is then baked low and slow until golden brown. Cut into small squares, the perfect finger food for your next party!
Listed below are 3 different techniques, showcasing the versatility of Bull’s extra large pizza oven for large volume roasting.
- One way to maximize the space in the pizza oven for roasting the vegetables is to use two bricks as shown below in the photo. One medium sized sheet pan is placed in the back corner, opposite of the fire, while the second sheet pan is placed on the two bricks in the front. Try placing the garlic wrapped in foil to roast in the space between the two bricks, or a smaller sheet pan with some more veg to use every inch of space in the oven!
- Another technique, buy disposable pans with high sides. This makes it easy to stack the trays. With this technique, it is important to rotate the trays, stirring the veggies as they roast with the Bull tongs, which prevents the veggies from turning dark only on the top and avoiding any hot spots.
- In the last photo, try placing two medium sheet pans side by side next to the fire. The back corner is warmer, so again, it is important to rotate the pans, and stir the veg for optimum roasting and caramelization. Yum!
Chef’s Notes:
- To save on time, there is the option to purchase pre-cut vegetables. Try looking first at the larger grocery chain stores that cater to restaurants. They are most likely to have the items in inventory and at a lower price compared to a smaller local grocery store.
- For best results, I break the recipe down over two days. The first day, I cut and roast the veggies. The second day, I bake the frittata and cut into squares. All done and ready the day before the party.
- Liquid egg in the carton can be substituted for fresh eggs. If using fresh eggs, be extremely careful and watch that NO shells get into the mixture.
Fire Roasted Veggie Frittata
Author/Photo/Food & Set Styling: Chef Amy Aberle-Rogan
Prep Time: 45 mins | Cook Time: 4 hours | Total Time: 4 hrs 45 mins
Serves: 128 pieces (4 ounces)
INGREDIENTS:
5 lbs. red bell peppers, ½” dice
5 lbs. yellow onions, ½” dice
5 lbs. green zucchini, ½” moons
5 lbs. button mushrooms, thinly sliced
5 lbs. asparagus, white section of ends removed, ½” dice
7 lbs shredded mozzarella cheese, low moisture
2 heads garlic, top section cut off just to the top of the fresh garlic
8 – (1 quart containers) liquid egg
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, for roasting veggies
Bottle extra virgin olive oil, for roasting veggies
2 tablespoons Bull’s steak and burger seasoning
1 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tbsp. granulated onion
RECIPE PREPARATION:
Building the fire: Preheat the Bull pizza oven to 450 – 500 degrees. Allow the fire to burn about 30 minutes until embers start to form. Using the Bull shovel, place the hot embers towards the left back corner of the pizza oven. As needed, throw an extra log onto the fire to keep the temperature around 400 degrees.
Prepping the veggies: Wash and cut the veggies according to the instructions. Using two large bowls, divide the cut asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and place onto 2 medium sized sheet pans. Season once more with salt and pepper and set aside. Repeat this step for the onions, zucchini, bell peppers and mushrooms. Place the garlic into foil, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and seal closed at the top for roasting.
Roasting the veggies: Revisiting the 3 different ways to roast the veggies listed above, place the trays in batches into the pizza oven. If needed, add another log onto the fire to keep the temperature around 400 degrees F. Using the Bull pitt mit and tongs, rotate the sheet pans and stir the veggies for equal and optimum roasting, around 20-30 mins. Once the veggies are golden brown, remove from the pizza oven and time to start the next batch. Repeat until all the veggies are roasted. While the veggies are cooking, place the garlic wrapped in foil right next to the hot embers. Rotate after 15 mins and finish roasting, 30 minutes total. Allow the veggies to cool, place into seal tight containers and place into the fridge overnight. Remove the roasted garlic, place into container and place into the fridge. The next morning, remove the veggies from the fridge 30 minutes prior to baking to come to room temp.
Portioning out the veggies, cheese and seasoning: Grab 4 large bowls of equal size. Using a one or two cup portioning container, equally divide the roasted asparagus, bell peppers, onions, zucchini and mushrooms within the 4 bowls. Equally portion out the roasted garlic into each bowl. Take the Bull seasoning, dried parsley, granulated onion and garlic and mix in a small bowl. Equally portion out the seasoning between the bowls. Last, weigh out 1.75 lbs shredded cheese on a scale, or equally divide the 7 lbs of cheese out into 4 batches. Place each batch into each of the 4 bowls. Gently mix using your hands until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Prepping the frittata: Each batch/frittata is baked in a full 2 ½ inch hotel pan (measuring 12 x 20 inches). Disposable, aluminum hotel pans can be substituted for the hotel pan. Or, if you do not own a full hotel pan, 2 half hotel pans (measuring 12 x 10 inches) can be used. Just make sure to divide the ingredients into half when portioning out into the 2 pans. Heavily spray each full hotel pan with nonstick spray to avoid the frittata from sticking after baked. Take one of the bowls filled with the roasted egg & cheese mix and add to the hotel pan. Spread the ingredients out, covering the entire pan. Grab 2 (1 quart container) of the liquid egg, shake before opening, and pour all over veg mix. Once the second container is added, I take my fingers and massage or mix the liquid egg into the veg mix, to make sure there are no spots with less veg.
Cooking the frittata: Preheat the Bull BBQ or Bull pizza oven to maintain a temperature of 320 degrees F. Place the Bull pizza stone in the BBQ for baking. While preheating, time to prep the parchment paper and foil. Measure out a piece of parchment paper that fits the entire length of the full or half hotel pans. Spray the bottom of the parchment paper and it place on top of the pan. Now take a piece of foil, of equal length, and place on top of the parchment paper, and seal closed. Place the frittata on the pizza stone in the bbq or in the pizza oven, opposite of the embers and allow it to roast for 20 mins. Rotate and cook for an additional 20 mins. Remove the foil, sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese on top and place back into the bbq or oven to finish cooking until the top is golden brown and the center is completely cooked, an additional 15-30 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the center of the frittata. If the toothpick comes out clean, the frittata is done. If wet, place back into the oven to finish cooking until the toothpick is dry. Place onto a baking cooling rack to cool down. This allows air to pass through under the pan as well. Repeat the above steps for the remaining 3 frittatas. Once all are completed and cooled down, wrap them well with plastic wrap, so no air can get into the containers and place into the fridge the night before the party.
To cut and serve the frittata: On the morning of the party, remove the frittata from the fridge. The egg and vegetable should me nice and firm/dense, perfect for cutting into portions to serve. Using a ruler, equally divide the width of the pan into 4 rows and carefully make the cut with a knife all the way down the other end of the pan. Now measure and divide the width into 8 rows and make a straight cut down. This divides the pan and frittata into 32 pieces. If using a half hotel pan, the rows are cut 4×4 making 16 pieces. Repeat this for the remaining 3 full hotel pans. Using a small spatula, carefully remove the pieces from the pan and place onto a decorative platter for serving. If you want to warm the frittata up before serving, place into a warm oven for 45 minutes. Enjoy!
♥ Chef Amy Aberle-Rogan
Photos thanks to Lindsey Caravella, taken from the Diamond District Tea Fundraiser for the One Eighty Adolescent & Family Center in Lodi, Ca. The 4th annual Diamond District Tea Raises funds to help bring the gift of Restoration to our schools and community with group & individual therapy.
That is a wonderful and tastey contribution! A delicious and healthy appetizer/brunch recipe with will definitely try. Good job Chef Amy