Everyone should love frittata – the glorified egg dish that is easy to prepare, cheap, and has enough flavor to wake up a Calabrian from an afternoon nap in the middle of August. Frittata can be prepared with herbs, vegetables, leftover pasta, and cheese. In fact, the very best frittata recipes are comprised of any high quality leftover you may have in your fridge or pantry.
I start any frittata by whipping 4-5 eggs extremely well (the more air you incorporate into your egg mixture the fluffier the end product) and include plenty of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I use a large, stainless steel, fry pan and start the frittata on the stove top moving it to the broiler to brown the top. Finally, I slice the frittata into wedges and usually serve with a tomato salad (during the summer months), arugula/romaine/fennel salad (whichever is available), and plenty of crunchy bread. If you’re looking to add a bit more protein to your meal then serve some good quality Italian tuna in olive oil on the side, as well.
A word on eggs: buy the freshest you can find (organic and free range is good, but extremely fresh eggs beat old free range and organic eggs any time).
Our top six frittatas include:
1. Onion and potato – thinly slice your potatoes and onions and fry them ahead of time. Add the mixture to the same pan and cook per the above instructions.
2. Leftover pasta and ricotta – this is best made with angel hair or capellini (I use pasta that hasn’t been coated with any sauce). I also add the ricotta just prior to placing the pan under the broiler.
3. Parsley and onion – make sure to sauté the ingredients ahead of time.
4. Mushrooms and parsley – again, make sure to sauté your mushrooms ahead of time.
5. Ricotta and roasted peppers – this is popular in Calabria and you can sausage to the ingredients list (just like the Calabrians do in the Spring to celebrate the end of lent).
6. Any herb or leftover you have in the house – this is what makes fritatta so easy to prepare just make sure your ingredients are high quality!
I love them all! My mouth is watering!
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I make this when I have leftover pasta (veggies, etc.) to use up. I like to fry my pasta in the pan before I add the eggs to get it a little crispy first & I dip the wedges in marinara with some hot sauce…YUMMM
Sounds great!
Not much, what is it?
What is what? 🙂