The frittata is a dish of Italian origin that indicates any preparation based on eggs that, after being beaten, are cooked on both sides in a pan. Ingredients such as cheese, ham, pasta, vegetables, milk, or breadcrumbs can be added to raw eggs. The mix is slowly cooked in a pan or in the oven.

One of the most popular preparations of a traditional Italian frittata is the one with onions, a poor dish par excellence, in past decades it was consumed as the main food by laborers, workers, and day laborers.

The frittata is such a common dish in Italy that there are expressions related to it:

figuratively the term also indicates a mess or trouble.” ora la frittata è fatta “= “now the frittata is done”, after someone has done something wrong, as an invitation not to think about it anymore.

The “rigirare la frittata”” turning the frittata” is instead associated with an alleged attempt to deviate from a discussion, or to conclude it, artificially changing the terms of the question: the interpretation of the saying is that despite an energetic action (the frittata is turned by throwing it into the air and taking it back upside down in the pan) and the different “point of view”, the object of contention (or, out of metaphor, the contents of the pan) does not change.

Ingredients:

fresh eggs 3              salt           pepper           EVOO                  milk

 pasta, vegetables, or other 200 gr.= 1 cup Parmigiano

Preparation

Beat the eggs vigorously in a bowl, with a little salt, pepper, and 1tsp. of milk.

Add another ingredient such as vegetables, pasta, or other.

Finally, you can add grated Parmigiano.

Once you have prepared your eggs and Parmigiano mixture, prepare a non-stick pan with extra virgin olive oil. It is important to be careful with the doses: if you pour too much oil, the eggs will float. Pour a tablespoon of oil into the pan evenly and heat it for two minutes over medium heat. After that, lower the heat, pour the beaten eggs and start cooking by covering the pan with a lid. When the surface is almost cooked (after 5 minutes at most), the difficult time comes: how to turn the frittata to make the top cook well? With a wooden spatula engrave the mixture, so that the liquid part left on the surface penetrates downwards and compacts. With the same spatula give two side taps to the pan.

After five minutes, the frittata should be turned over and, unless you are able to make it twirl in the air, it is better to take a plate a little wider than the diameter of the pan, place it on top and turn it upside down. Let it cook other 3 minutes.

Or change the cooking method: switch from the pan on the fire to the baking tray in the oven, at 180 ° / 350 F ° for 20 minutes. Cooking the frittata in the oven you will no longer have the worry of having to turn and you will have homogeneous cooking.

This type of cooking is perfect with various other ingredients, it can in fact be enriched with vegetables of various types such as asparagus, agretti, or zucchini and potatoes previously cooked and added to beaten eggs. For this reason, it is a perfect zero waste dish: you can combine any leftovers with eggs. Even pasta, vegetables, and cheese leftover, just cut them into pieces not too large so they will mix better with the eggs.

 

 The frittata can be eaten hot but also at room temperature. It can be served cut into squares, perfect for finger food, to fill a sandwich or in your desk lunch box.

 Curiosity: what do you make the frittata with?