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Read most cookbooks, in either English or Italian, and they'll tell you to fix a frittata pretty much the same way you'd fix an omelet, stirring and scrambling and lifting the cooked egg to let the raw slide through. Then when the eggs have just firmed, turn them over to cook the other side, either with a flip and a flick of the wrist, or by inverting them onto a plate or a lid and sliding them back into the pan.
The first requires a certain gymnastic ability and a dead aim (or a dog that will clean up any eggy misses off the floor). The latter is just plain messy.
Still, this was the way I made frittatas for years. In the spring, I love a frittata made with slender asparagus. Leave them unpeeled and cook them just until they begin to wave before you add them to the egg mixture. But maybe my favorite frittata is one I make in the summer with zucchini. Coarsely grate about a pound of it (an old-fashioned box grater works fine). Then saute the grated zucchini with some slow-cooked onions just until it softens and changes color. Stir this into a half-dozen eggs beaten with a half-cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano and eight to 10 torn basil leaves and cook.
It was this last frittata that led me to an easier way of cooking them. And talk about hiding in plain sight: It came from Marcella Hazan, the queen of Italian cooking. I could have sworn that in the last 25 years I had cooked almost every recipe in every one of her books. How had I missed this one?
In fact, I stumbled across it looking for the proportions for that zucchini omelet. It was one of those things: I thought I remembered the recipe being one of Hazan's. Ironically, though she has a recipe for zucchini frittata, it's not at all the one I was thinking of (she slices the zucchini rather than grating it, and uses a lot less).
But it was reading over the basic technique that turned my head around. Hazan's way of cooking a frittata is utterly simple: rather than all of that stirring and scraping of the eggs as they cook, she simply leaves them to set over a very low heat. Then instead of flipping the frittata, she just runs it under a hot broiler to set and brown the top.
Not only is her way easier, but when I tried the same recipe using both techniques side by side, it made a frittata that was moister and more tender. The only refinements I'd add are that it cooks best if you cover the pan during the stovetop cooking to trap the heat, and that it unmolds easiest if you use a nonstick skillet.
The key to getting it exactly right is letting it cook slowly on top of the stove until there is just a shallow puddle of raw egg left on top, and then sticking it under the broiler for only a couple of minutes Probably the hardest part is unmolding the frittata from the pan; even in a nonstick, eggs will want to adhere. So use a small spatula to free the edges, then rap the pan hard a couple of times on the cutting board. It'll bang really loud, but the bottom of the frittata should pop free. Then you just need to slide it onto a plate for serving.
Once you've grasped the basics, frittatas are really easy to improvise. For a 10-inch skillet, you'll need about six eggs and 1 to 1 ½ cups of cooked filling. At least part of that should be cooked onion; a frittata lacks that certain savory quality without it. On the other hand, use garlic sparingly, if at all.
Cheese can be added at your whim. For most frittatas, I think Parmigiano is a perfect match with the flavor of egg. But I could certainly see using Pecorino in some situations. And in some cases (such as seafood frittatas), maybe you won't want any cheese at all.
Probably the simplest frittata I made during this most recent spree is also one of the best. Saute some chopped green onions in butter, add shelled shrimp and cook just until they are firm. Stir in the egg with some basil, pop it on the stove and there you are.
Another favorite is only a little more complicated. Based on Parsons' First Law of Cooking (anything that combines long-cooked onions, ham and cheese is going to be good), I sauteed onions until they were sweet and soft, tossed in some slivered prosciutto and then beat the eggs with a good handful of grated Parmigiano.
Which one's for dinner tonight? That's a tough call — one's flavor is simple and direct, the other is more complex and comforting. And the really great thing is, now that these frittatas are so easy to make, I no longer have to choose.
Prosciutto and Onion Frittata
Makes 6 servings as appetizer, 4 as main course
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 thin slices prosciutto (about 1 1/2 ounces), cut crosswise in 1/4-inch slivers
6 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
1. Heat the broiler. Melt the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and salt, then cover the pan and cook until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the prosciutto and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. While the onions are cooking, beat the eggs with a fork in a mixing bowl just until the yolks and the white are thoroughly mixed, but don't overbeat, which can make the frittata dry. Beat in the parsley and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.
3. Add the egg mixture to the pan with the onions and prosciutto and stir well to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook, without stirring, until the eggs have set, leaving only a top layer uncooked, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Place under the broiler until the top is browned and puffy, 1 to 2 minutes and the eggs are cooked.
4. To unmold the frittata, let it cool slightly in the pan. Use a spatula to loosen it along the sides, and then bang it firmly on a cutting board to release the underside. Slide it out onto a serving plate. Serve. If you're going to refrigerate the frittata, let it warm to room temperature before serving.
Each of 6 servings: 164 calories; 8 grams protein; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 13 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 237 mg. cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 289 mg. sodium.
Shrimp and Basil Frittata
Makes 6 servings as appetizer, 4 as main course
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (both green and white parts), about 4 onions
1/2 pound peeled small shrimp (70 to 100 per pound)
6 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 to 10 leaves of basil, torn into small pieces
1. Melt the butter in a 10-inch broiler safe, nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add the green onions and cook until they've softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they are firm, about 5 minutes.
2. While the onions and shrimp are cooking, beat the eggs, salt and basil with a fork in a mixing bowl just until the yolks and the white are thoroughly mixed, but don't overbeat, which can make the frittata dry.
3. Add the egg mixture to the pan with the onions and shrimp and stir well to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook, without stirring, until the eggs have set, leaving only a top layer uncooked, about 10 minutes. Place under the broiler until the top is browned and puffy, 1 to 2 minutes and the eggs are cooked through.
4. To unmold the frittata, let it cool slightly in the pan. Use a spatula to loosen it along the sides, and then bang it firmly on a cutting board to release the underside. Slide it out onto a serving plate. Serve. If you're going to refrigerate the frittata, let it warm to room temperature before serving.
Each of 6 servings: 148 calories; 14 grams protein; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 9 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 279 mg. cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 225 mg. sodium.
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