Frittata

by Peter G on May 13, 2009 · Recipes


fritatta1 Frittata

The wonderful, kind and gorgeous Nuria from Spanish Recipes is holding an event titled “BlOg YOur Omelet”.  She’s asking for people to submit their favourite recipes with eggs and this is my entry for it.  I have decided to offer my version of “frittata“.  Well, it’s not really a frittata in the real sense…more like an “eggy” pancake.  It doesn’t have the height and thickness of those wonderful frittatas the Italians dish out.  I basically raided my fridge and took whatever was leftover in there to make this.  I used mushrooms, grated zucchini, some shredded ham, a blob of leftover pesto and grated Parmesan cheese.  I cooked my frittata on the stove top and finished off the rest in the oven.  This would make a great breakfast/brunch/lunch.

fritatta2 Frittata

There are so many things to consider when attempting to make an omelette.  How many eggs you will need to use (and more importantly where they come from).  They type of pan you will cook it in. I love using my seasoned cast iron pan.  Do you prefer to use butter or oil?  Some people swear by using cream or milk in their recipes and others use water.  If you play around long enough I’m sure you will come up with a combination that suits you.  I remember the first thing I ever cooked was an omelette and I have certainly modified it over the years!  For my frittata today I used olive oil to saute my ingredients but for a simple breakfast on the weekend I prefer to use butter…I love watching it foam up.  And for me personally, I prefer my omelette cooked firm in the middle.  If it’s too soft, it brings back “uncooked egg” childhood nightmares suffered at school camps!

fritatta5 Frittata

RECIPE FOR FRITTATA

  • 4 organic eggs
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • a dollop of basil pesto
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • a good splash of olive oil
  • 2 grated zucchini
  • 8 slices of Virginian leg ham, finely shredded
  • 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
  1. Whisk your eggs with the milk, basil pesto and a little salt and pepper.  Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a pan on a medium heat and when the oil is ready add the zucchini and cook until softened.
  3. Add the ham and mushrooms and continue to stir until everything is cooked.
  4. Add your whisked egg mixture to the pan, ensuring it covers everything well.
  5. The frittata is ready when the egg mixture begins to “set” on the sides of the pan.  When you achieve this “half cooked” consistency add your grated Parmesan cheese ensuring it covers the whole top of the frittata.
  6. Place the pan in a pre heated 180 deg C oven and cook for about 7 mins.

The frittata is ready when the cheese has melted and it has a nice golden colour on top.

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1 Rosa May 13, 2009 at 09:34

What a gourmet fritatta! Perfect for brunches and ideal in a sandwich!

Cheers,

Rosa

2 Núria May 13, 2009 at 10:08

Aaaaahhhh! Que Caballero Peter! Thanks so much for joining :D , I never doubted you would… you are the kind one here :D :D :D .

Your fritatta is absolutely gorgeous as the pictures and recipe show. I love the one of the eggs in a row and the big last one and the first one and the one with the pans :D . Thanks again darling and good good luck with the Ham!!!

3 Karen May 13, 2009 at 14:04

A combo of mushroom, zucchini and ham is a menage a trois I don’t mind settling down to! Love your photos! It makes it all homely and comforting. Did I mention how comforting egg dishes are? :)

4 Fabjena May 13, 2009 at 14:51

Wow, this one’s looking relly great, I love frittata sooo much, but i have never tried to make one :) )

5 Soma May 13, 2009 at 15:23

Love the “raid the fridge” esp. the pesto! Looks delicious & what wonderful pictures.

6 Simone van den Berg May 13, 2009 at 15:48

Well for a ‘raid the fridge’ frittata it looks absolutely delicious! I always seem to have the wrong stuff leftover in the fridge…:)

7 Bellini Valli May 13, 2009 at 15:54

Your frittata looks wonderful Peter. A wonderfuly fragrant entry for Nuria’s event.

8 heather May 13, 2009 at 16:07

wonderful photos, wonderful recipe!

cheers,

*heather*

9 Joan Nova May 13, 2009 at 17:37

‘Raiding the fridge’ makes the best omelets, pastas, soups…I could go on! P.S. It’s olive oil or me. For some strange reason, butter is not a staple in my kitchen.

10 Arwen from Hoglet K May 13, 2009 at 18:35

Pesto is a lovely idea! I’ll have to try it next time I’m making something eggy.

11 FoodJunkie May 14, 2009 at 01:50

My mother cooks omelets with every type of left over imaginable. They are such great food and so easy to make! I love the combination of zucchini with pesto and just made some nice pesto yesterday. I might try the combo with pasta.

12 Emily May 14, 2009 at 04:48

Mmm frittata! And it’s fun to say, too. Looks delicious!

13 Peter May 14, 2009 at 07:18

Peter, I have the same 3-piece cast iron set…comes in very handy…for things like a frittata!

Great “flavah” as you Aussies say…I’ll whip up a salad, hold the Vegemite and call it lunch.

14 Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen May 14, 2009 at 08:30

Your frittata looks great Peter! I also love using up leftovers to put in there – such a great idea! I used to use milk in my eggs, but now I have switched to Greek yogurt – I just love the bit of tang that goes in there. I agree, it is important to know where your eggs come from, especially when they are the centerpiece of the dish, you have to use the best!

15 matt wright May 14, 2009 at 16:51

LOVING this frittata – fantastic photos. The shots of the eggs and the cast iron pans are just incredible. When I shot my frittata a while back, it seemed to sink almost as soon as I set it down to photograph, yours however seems to have completely avoided that problem.

great stuff again.

16 Ben May 14, 2009 at 19:15

Now this is what I call a breakfast/brunch/lunch. I am actually making a frittata for Nuria’s event too. But I don’t think I’ll be able to take such magnificent pictures like yours :-p

17 elly May 16, 2009 at 19:19

Yum, I love a good frittata and this looks like a great one! Mushrooms are a must in my omelets/frittatas :)

18 Kate May 19, 2009 at 01:01

Love you title …. Raid the fridge Fritata … lol :) Wicked ! n with pesto in it , i’m guessing it tastes absolutely delicious !

19 Sylvia May 20, 2009 at 19:58

What a wonderful fritata, I love mushrooms and certainly gives a great flavor

20 Windy May 25, 2009 at 08:09

Cool Fritata Peter. I made an omelet two days ago for my lunch but mine one was not as thick as yours… I guess I need a small pan to make it thicker.

21 Meeta May 27, 2009 at 05:01

absolutely perfect. we often make these kind of “raid the fridge” frittata and always with great results. this looks grand!

22 Michael May 27, 2009 at 11:02

Hi Peter…thanks for dropping by and your comments. Follow your dream ;-)

23 Marta May 27, 2009 at 15:37

This looks so wonderful! I’m crazy about that pesto, it must have made this frittata sing, well, not literally, as that would be creepy. But you know what I mean! Looks lovely :)

24 Maria May 27, 2009 at 18:23

I’m not sure why I missed your last two posts … Hello?! Where have I been??

I love “leftover” omelettes/frittatas and this sounds amazing. Love the zucchini and the pesto. And the ham gives it that extra oomph.

25 Angela@spinachtiger March 17, 2010 at 13:08

I just saw this frittata in a cast iron. Looks like we tend to think alike in cooking. BTW, I made your lentil soup last Saturday. It was perfect for our NOT spring yet weather.

26 Anh March 30, 2010 at 01:05

I really like the styling in this post. More towards the modern minimalist vibe, but very catchy and interesting.

Of course, the yummy frittata helps. (Some recipes I’ve come across even asked you to whip the egg whites then fold in the yolk mixture. I like this approach much better since this needs to be simple!)

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