Frittata Italiana

I found this recipe in People magazine back in May and I just got around to making it.  I doubled the recipe and used a 12 inch pan.  I don't own any cast iron skillets.  Michele Mazza is the executive chef of Trattoria Il Mulino a New York City hotspot.  It appears that Michele shared his recipe all over the internet and on television because it can be found on many websites.  It sounded exactly like something that I would really enjoy eating.  I love the idea of potatoes and eggs.  My mother used to make potatoes and eggs when I was a child. I am excited to try the combination with the cheeses, potatoes, prosciutto and eggs.  Yum!

Frittata Italiana

By Michele Mazza

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Olive oil

3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

4 tbsp. water

3 oz. fresh mozzarella, chopped

2 oz. sliced prosciutto

2 oz. boiled potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

1 oz. Parmigiano cheese, grated

White pepper to taste

Preparation:

1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Heat olive oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, water mozzarella, prosciutto, potatoes, Parmigiano and white pepper.  Pour mixture into the hot skillet and place in the oven.

2.    Bake for about 10 minutes (a knife inserted into frittata should come out clean) and serve hot.  If top of frittata isn’t browned enough, stick pan under the broiler for about 1 minute.

 Enjoy!

The Italian Creative Cook 

Spanish Potato Pepper Fritatta

This is a recipe that D and I tried a few weeks ago. We had eaten dinner at the wonderful and world famous Moosewood vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, New York when we were up in Syracuse for our friends Nancy and Rick's wedding back in the beginning of August. If you are ever in Itaca, please be sure to have dinner at the Moosewood Restaurant. They don't take reservations so we got there early on a Sunday night and waited for a table. It was worth the wait!

Having eaten dinner at the Moosewood, D wanted to try a recipe from the Moosewood Low Fat Favorites cookbook that I have owned since the mid-1990's. I am certainly NOT a vegetarian but I have tried many of the other recipes from this cookbook. This recipe was one I never tried before. I am not sure why because it contains all the "good stuff" that I love to eat. I was fairly suprised that D was willing to eat it since it contains eggs. He claims not to like eggs but eats them on occasion. Go figure kids??!! Anyway, this recipe turned out great. We all enjoyed the frittata. It motivated me to get another Moosewood cookbook out of the library. I am now perusing the Moosewood Celebrates cookbook, so who knows what other Moosewood recipes will appear in my blog in the near future! Stay tuned. . . .

SPANISH POTATO PEPPER FRITTATA

1 large onion (about 2 cups sliced)
2 bell peppers, 1 red and 1 green
1 cubanelle or other mild fresh chile pepper
1 pound potatoes (about 3 medium), scrubbed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 whole eggs
6 egg whites
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cut off the ends of the onion. Cut it in half lengthwise, peel, and then cut each half into thin strips. Stem and seed the bell peppers and the cubanelle. Cut them into thin strips. Cut the potatoes into 1/8 inch slices.

In a 11 or 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Add the onions and potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, cubanelle, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Remove the skillet from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, water, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper until blended. Stir the potatoes, onions, and peppers into the eggs.

Coat the bottom of the skillet with the remaining teaspoon of oil and return it to the medium heat. When the skillet is hot, pour in the potato-egg mixture and distribute the vegetables evenly. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the edges are firm and the bottom has browned. Place a large, flat plate or pizza pan over the skillet and flip the skillet over so that the frittata falls onto the plate. Slide the frittata back into the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes more, until the eggs are fully cooked. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

The cookbook suggested this frittata for either breakfast or brunch. We ate it for breakfast. I think it would also make a great dinner. I love potatoes and eggs and had some memorable frittatas when I visited Spain many years ago. This frittata was just as memorable for me!

The Creative Cook