What: The frittata (tatata).
How much:$2.59 for a carton of large eggs, plus whatever fillings you want.
Why: Because the most important meal of the day should last all day.
It’s the beginning of a new semester and a new year, so start the day off right with breakfast! Omlettes are so 2008, so impress the brunch crowd with a frittata. Not only is frittata a fun word to say, it’s also versatile – cut it in fancy shapes for snacks or big slices for breakfast. My favourite thing about this Italian omelette is that even though the preparation can be a bit tricky, if you mess up, just stir it around in the pan and voila: scrambled eggs!
The recipe that follows is great for a big pan, a lot of friends, or leftovers. If you just want to whip up an intimate breakfast for a few (or two) just divide it in half and use a smaller pan.
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Fritatta (tatata)
• 10 large eggs
• 3 tbs milk
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
Decide what combination of fillings you want. The classic green onions, ham, and cheese or the Sunday morning brunch fridge clean out (throw anything that needs to be used up into the mix) are both great options. One of our favourite combinations is any green veggie (spinach, broccoli, etc.) and any cheese (feta, chedder, etc.).
Cut the fillings you decide on into small, bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil in a large pan on medium-high. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with a fork until they are mixed well. Stir in the milk, fillings, salt, and pepper. Now for the most important step: test the oil. The eggs won’t cook right if it isn’t hot enough, so drop a bit of egg or water into the heated pan to test it. It should sizzle; if it doesn’t, wait.
When the oil is ready, pour in the egg mixture. Swirl it around to evenly coat the pan and let the egg solidify on the bottom. When you can lift the edges of the egg from the pan, run a spatula along the rim of the eggs. Now pull the egg gently away from the pan at one edge and let the uncooked egg run under the edge. The idea is that you always want a cooked surface on the bottom of the pan that you can lift to let the liquid eggs run underneath to cook the frittata in layers. Continue to do this while occasionally swirling and tilting the pan for the first few minutes of cooking.
Preheat the broiler of your oven.
Turn the heat to low, shake the pan to prevent sticking, cover, and cook for about five minutes or until the top is no longer runny. Make sure the bottom doesn’t burn by loosening it with a spatula or jerking the pan around.
To seal the deal, take the pan off the stove-top and put it under the broiler for a few minutes. Watch it very carefully so it doesn’t burn, but let it get to a nice golden brown colour. It should puff nicely.
Shake the pan around a bit to make sure the egg didn’t stick to the bottom during cooking and let it cool for at least five minutes before removing it from the pan and serving.
Serve hot or cold!
Tips and Tricks:
The broiler is your new best friend: finishing the frittata under the broiler will give it a perfect fluffy consistency with a golden crust on the surface. But be careful! If your pan has a plastic handle it will melt in the oven. You can avoid this by leaving the oven door open while you broil the frittata making sure that the handle of the pan in sticking out of the oven. Or you can even hold the pan under the heat (wearing oven mitts, of course). Besides, recipes that call for the broiler often recommend leaving the oven door open.
As for serving your tatata, diamond shapes are a very classy way to present this dish if you want to give it some extra pizzazz.
Can’t get enough tatata? More recipes and blog action from FWF will be coming at you every other Thursday this semester, so gear up that broiler!