Fall in Love With This Winter Vegetable Frittata
As my Italian husband often tells me, “In Italy, food is an obsession.” While living in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna for almost 10 years, I witnessed this infatuation and ardent passion for food on a daily basis. I’d be at breakfast in a local bar enjoying a cappuccino and briochewith an Italian friend and before I knew it the conversation would gradually transition to what she would be having for lunch. Sunday lunch at my in-laws would always include an overflowing bowl of homemade pasta, and while my taste buds would be savoring the silky noodles and accompanying sauce, my mother-in-law, like clockwork, would be describing to me what she had prepared for dinner and whether I wanted to take some home with me. And, then of course, a date night out for a pizza with my hubby usually progressed to mapping out plans for a new restaurant or dish we heard about and wanted to try that following week.
That is why, it comes as no surprise that in Italy almost every ingredient or traditional recipe is celebrated in some way, typically by means of a sagra or town festival. Each year in Montaquila, a town in the Molise region of southern Italy, they celebrate La Sagra della Frittata or the “Frittata Festival.” In 2018, they kicked off the event by making a maxi-frittata with 1,501 eggs!
If you’ve never enjoyed a frittata, you are in for a treat and it’s a great solution to reducing waste. In Italian households, the frittata is a common way to use up any leftover ingredients you have in the fridge--vegetables, protein, pasta, beans, cheese--the list goes on. You can follow the recipe below or simply adapt it with what you have on hand. Enjoy!
Serves: 4-8
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Add the water and leeks to a cast iron skillet and heat over medium high until the leeks are soft; about 5 minutes. Add the extra virgin olive oil, green onion, kale, brussels sprouts and mushrooms. Heat until vegetables are soft; 10-15 minutes.
In the meantime, whisk the eggs in a medium sized bowl then stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, milk and parsley. When the vegetables are cooked, pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. (For a prettier presentation, remove half of the vegetables, pour in the egg mixture then layer those vegetables on top.) Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the eggs are just barely set. Carefully slide the cast iron skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden and the egg mixture doesn’t run if sliced with a knife. Serve warm or cold. Buon appetito!
