Everyday Italian (5 page)
Authors: Giada De Laurentiis
FRITTATAS
A frittata is an egg-based dish that’s sort of like an omelet, but simpler: Instead of folding the eggs over their fillings—which is where a lot of home cooks go wrong—you just mix everything together, and broil the top to finish cooking it. It’s served firm, with the eggs completely set, and can be eaten hot or at room temperature—another factor that makes frittatas easier than omelets.
As with omelets, nearly anything can go into frittatas: herbs, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and even fish. They’re an especially great way to use up small amounts of leftovers, which is actually how I invent my frittata recipes: Whether it’s that single stalk of fresh oregano, a few slices of prosciutto, or a small hunk of fontina, it can go in my frittata. And the results are much more often delicious than not. Here are two of my favorites—great as snacks, with a salad as a light lunch, or even as the filling for a hearty sandwich.
and Prosciutto
It’s very European to use potatoes in omelets, tarts, and frittatas—even on pizzas. The key is to use small cubes of potato, as here, or very thin slices. You don’t want to be biting into a whole mouthful of starch, and you want your potatoes to cook through in a reasonable amount of time.
6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| ½ | onion, chopped |
| 1 | (15-ounce) potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes |
| 1 | garlic clove, minced |
| ¼ | teaspoon salt |
| ¼ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| 6 | large eggs |
| ¼ | cup whipping cream |
| ¼ | cup grated Parmesan cheese |
| 2 | ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh basil |
In A 9½-Inch-Diameter
nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the potato, garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté over medium-low heat until the potato is tender and golden, about 15 minutes.
Preheat the broiler. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, and basil to blend. Stir the egg mixture into the potato mixture in the skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the egg mixture is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler and broil until the top is set and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from the skillet and slide it onto a plate. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve.
Tomato, and Fontina Cheese
When asparagus is in season in springtime, use it to capture the flavors of the garden with a minimal amount of effort. It cooks quickly by any method—steaming, boiling, grilling, or sautéing, as here—and it’s very easy to prepare. To trim asparagus of its woody stem end, simply hold one end of the spear in one hand, the other end in the other hand, and bend gently until the spear snaps—which it will do
exactly
where the stem starts to get woody. Asparagus has its own built-in sous chef.
6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
| 6 | large eggs |
| 2 | tablespoons whipping cream |
| ½ | teaspoon salt |
| ¼ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| 1 | tablespoon butter |
| 12 | ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces |
| 1 | tomato, seeded and diced |
| 3 | ounces fontina cheese, cubed |
Preheat The Broiler.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper to blend. Set aside. In a 9½-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat the oil and butter over a medium flame. Add the asparagus and sauté until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato and sauté 2 minutes longer. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus mixture and sprinkle the cheese over. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler and broil until the top is set and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Let the frittata stand for 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from the skillet and slide the frittata onto a plate. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve.
The word
tricolore
refers to the Italian flag: red, white, and green—or, in the case of food, tomatoes, cheese, and basil. There’s perhaps no better combination of flavors and textures in summertime, when tomatoes are bursting with ripe juices and sweet basil is readily available by the bushel, and the cool, moist texture of mozzarella is like a gust of air-conditioning for your palate.By all means, try to find freshly made mozzarella or imported buffalo-milk mozzarella. The flavor and texture of the prepackaged stuff is very pale in comparison. A good mozzarella—one that you’re going to eat uncooked—should be moist and springy, and should ooze milk when you cut into it. If it’s rubbery, pasty, or dry, it’s just not worth it.
This sandwich made of mozzarella, tomato, and basil is my version of a BLT. It’s simple, quick, and oh so yummy! The term
alla Margherita
was invented in 1889 when an official from the royal palace asked a local to make pizzas for Queen Margherita. Her favorite was the one made with three toppings: tomato (red), cheese (white), and basil (green)—the
tricolore
of the Italian flag. So anything using those three toppings is known as
alla Margherita.
MAKES 1 SANDWICH
| 1 | slice fresh mozzarella cheese (½ inch thick; about 2 ounces) |
| 2 | slices rustic white bread (each ½ inch thick) |
| ⅛ | teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste |
| 6 | medium-size fresh basil leaves or 3 large |
| 2 | slices tomato ( ¼ inch thick) About 2 teaspoons olive oil |
Place The Mozzarella Cheese
atop 1 bread slice, and sprinkle with half of the salt and some pepper. Top with the basil leaves, then the tomato slices. Sprinkle with the remaining half of the salt and some more pepper, and top with the second bread slice. Brush both sides of the sandwich with the oil.
Preheat a griddle or a ridged grill pan over a medium-low flame. Grill the sandwich until the bread is golden brown and the cheese melts, pressing down with a metal spatula, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the sandwich to a plate and serve.
Every summer, we take a family vacation sailing around the Mediterranean for a couple of weeks, and inevitably we visit the incredibly beautiful island of Capri, in the Bay of Napoli. The people of Capri have coopted the classic
tricolore
combination of tomato, mozzarella, and basil and called it their own: if these three ingredients define a salad, it’s called Caprese. Lucky for them.
4 FIRST-COURSE SERVINGS
| 3 | tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about ½ lemon) |
| ½ | teaspoon salt, plus more to taste |
| ¼ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| 3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1¼ | pounds assorted tomatoes (such as regular vine-ripened tomatoes, plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and yellow teardrop tomatoes) |
| 6 | ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and sliced |
| 2 | tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves |
Whisk The Lemon Juice,
½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil to blend. Set the dressing aside.
Cut the regular tomatoes into ¼-inch-thick slices, and the plum tomatoes into wedges. Cut the cherry, grape, and teardrop tomatoes in half. Arrange the tomatoes and cheese on a platter. Drizzle the dressing over. Sprinkle with the basil and additional salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
