Frittata Fantasia

From Elisa Celli’s Italian Light Cooking, Elisa Celli, Prentice Hall Press, 1987.

I always enjoy a good frittata and thought I might try this rather simple one from Elisa Celli. However, added to the basic herb frittata were to be two sauces, I guess to make it ‘fantasia’. Before I begin I should add that I didn’t make two sauces; I settled for one.

I first made the Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce. I cut up half a red capsicum and fried it to soften it. I took it from the pan and added a chopped onion, a chopped garlic clove and 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped. I cooked these until they had softened then returned the capsicum to the pan with a small sprinkle of Italian herb seasoning. A little more cooking and it seemed done to me. I added in a tablespoon of chopped parsley. The mixture then went into the blender to make a rough puree. When I tasted it, it needed a little more seasoning to bring it up some. I added salt and black pepper to taste but it still needed something else so I gave it a dash of red wine vinegar and I think it was ready.

In a bowl I beat 4 eggs with a good handful of chopped parsley, a smaller amount of chopped basil leaves, a pinch of Italian herb seasoning, a pinch of cayenne, and ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese. I chopped an onion and added it to a frying pan to sauté in a little butter. When it had softened I poured in the egg mixture. After a minute or two for the base to cook a little I took it off the stove and placed it under the grill. In a minute or two it had puffed up and browned. It was ready.

While it was served with the sauce I didn’t feel that the sauce added to the frittata. Perhaps I needed both sauces, so that it would have a pesto sauce and a tomato sauce. I enjoyed the frittata and it went well with the dish of peas as an accompanying vegetable.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔