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: ✔✔✔✔
