Above, that was some rice and steamed carrots and a version of creamed (gorgeous fresh local new-spring) spinach leftover from last night, when we all finally after so long sat down together for a nice meal. Those leftovers became Brunch, and an occasion for me to talk on this blog about the wonderful possibilities of the Frittata:
If I were Chief Home Economics Teacher, with my Pro-Concept, Anti-Recipe Ideology, this is a dish I would definitely share as infinitely forgiving, tasty, nutritious and achievable without specific quantities or ingredients on hand (except eggs). For people who strive to avoid food waste, frittatas are also great catch-alls, tasty hot or cold, fun for picnics, and, when cut into small wedges, great finger food for kids.
Say there’d been potatoes in any form, most vegetables, most scraps of anything (maybe not lettuce????) — it would be fine. Anything goes.
The basic thing is, a hot heavy bottomed pan (though I’ve done it in a cake tin and baked very slowly), nicely oiled or buttered, then some eggs beaten and added to… whatever leftovers there are… probably some cheese (in this case some ricotta that needed doing and a grating of Parmesan on the top, but could be anything, or nothing)… salt and pepper, and of course any herbs or spices you desire… (of course for an Asian twist why not some ginger or even… kim chee!) (balance as you would any flavours) and a slow cook on a slow heat, and if the heat doesn’t rise to the top as fast as you’d like, finish under the grill/ broiler. That’s it. Can be eggy, eggier, or less eggy. Cheesy, cheesier, or less cheesy. Vegetarian or not. Large chunks or small chunks. You are free. What you cook is an offering, to yourself and your loved ones.As usual the Wikipedia entry is pretty good, discussing how a frittata may differ from omelettes and other egg-based creations. I think there might be an idea that it’s something fancy– it’s really not! And anyone who presents it in a recipe as something of sophistication– tut tut to him or her. Frittatas belongs to the people. Our common heritage. And whatever you can harvest, wild from the fields and edges and urban sidewalks (nettles, dandelion leaves), or from the bowels of your fridge or the remains from last night’s supper, belongs.
Kitchen Counter Culture 
I love the way you say fritatta belongs to the people! And i also like that bit about harvesting from the bowels of your fridge… Inspiring. Nicola http://islingtonfacesblog.com
Thank you Nicola 🙂
[…] with the Torta di Erbe, or Fritatta type foods in general, you can make these things more or less cheesy or custardy or eggy — […]
[…] reckon, to chuck odd bits of banana or apple into a cake or pancake, or half vegetables into soups, frittata or ferments… and I am going to write, increasingly, about the idea of approaches to […]
You’re right about the name sounding fancy. It’s anything but! I figured you had a frittata post on here somewhere. It’s the perfect thing for using everything up 🙂
indeed!
[…] a creativity in using up what you do have on hand. I’ve tried to demonstrate this with frittatas and minestrone and some other posts I never quite […]
[…] see my other posts on this approach to preparing Minestrone Soup, Frittatas, and Pan Fried Vegetable Fritters. It makes so much sense to train ourselves away from the […]