FRI-TADA

Italian Frittata

Do you want to start your day off the right way? The Italian way? Are you craving the creamy, cheesy, warm, delicious taste of a frittata? If so, you've come to the right place! A frittata is an egg-based Italian dish that is very high in protein, and is an essential part of the diet of many cultures. In Italy, it's even rare to find frittatas being sold in restaurants, since it's, a more home-orientated dish.

Coming from the Italian verb "friggere", or "to fry", frittatas are cooked in a slow, savory process with the ingredients mixed into the skillet/pan, instead of separate in the case of an omelette. A frittata usually comes out more rounded and thicker than a omelette, which is more of a semi-circular shape and is thinner.

Frittatas are known for their wide versatility in terms of usable ingredients, and for it's relative ease and quickness to cook. Most people make frittatas as a spur of the moment decision-when you can't go to the grocery store or when the contents of your refrigerator are barren. For example, in Italy, a mother or father will usually store leftovers from lunch or dinner with the intent to make a frittata from those ingredients the next day, which shows it's incredible versatility as a food.

Frittatas can be made with pasta, various vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, etc. Either way, its undoubtable that the Italian Frittata is the prefect kick-start to any day!

Recipe:

Time: This dish takes 30 minutes to prepare and then 15 minutes to bake in the oven.

Yield: This dish yields 6 servings; perfect for the whole family!

Ingredients:

1 small potatoe that are peeled and cut into 1/2 in cubes

4 eggs that are lightly beaten

1 tablespoon of water

¼ teaspoons of salt

⅛ teaspoons of garlic powder

⅛ teaspoons of chili powder

⅛ teaspoons of pepper

1 small chopped zucchini

¼ cup of chopped onion

1 tablespoon of butter

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tomatoes that are thinly sliced

½ cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Minced chives and more shredded cheese if necessary

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place potatoes in saucepan and cover it with water. Bring this saucepan to a boil. After it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the saucepan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, water, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and pepper. Set this bowl aside after homogenous.

3. In a 10-in skillet, saute the zucchini, onions and potatoes in butter and oil until they are tender. Reduce the heat and pour 1½ cups of the egg mixture into the skillet. Put one tomato on top of the mixture and sprinkle the mixture with ½ cup of cheese. On top of this, put the remaining cheese, egg mixture and tomatoes.

4. Bake for 15 minutes or until the eggs are set. Let it stand for 5 minutes after taking out of oven. Sprinkle with chives and cut into wedges.

5. Enjoy!