Contigliano. 28 August, 2023.
The first time I ate a frittata, a word derived from the Italian word fritta, meaning “to fry”, it was part of a garden-fresh seasonal summer spread here in Sabina. My tastebuds were blown, as they often are, by the concentrated but light crispy egg and fresh vegetable flavour that leapt off my fork.
For most of my life, I had been eating super-sized American omelettes made with ultra-pasteurized milk, pale supermarket factory-farmed eggs, and paler blobs of butter which were consumed at home or served up next to a side of home fries at our local greasy spoon. This was before I had the opportunity to taste the light and airy sophisticated and minimalist preparation of a French omelette for one.
“Many believe that omelette is the French translation of the word frittata. In reality, they are two similar but different things, two egg-based recipes, prepared in a different way.” – La Cucina Italiana
But this frittata flipped once to feed a crowd with not an ounce of butter in sight, together with all of the frittate that we consumed that summer, served as a blank bright yellow palette for a mix of seasonal vegetables and herbs as well as local salumi and cheese.
A frittata is a major player in the kitchens of Sabina. Since it marries so well with the produce of all seasons, is quick, easy, flexible and economic to prepare, travels well (think picnics and panini) and is delicious both hot and cold, it seems to always be something that features on many a weekly menu.
The preparation of frittate in Sabina initially began by adding animal fats to the pan in the form of strutto (lard), pancetta and guanciale creating that satisfying bacon egg taste (Carbonara anyone?) to which other ingredients were added. I love that a frittata does not necessarily rely on milk, cream or butter for its preparation, so they can be vegetarian as well as gluten, dairy, or lactose free yet still incredibly moreish when they are, of course, prepared with a good egg.
These days frittate in Sabina are mostly prepared with our world-renowned olive oil. To the eggs, I also salt and pepper, a dash of white wine, the seasonal ingredients that I keep banging on about, and of course a bit of love. A frittata can be wide and thin (how I prefer mine) or prepared in a smaller pan so that the result is higher and more compact. The recommended serving is one to two eggs per person.
Good eggs raise the taste bar and nutritional value of any recipe that requires them and we might even debate that the consumption of a good egg is a sustainable act.
Growing up, my mother would tell me how it was her job to clean out the chicken house on the family farm in Ireland, but she did not tell me that a fresh local backyard or farmyard egg covered in muck and feathers is a horrifically beautiful and very promising thing as part of thousands year old food systems and they continue to be to this very day.
At many points in history, golden yolks held in delicate shells were only available to the world’s elite, with the value of eggs so high that they have been historically used in place of money for bartering and exchange in countrysides and cityscapes around the world.
Honesty boxes and roadside farm stands are a romantic view on rural roads, but the richness that good eggs bring to the table is still very much one of privilege and wealth. Good eggs remain inaccessible to disadvantaged populations despite there being enough eggs of various qualities to feed everyone on the entire planet.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine (because you know I love a good study) and filed under Maternal & Child Nutrition tells us that:
“Eggs are a highly nutritious food, rich in Essential Fatty Acids, choline, vitamins A and B12, and bioavailable iron, zinc, and iodine (Iannotti, Lutter, Bunn, & Stewart, 2014). The protein in the albumen is abundant, digestible, and complete, and the whole food is naturally “packaged” in a protective “container.” With a few notable exceptions, almost all human populations enjoy eating them. They are uniquely positioned to advance the second of the world's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture (United Nations, 2015).
Consumption of eggs, however, falls far below optimal levels among mothers and children living in poorer countries.
- An egg for everyone: Pathways to universal access to one of nature's most nutritious foods.
For years we would exchange our kitchen scraps with the chickens who used to live in the now-defunct chicken house here in Contigliano. They would give us beautiful eggs, but they did not graze in the garden sunlight so it is only now that I understand that they weren’t the best eggs that they could be.
These days we rely on our local dealers.
Ireland side, I used to hit up a local school kid who would sell eggs from his granny’s garden, or buy local eggs in a shop that also served booze and hardware. I assume that these eggs probably came from the random chickens that you can often find wandering around our village - the true definition of “free-range”.
But really, it wasn’t until our local Regenerative farm came on the scene to sell their pasture-raised eggs that I truly understood the importance and value of a pasture-raised egg both for human health and as part of an agricultural system that is fundamental to our future of our planet. This new opportunity was also a reminder of the importance of a direct relationship with our local farmers and food suppliers so that we can understand how our food is grown, what it is fed and how it lives its life.
There are a myriad of online resources that explain the difference between factory-farmed, free-range and pasture-raised eggs.
I would like to further explore this vast and very important topic of the importance of good eggs in future writings with input from those who are working to produce good food in our local communities.
Until then I hope that you are inspired to get your hands on the best eggs that you can, to prepare a simple frittata with the best that the season has to offer.
Courgette Frittata
GF. DF. V.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
6 large eggs, lightly scrambled
1 medium onion, finely chopped
500g courgette, sliced into thin rounds
White wine, a splash
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
Summer herbs*
Method:
Lightly coat the bottom of a wide nonstick frying pan or a cast iron skillet with a thin film of olive oil. Add the onions and cook over a low heat until translucent. Add your courgette and chopped mint or mentuccia* if using then season and toss to coat. Cook over high heat for a few minutes stirring then reduce the heat to medium-low flame and partially cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add a few splashes of water and slightly lower heat if they start to stick or burn at any point. They are ready when translucent and slightly browned. Spread the cooked courgettes evenly over the bottom of the pan. Add salt, pepper and a splash of white wine to the eggs. Lightly mix and add them to the hot pan together with some ripped basil or zucchini flowers (optional).
Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes lifting the set edges with a spatula to check for a light to medium brown colour. The frittata is ready to flip or finish under an oven grill at this point.
For the flip, gently loosen the frittata from the pan and slide it onto a large plate or flat lid that has at least the same dimension as the width of the pan. Cover the frittata with the pan and turn over to brown the uncooked side. Alternatively, you can place the pan under a hot oven grill until it is golden brown. How well your eggs are cooked is a personal preference. That’s up to you.
Notes:
Use basil, pennyroyal/mentuccia, parsley, sage, Roman mint, marjoram and/or edible flowers on their own or in simple combinations when preparing a frittata. I always use Roman mint or mentuccia for this particular recipe.