Recipe: Frittata with Prosciutto, Caciocavallo and Pomodoro

Finished and flipped frittata, ready for slicing and serving.

Making a frittata is as simple as it gets. You can make it for breakfast, for lunch or dinner. It's quick and uses simple ingredients... basically, you can throw one together with whatever is in your fridge or pantry.

For this one, I had some heirloom tomatoes I had bought from a high end supermarket. They were great in last night's salad so I knew they were destined for today's lunch. I also have been enjoying the caciocavallo cheese that I bought and then aged for another month and a half by hanging it up in my cellar. We always have black olives handy and eggs of course are a kitchen staple. The last ingredient was my go-to deli specialty--Boar's Head brand Piccolo Prosciutto, a nice stand-in for smoked prosciutto (speck)... sliced thin and with enough salt to elevate this frittata.

So, first I took 5 eggs and beat them well in a bowl with a few pinches of salt and about 30 cracks from my black pepper grinder. I sliced about 6 slices of prosciutto across the grain into 1" slices and mixed them into the eggs. Next, I prepped the tomatoes... cutting them into small wedges. I used 1 large one and 1 small.  I cut the pitted black olives in half... about 1 cup or so. I then grated about a cup of caciocavallo using the 1/4" holes on my box grater (you can substitute its cousin, a sharp provolone).

I then covered the bottom of a 10" non-stick saute pan with light olive oil (never cook with extra virgin--it's smoke temperature is too low) and put the flame on medium high. I sprinkled some red pepper flakes in the oil to spice things up a bit. As soon as the oil was hot (you can see it sort of moving and glistening) I put the egg into the pan and made sure the prosciutto was distributed evenly. After about 60 seconds I placed tomatoes spread across the eggs, then the olives, then the cacciocavallo cheese across the top. I turned down the flame a bit and slow cooked the bottom of the eggs until they were a nice brown color. As the egg cooks you'll be able to use a small spatula to lift one edge and peek under. You'll know when the eggs are cooked well and formed a nice crust when you can shake the pan and slide the whole frittata. If an edge sticks, use the spatula to release that section.

At this point, there are two ways to finish off the second side. You can put the pan into an oven set to broil to finish off the top. Just keep it in there until the top gets a nice color and melts your cheese... about 2 minutes. (Remember to use an oven mitt or pot holder when you go to remove the pan... the handle will be HOT!)

The second way is how I did it this time--a flip using a plate. Holding a large plate upside down over the pan, I quickly turned the pan to invert the frittata onto the plate. Next, I slid the frittata with the help of a spatula back into the saute pan. (If the pan looks too dry, you can add a drizzle of oil first). I then returned it to the flame and cooked the second side for 2-3 minutes more until I got a nice crust.

Slide your frittata onto a large plate, sprinkle with more cheese and cut wedges to serve with hot dollops of any tomato sauce or marinara you have hanging around (we always seem to have some sort of sauce, either home made or jarred). The kids might go for ketchup, but that's OK.  No rules here. It's all about love and creating food memories for them. 

Remember, that you can always make a frittata from anything you have around... mushrooms, onions, veggies, potatoes, zucchini, cut up pieces of chicken, sausage.... the choices are endless. Enjoy!

--Jerry Finzi

If you enjoyed this recipe, please LIKE it and SHARE with your friends. Grazie!

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Copyright, Jerry Finzi, Grand Voyage Italy, All rights reserved

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