A great-tasting slice of frittata is a healthy, tasty, meal-in-itself that can serve as breakfast, lunch or dinner.
This frittata di fontina contains prosciutto and arugula and turns out to be one of the easiest Italian recipes I have. You get to sneak in a green vegetable with very little fanfare. And, you can whip this up in minutes–so don’t let the number of recipe steps scare you. It’s really a cinch!
The Big Three
You can put pretty much anything in a frittata. Well, not exactly anything. You shouldn’t put, say, a screwdriver in a frittata. A screwdriver would definitely not be good. But the big three in this one, to hang around with the eggs, includes thinly sliced prosciutto, fresh baby arugula and creamy fontina cheese.
One thing to keep in mind when buying ingredients for this frittata: buy the best prosciutto and the best fontina you can find. They’re both naturally salty foods but I find some of the lesser quality brands are so salty you can hardly eat them.
So with that in mind, you don’t want to salt this dish except for some slight salt-and-pepper seasoning as you whip the eggs. I mean you want to have a meal, not mummify yourself.
When I made this frittata, I did not wilt the arugula first before blending it into the egg mixture and I think that was a mistake. So as you’re browning the prosciutto, toss the arugula into the pan and cook them together for about 1-2 minutes. I think the greens incorporate better into the eggs this way. Just sayin’.
Another word of caution as you’re putting this together. You are going to finish cooking this dish under the broiler so be extra careful. Make sure you have some sort of heat-proof grip on the handle of your skillet because it is going to get hot, hot hot. You only need to position the skillet about 8-10 inches under the broiler and the dish will brown plenty.
Another tip: while the frittata browns under the broiler, don’t walk away and get involved in something else. In a very short time, you can actually watch the frittata brown and you’ll know when to take it out. Hopefully, before it turns into a carbon deposit or sets your oven on fire.
When it’s ready, take it out, let it cool slightly and eat it hot or at room temperature. Serve it with a cornetto (croissant) for breakfast, or a green salad for lunch or a glass of pinot grigio for dinner. Delicious.
Yield: Serves 4-6
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 6 slices prosciutto, chopped
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups loosely packed cleaned baby arugula
- 1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano cheese
Directions:
- Preheat the broiler. Then warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the butter in an ovenproof 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the prosciutto and the arugula and cook 2 minutes more, then take the skillet off the heat.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs then very lightly salt and pepper.
- Pour the arugula/prosciutto mixture into the eggs and gently stir.
- Return the skillet to high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil and heat until the pan is very hot.
- Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and cook on high for one minute, then lower the heat to medium-low so as not to burn the mixture.
- Continue to cook mixture for 2-3 minutes, running a thin spatula along the edges to let the egg run out to cook.
- When the eggs are cooked but still loose, scatter the cheeses over the mixture and slip the skillet under the broiler
- Broil until the cheeses are melted and slightly browned.
- Transfer the frittata to a plate and serve hot or at room temperature.
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