Making a frittata

[dario]

A basic italian frittata consists solely of whisked eggs poured into a pan with melted butter in it and cooked on both sides. You can then work from that allowing your immagination to modify/improve on the recepy. Not sure about tortillas but aren't they a type of fritter made from a batter like mixture ?

[Pontormo]

I regularly make an ultra-traditional tortilla espanola (I teach Spanish, and most of my colleagues have also spent time in Spain and are tapas junkies), but I've also had plenty of variations on the potato/onion theme in Spain, so I certainly don't feel obliged to make only the potato/onion variety for myself. I am curious, though, never having had frittata in Italy: can anyone tell me if the Spanish tortillas and Italian frittate (sp?)* are different in any significant way?

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I learned to make frittate over low heat so that the eggs set slowly whereas Jose Andres instructs you to make tortillas over extremely high heat, quickly. Generally, they are thicker than tortillas. No one told me they shouldn't be filled; they are as earlier posts on this old thread indicate, great vehicles for using tasty bits of leftovers as is the case with other Italian dishes such as stuffed pastas or risotto.

Once the eggs seem just about set, the frittata is flipped, using the from pan to plate and back into pan method also used for tortillas.

Here is a link to Malawry's photographic documentation of making a potato-chip tortilla. I say something about tortillas vs. frittatas later in the same thread after I prepared a classic potato tortilla, i.e. using thinly sliced fresh potatoes.

No flour is added to the flour mixture. Dario, the word "tortilla" is also used to refer to a flat bread popular in Mexican cuisine that is made with either cornmeal or wheat flour, water, salt and either lard or vegetable oil.

*Appunto! Bravo or Brava, depending.

Edited October 16, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[K_A_S]

Here is a link to Malawry's photographic documentation of making a potato-chip tortilla.  I say something about tortillas vs. frittatas later in the same thread after I prepared a classic potato tortilla, i.e. using thinly sliced fresh potatoes.

Thanks for the reminder of that thread. I had looked through Jose Andres' cookbook before, and I have to admit, the idea of a potato chip tortilla made me want to put the book down almost immediately Some of the recipes that you and others made, though, have got me thinking that it might be worth another look.

As for the frittate/tortilla comparison, from all that I can gather, there don't seem to be any significant differences in the preparation (any differences having to do with how long one keeps the heat on high strike me as fairly minor, especially since I know people who, when making tortilla, opt for keeping the heat high and some who lower the heat), although there will of course be some differences in the ingredients that one might include.

Thanks again for the response!

[boar_d_laze]

Damas y Caballeros,

A slightly different technique...

I learned to make tortillas by precooking the filling (usually potatoes, onions and chorizo) in a medium hot pan in a generous amount of olive oil, pouring beaten eggs over, and getting the pan into a medium-hot oven, until the eggs were just set on top. This was the Universidad de Salmanca in 1967.

Only a minute of waiting for the egss to set on the bottom. No swirling or lifting. About 6 - 9 extra large egss to a 12" pan. Ish. The tortilla was baked until the eggs were just set on top but not dry. Call it 10 minutes at 350, but your eyes and finger tips are the final arbiters. Better out a minute too soon than a minute too late. A tortilla made this way does not need to be turned during cooking, but do invert for service. The pan-side will be GBD, with "toppings" nicely framed, and the eggs light, tender and moist -- not dried out as is all too frequently the case. Non-stick is non-necessary.

Potatoes are part of a tortilla Espanola which is another name for tortilla de papas. But you can make a tortilla without potatoes, and use anything else. Think of a spinach and goat-cheese omelette in Denver.

Otro vaso de jerez por favor,

Rich

Edited October 18, 2006 by boar_d_laze (log)

[Katie Meadow]

I'm bumping this up because I've never had much success with frittate and I've not liked most of the ones I've eaten, whether I made them or not. The op presented the question (wow, 10 years ago!) that's always been a stumbling block for me: that is baking vs broiling for the finish.

I'm usually turned off by the rubbery quality of frittate. Plus I prefer more stuff and less egg. And I'm not partial to cold eggs, and most people seem to serve these things either room temp or cold, as if there is some tacit understanding that a frittata is the perfect dish for a potluck and benefits from sitting around for a few hours before serving. It's one of those things that I never touch at a potluck.

Today I needed to use up some interesting dried pasta that's been sitting around too long because it isn't really enough for two regular portions, a bunch of sweet walla walla onions with a short shelf life, a large bunch of chives, and plenty of eggs. I looked in a variety of books and wasn't too happy with any of the recipes. Then I found Amanda Hesser's pick in her latest NYT doorstop. That doorstop has actually been very useful as a cookbook. In it she has a Lidia recipe for a frittata that includes a new twist. Half the egg gets put in the pan on top of the stove to start it setting, and then the rest gets mixed with the cooked ingredients/veggies etc. and added on top. It continues to cook on top of the stove for a few minutes and then gets placed in the oven to finish. No stirring was involved at any point during cooking. Lidia says 350 degrees and everyone else who does the oven method instead of the broiler says 400. I compromised and set it at 375 and the frittata went in for about 12-15 minutes, until just set, but not golden on the top. I removed it from the oven, flipped it over onto a plate and we ate it hot. It was great. The egg was cooked through but not hard or rubbery, still delicate.

I don't know if this extra step is important, or if the oven method is simply better than the broiler, but this was the best frittata I ever ate.