Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [135]
½ pound spaghetti
Salt
Butter, 2 tablespoons for tossing the spaghetti, 1 tablespoon for cooking the frittata
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 eggs
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Drop the spaghetti into 3 to 4 quarts boiling, salted water and cook until very firm to the bite. It should be a bit more al dente—more underdone—than you usually cook it because it will undergo further cooking in the frittata. Drain, and toss immediately and thoroughly with 2 tablespoons of butter, the grated cheese, and the parsley. Set aside until its heat abates somewhat.
2. Add the tossed, sauced spaghetti, salt, and a few grindings of pepper to the beaten egg, mixing thoroughly to distribute the egg evenly over the pasta. Put the 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet, turn the heat on to medium, and when the butter foam begins to subside, but before it darkens, put in the pasta and egg mixture.
3. Turn on the broiler.
4. Cook the frittata on top of the stove for 3 to 4 minutes without touching the pan. Then tilt the pan slightly, bringing its edge closer to the flame of the burner. Keep the pan in this position for about 1 minute, then rotate it a shade less than a full quarter turn, always keeping it tilted so that its edge is close to the flame. Repeat the procedure until you have come around full circle. Take a look at the underside of the frittata, lifting the edge gently with a spatula, to make sure it has formed a fine, golden crust all around; if it has not, cook a little longer where needed.
5. Run the pan under the broiler until the top side has formed a lightly colored crust. When ready, loosen the frittata with a spatula, slide it onto a platter, and cut it into serving wedges, like a pie.
Stuffed Spaghetti Frittata with Tomato, Mozzarella, and Ham
THERE IS a substantial and interesting difference between this frittata and the preceding one, as well as between it and every other frittata: Here there are two layers of frittata sandwiching a filling of tomatoes, mozzarella, and ham.
For 4 servings
½ pound spaghetti
Salt
Butter, 2 tablespoons for tossing the spaghetti, 1 tablespoon for cooking the frittata
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
½ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut up
½ cup mozzarella, preferably buffalo-milk mozzarella, diced very, very fine
½ cup boiled unsmoked ham chopped or diced very fine
3 eggs
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Cook, drain, and toss the spaghetti with butter, cheese, and parsley exactly as described in the preceding recipe.
2. Put the olive oil and onion into a small saucepan, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes colored a golden brown, then add the cut-up drained tomatoes and salt. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the oil floats free of the tomato. Take off heat.
3. When the tomatoes have cooled, mix in the diced mozzarella and ham. Tip the pan and spoon off most of the oil.
4. Add the tossed sauced spaghetti, salt, and a few grindings of pepper to the beaten egg, mixing thoroughly to distribute the egg evenly over the pasta. Put the 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet, turn the heat on to medium, and when the butter foam begins to subside, but before it darkens, put in just half the pasta and egg mixture, spreading it uniformly over the bottom of the pan. Then over it pour the tomato and mozzarella from the saucepan, spreading it evenly, and stopping a little short of the frittata’s edge. Pour in the remaining half of the spaghetti and egg mixture and cover the frittata in the pan, spreading it out to the edges of the pan. Finish cooking the frittata, following the directions in the preceding recipe for Frittata with Pasta.
FISH AND SHELLFISH
Grilled Fish, Romagna Style