Sweet Pepper and Zucchini Frittata

A frittata I guess you can say is sort of like an omelet in a way because it is filled with different veggies and requires many eggs.   Some differences are that it is not folded over like an omelet, doesn't  typically have melted cheeses inside, and is traditional not made for breakfast.  In Italy My relatives served frittata during dinner time along with other foods of course.  This is because Lunch time in Italy is the largest meal of the day and at night for dinner something lighter is served.  Pasta for example is almost never served for dinner.   Frittatas were always a common snack or lunch item in my house growing up.  My mom would make it with  all different types of vegetables such as peppers, zucchini or spinach.  She would make sandwiches out of it or we would just eat it with some crust slices of bread.  What I love about  making frittatas is that you can eat them at room temperature,  use whatever fresh vegetables are in season or whatever you have in your fridge at the time.  A frittata is quick and simple to make, but does require some technique practice.  Once you get the feel for making a perfect frittata, you will find yourself making them more often than you realize. 
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Ingredients:

* 9 Large Eggs
* About 2 cups of thinly sliced Zucchini (I like to buy the small zucchini, but if your store only has large ones then cut the circles in half after you slice them.) 
* 1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper
* About 1/4 Cup of Sliced Cooking Onion
* Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese is optional (I leave it out)
* 5 TBSP of good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Salt and Pepper to Season

Materials:

* A 12 Inch Skillet
* a 10-12 inch Round Plate
* A Rubber Spoon or Spatula

Procedure:

* Cut your Zucchini into semi thin slices.

* Cut your Red Pepper into small thin slices.

* Cut your onion into thin slices.

* Pour all 5 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil into a 12 inch Skillet on Medium Heat.

* Saute the Zucchini, Peppers, and Onion for about a minute.

* After about a minute, lower the temperature to about a Medium-Low heat and Season with Salt and Pepper and continue cooking until tender. This takes about 8 minutes (I like to taste the veggies to make sure they are salted enough).

* Meanwhile, Crack the Eggs in a bowl and whisk them well with a fork.  Season the Eggs with Salt and Pepper.

* Once the Veggies are Tender, pour the Egg into the Skillet (There should be no need to add more Olive Oil, because there should be just enough left in the pan already).

 

* Now it is time for the technique to come in! Take your spoon or spatula and gently lift up the set potions of your frittata and let any egg mixture that is not set run into the space you have created.  This will help everything cook evenly.  If there is a bunch of egg still in the center, then I make tiny slits in the middle to let the egg seep in the pan and form a layer.  

 
 * Once the egg is just slightly runny on top, take your plate, put it over the frittata in the skillet and carefully flip it over onto the plate.

 

* Quickly slide it back into the pan and let it cookie for just 1 more minute and then slide it back onto the plate (I quickly rinse my plate off before sliding the frittata back onto it).

 

* I like to use my pizza cutter and slice it into 8 even pieces and serve it alongside some crust Italian Bread or make sandwiches out of it.  You can enjoy this hot or at room temperature and then refrigerate whatever you do not eat.  

 

~*~ Enjoy~*~

Arancini con Prosciutto Cotto e Mozzarella (Fried Rice Balls with Ham and Mozzarella)

 

        One of my favorite Italian comfort foods is by far Arancini. Arancini are stuffed rice balls which are coated with breadcrumbs and fried.  They are typically stuffed with cheese, peas, ragu or ham and anything else you wish to add to it. In Italian the word "Arancia" means orange and so since this fried treat resembles an orange, it therefore got the name Arancini.   
        About a year ago I became good friends with a couple from Palermo, Sicily named Simona and Fabrizio.  They recently got married and have moved here to the US to go to school and work. One evening Simona and Fabrizio invited me over to their apartment to have Arancini in honor of a special Saint's day called "Santa Lucia" (my mother's name day).  This day is celebrated on the 13th of December. Simona told me that in Palermo one of the traditional ways they celebrate this day is by making many many Arancini Balls and then eating them until they are too full to move!  She said her friends back home were already competing on who had eaten the most.  I was honored to be asked to enjoy this treat with her and her husband on this day and more than willing to do my share of eating! 
        Simona and Fabrizio spent Christmas day at my house with my husband and brother and we made Arancini together along with a few other goodies.  She shared her family recipe for making Arancini the Sicilian way and we had a lot of fun cooking and of course eating together! Simona said she loves to make hers with Prosciutto Cotto (Ham) and Mozzarella, but once you make the base, you can add anything you like to it!  So here it is...Simona's Sicilian recipe for Arancini!  
*Note- she doesn't have an exact recipe, so I did my best to write down the amounts she used.
Please Click Here for Printable Recipe:

Ingredients: Makes about 25 Arancini

Not Pictured: Butter and Olive Oil

• 4 Cups of Arborio Risotto Rice
• About 12 Cups of Chicken Broth (You may or may not use all of the broth)
• About 7 oz of Prosciutto Cotto, Sliced Thin (Regular Plain Ham)
• 8 Oz. of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 Cup of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 TBSP of Unsalted Butter
• 4-5 cups of Unseasoned Breadcrumbs
• 4 Eggs (may need more)
• Vegetable or Canola Oil for Deep Frying
• Dice the Ham, set aside.

*Saffron is Optional for coloring of the rice

Directions:

• Dice the Mozzarella, set aside. 

• In a saucepan bring the broth to a simmer and keep it warm for making the Risotto.

• Get a large pan, and add 2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Arborio Rice.  Stir for about 1 minute.

• While continually stirring, begin adding the hot broth in 1/2 cup increments, allowing the liquid to become completely absorbed before adding more broth (This process is very important as you do not want to add all the broth at once like you would with regular white rice).
• Cook until the rice is just tender (al dente) and the risotto is creamy. This process takes time about 20-30 minutes, so be patient!

Simona

• Once the Risotto is Al Dente, turn off the heat and add the Butter.  Stir until melted and blended.

• Now add the Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese and mix.

• Add about 1/2 of the Diced Mozzarella and 1/2 of the Diced Ham to the Risotto and mix well.

• Let the Risotto Cool down for about 30-45 minutes to Room Temperature (If you are planning on making this the next day, then you can cover it up and put it in the fridge)

• Once the Risotto has cooled, Set up your breading and stuffing Station. 

• Get a bowl or plate and Beat the eggs in it

• Get another bowl or Plate for the Breadcrumbs

• Have the remaining Diced Ham and Mozzarella also out and ready. 

• Have a bowl with some water ready (this prevents the Risotto from sticking to your hand when you roll them).

• Now it is time to assemble the Arancini!

• With slightly wet hands, Take about 3-4 TBSP of Risotto (You can make them any size you like)

• Make a hole it it with your two fingers and add some Diced Mozzarella and Diced Ham to the middle.

• Close the hole back up and Roll it into a Ball or Pear Shape.

 

• Coat it in the Egg Mixture and then in the Breadcrumbs and place on a Cookie Sheet.

• Continue this Process with the remaining Risotto.

• When you have finished, the next step it to fry them up!

• Pour Vegetable or Canola oil in a Medium Saucepan, about 4 inches Deep.

• Get the Oil Very Hot, about 360 Degrees F

*Note - Only Fry the ones you want to eat.  You can Freeze the ones you are not going to eat, by laying them flat on a tray in the freezer for an hour and then transferring them into a Freezer Bag.

• Once the Oil is hot, Add the Arancini, about 2 at a time to the Hot Oil 

• Fry for About 1-2 minutes or until lightly golden brown and remove with a slotted Spoon.

• Place the Arancini on tray lined with Paper Toweling to Absorb some of the Oil.

               

~Enjoy your Arancini Hot and Crispy!

Frosa

I hope everyone is staying safe and warm at home during this storm! I love that school was closed, because it has given me the time to finally post a blog! Today's family recipe is another one that brings back childhood memories.  My dad would make Frosa for my bother and I as an after school snack and we would be so excited when we got home and saw them waiting for us on a plate! This recipe was invented by my Great Grandma Caccamo.  I recently found out by one of my cousins how my great grandmother came up with this recipe.  Due to poverty back in the day, people did not like to let anything go to waste, so whenever she made cutlets, she would have left over breadcrumb and egg mixture and would use the left overs to make this mixture she called Frosa.  I really love that story and love hearing other stories about recipes passed onto generation after generation in my family.  
Please Click Here for Printable Version:

Ingredients:

*1 lb of Fresh Spinach

* 1 Large Garlic Clove, minced* 2 tbsp. of Pure Olive Oil plus extra for frying* 2 Large Eggs * 1/2 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs* 1/3 cup Freshly Grated Cheese, I use a blend of Parmesan and Pecorino * Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:

* Rinse spinach and remove stems.

* Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil and garlic into a large pan or pot and sauté in medium heat for about 1-2 minutes.

* Add spinach and toss with tongs for about 5 minutes until the spinach is fully cooked. You will notice it will significantly reduce in size!

 

* Place a colander into a bowl and add the cooked spinach into the colander to drain the liquid as it cools.

* once the spinach is cooled, squeeze out the remaining liquid with your hands. Get as much liquid out as you can! 

* Dump the liquid out and rinse the bowl then place the spinach back into the bowl and cut the spinach with a fork and knife into very tiny pieces! 

* Add 2 beaten eggs, cheese, breadcrumbs salt and pepper and mix well with a fork; set aside.

 

* Heat a large frying pan with olive oil about 1/4 inch high, on medium high heat.

* Once the oil is hot, take a heaping spoonful if the mixture and place it in the frying pan, press down on it with a fork to flatten and spread it out. You will get 5 Frosa patties from this recipe.

* Let the patties cook for 4 minutes and then gently flip them over to the other side and let cook another 4 minutes. They should be a nice golden brown color.

* When done, place on a towel to drain the oil.

* Serve hot, warm or at room temp!

~*~Enjoy~*~