Frittatas might be easier to cook than pronounce!

Frittata. I've heard this word pronounced many different ways including these creative "variations":  Frateeta, Freheeta, Frejeeta, Faheeta, Fajeeta, Fritterita..... Here's how it should be said: Frih-TAH-tuh. Or Free-TAH-tuh (with a little roll of the "r"). So now that we know how to say it, what IS it? Check this out!

Veggie Frittata

Essentially a frittata is a round open-faced omelette. It cooks flat in the pan instead of being filled and folded like an omelette. The "filling" ingredients are typically cooked in the pan first, then the whisked eggs are poured over top.

If the non-egg ingredients are things that don't need cooking, like cheese, herbs, or cooked meat or poultry, they can be combined with the whisked eggs and poured into the pan to cook together.  Frittatas can be cooked on the stove-top or in the oven, or started on the stove-top and finished under the broiler in the oven. A frittata's texture will be firmer than an omelette's since the frittata is cooked slowly over medium-low heat rather than quickly at high heat as you do for an omelette. In order to cook a frittata all the way through, some people flip their frittata over in the pan. You can do this if you like living life on the edge and crave the challenge/excitement/theatrics, but you don't need to! (I can hear the sighs of relief !) While the frittata is cooking, I like to poke through to the bottom of the pan in a few places to let some of the uncooked egg on top run down and hit the hot pan. This helps the frittata cook evenly and a little faster. Cooking it, covered, over medium to medium-low heat also helps. Depending on its size, the cooked frittata can be served whole or cut into wedges. If you'd like a recipe, try the one we received from Ontario egg farmers Mark and Joanie Hamel. The Hamels like to make a Veggie Frittata using onions, mushrooms and sweet peppers. You can use their recipe, but substitute the veggies of your choice.