Marche-style omelette
- 6 eggs
- 3 ½ oz pancetta (italian bacon)
- 2 onions
- ⅝ lb zucchini
- oil
- salt and pepper
Slice the two onions and cook them slowly in a pan with two spoonfuls of oil. Drain and set aside the onions.
In the remaining oil brown the pancetta duly cut into strips. Remove the pancetta and add it to the onions.
Add a tablespoon of oil in the pan and brown the zucchini, previously sliced, in it. Sprinkle with salt. Add also the zucchini to the pancetta and onions. In a bowl beat the eggs with some more salt and pepper.
Pour pancetta, onions, zucchini in the bowl. Amalgamate using a wooden tablespoon. Pour the mixture in the pan after adding half of the remaining oil, and brown on both sides as usual.
Background of the Frittata
Because of the geographic position of the Marches, enclosed by the Appennine Mountains to the west and the Adriadic Sea to the east, this region’s cuisine is a classic mix of land and sea. Its simple, distinct flavors are both robust like its mountainous territory and fresh like the sea breezes of the Adriatic.
Among the second course dishes of the land, other than its popular chicken and lamb recipes, the frittata is widely eaten. There are aromatic frittatas of mint and the indigenous mentrasto herb, traditionally eaten during Easter; and there are also the frittatas that make use of typical ingredients, like savoury ciauscolo (a soft salame made from mixed pork cuts, perfect for spreading on crackers and bread).
With the addition of zucchini and pancetta, the quick preparation of an egg-based frittata is filling and delicious, and made even more satisfying with the addition of the many different rolled salumi of the Marches’ Traditional Agricultural Products (a list compiled by the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry).
Did You Know That…
Bacon is often considered the English or American equivalent of pancetta, but these two should not be confused in the kitchen. Even though the cuts of pork in bacon and pancetta are the same, the preparation of pancetta requires that it is first salted and then aged for a period of 50 to 120 days; bacon, on the other hand, is steam-cooked and then may be followed by smoking.
Other suggested recipes