Gennaro's Pasta Frittata | Pasta Recipe | Jamie Oliver (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of pasta frittata? ›

ORIGINS. This ingenious idea of using cooked pasta with simple ingredients of eggs, cheese and pepper was born in Naples. It is thought to date back to the post-war era when food was limited in Southern Italy and people looked for ways to eat simple fare without the need for cutlery.

Although you can stir fry freshly boiled pasta, I like to use leftovers. I always seem to boil too much pasta for any given dish, so leftovers are inevitable. Cooked pasta also dries out in the fridge, even when covered, so getting a lovely crisp in a pan of butter happens much faster.

Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelette or crustless quiche or scrambled eggs, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, or vegetables. The word frittata is Italian and roughly translates to 'fried'.

The frittata originates from the Mediterranean region, and a very similar dish with eggs, cheese, and vegetables was known in ancient Rome. All the efforts of tracing this dish to a particular Italian region defies attempts, as it is popular all over Italy.

Semolina Flour Is Best for Eggless Pasta Dough

You can also use it to make fresh pasta—it just takes more elbow grease to roll out. Semolina flour makes for an egg-free fresh pasta with a sturdier texture and a bit more chew. Fresh Semolina Orecchiette, for example, will hold onto any sauce you toss it in.

Eggs – The key ingredient for adding richness and moisture to the dough! Olive oil – Along with the eggs, a splash of olive oil moistens the dough and helps it come together.

Contrary to popular myth, adding oil into the water does not stop pasta sticking together. It will only make the pasta slippery which means your delicious sauce will not stick. Instead, add salt to the pasta water when it comes to the boil and before you add the pasta.

While cooking pasta is quick and simple, it's important to know the cooking times for pasta. If you cook the pasta for too long, you get a mushy product, and if it's cooked for a short while, you get a chalky, crunchy, and almost chewy pasta which will ruin your meal.

Spaghetti. A long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin, made of semolina or flour and water. Spaghettini and spaghettoni are slightly thinner or thicker, respectively. "Little strings". Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning "thin string" or "twine".

What is the history of egg pasta? ›

The art of pasta-making was further developed by the ancient Greeks, who added eggs to the dough to make it more elastic and easier to work with. The Greeks also used the pasta in a variety of dishes, including lasagna and other layered casseroles.

The origin remains blurry, as some form of the frittata is found across all nations of the globe. However, food researchers believe it to have been influenced by the Spanish omelette that consists of layers of potatoes placed over a base of fried eggs.

Other forms: frittatas. A frittata is an egg dish that's usually made with meat, cheese, and vegetables. You can think of a frittata as an Italian omelette. The origin of the word frittata is the Italian friggere, "fried," and in Italy it was once a common way to describe any egg dish cooked in butter or oil in a pan.

Despite its many forms and the countless texts in which it has appeared, pasta seems to be universally associated with Italy. According to history, however, pasta's earliest roots begin in China, during the Shang Dynasty (1700-1100 BC), where some form of pasta was made with either wheat or rice flour.