Brown Bag Lunch #4: Frittata degli Spaghetti

I used to be very careful about how much pasta al pomodoro to make (just enough, not too much!) because the texture of reheated leftover pasta is just awful, starchy and too soft. But now after discovering frittata degli spaghetti, (a.k.a. lefotver spaghetti omelet) I make sure to make extra pasta every time. The tomato sauce on the angel hair pasta (my favorite) mixes with the eggs and infuses them with flavor; the edges of the frittata get crispy and brown so the texture is perfect. Frittatas are great hot or at room temperature, so this makes a wonderful brown bag lunch and it's easy as all get out.

The ingredient proportions are very flexible, which is good 'cause you don't always have the same amount of lefotvers. You may want just enough eggs to coat the pasta or you may want an egg-rich frittata.

Ingredients:
1. last night's pasta al pomodoro, perfectly seasoned (today, I have 8 ozs or 1-1/2 cups of leftover angel hair pasta)
2. enough eggs to just coat or more (for me that's 2 lg. eggs to barely coat and 3 for the "swimming" effect")
3. salt and pepper to taste
4. optional: anything else. You could add diced mozzarella, leftover wilted spinach or anything else that strikes your fancy. I once make a huge frittata with leftover spaghetti and leftover ratatouille, which knocked everybody's socks off.
5. 1 tsp olive oil

Place the spaghetti in a medium-sized bowl and add the eggs. With a fork, break up the eggs and mix them until all the noodles are coated. Add salt and pepper and any optional ingredient. If you'd like alternative suggestions about making this frittata, go here.

Put a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the spaghetti/egg mixture and swirl the pan slightly to keep the frittata moving and not sticking to the pan. The edges should puff up. Music to swirl angel-hair pasta by: "Angel Face" composed by the great Enio Morricone from the Spaghetti Western, "A Gun for Ringo" Once you have assured that a crust has formed at the bottom lower the heat to the medium-low and continue cooking for about 5 minutes until the top is partially set or at least not really really liquidy.

At this point, follow my instructions very carefully: with a steady hand and your widest spatula under one corner of the frittata, scoop it out onto a dinner plate. Then, invert the frying pan on top of the frittata, hold the pan handle and the bottom of the plate really securely, think inspiring thoughts, believe in yourself (I think I can, I think I can…) and flip*. Now cook the frittata for another 2-3 minutes or until you feel with your finger that the center is firm.

Cool, pack into your brown bag, add a navel orange and a leftover piece of Guinness cake sandwich (2 slices of cake with the frosting between them) and you're set for a fab lunch tomorrow!.

*With practice you should be able to avoid dumping half the frittata on the floor. If this process makes you nervous, pre-heat your oven to 425F and place the pan in for a couple minutes until you see the top getting puffy and brown.

Great thanks to the Daily Tiffin, What's Cooking, and Eating Out Loud for hosting such fun food events!