Thursday, March 21, 2013

Spaghetti Pie

I don't remember when I made the spaghetti that produced the leftovers for this dish. I do remember James thought it was too spicy and shied away from the remainder in the fridge. I knew I could save it. Though it may seem like a homespun recipe from Betty Crocker or Taste of Home (not that there is anything wrong with that) spaghetti omelettes are  100% authentic Italian, a common home dish especially in the South.
Basically any leftover spaghetti will do -- with sauce or without. I prefer the sauced versions. Take your  leftovers and add eggs (as many as you need to give substance and structure to your batter) and grated cheese. Parmesan is a good choice but so is pecorino or any hard cheese you may like. Heat olive oil in a pan and layer in half of your spaghetti mixture. Top the spaghetti with sliced melting cheese (mozzarella or fontina) and bits of salami or prosciutto if you like and fry until crisp on the bottom. It is a bit of a maneuver to turn these heavy omelettes but with an extra plate and a little determination you can slide or flip your omelette (a frittata they would say in Italy) and return t to the skillet to cook through.
I've seen plenty of recipes where the melting cheese goes on top and the frittata is finished in the oven. At our house the cheese is a surprise in the middle and the outside edges are crispy and delicious. Viva Italia!

No comments:

Post a Comment