Mushroom Frittata

I've always wondered what was the difference between a "frittata" and an "omelette". Found a detailed explanation in wikipedia, that I'd like to share with you.

Frittata is an egg-based dish similar to an omelette or quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta. It may be flavoured with herbs.

The Italian word frittata derives from fritto, or "to fry" (friggere) and was originally a general term for cooking eggs in a skillet.

Outside Italy, frittata was seen as equivalent to "omelette" until at least the mid-1950s.

In the last fifty years, "frittata" has become a term for a distnct variation that Delia Smith describes as "Italy's version of an open-face omelette". When used in this sense there are four key differences from a conventional omelette:

• There is always at least one optional ingredient in a Frittata and such ingredients are combined with the beaten egg mixture while the eggs are still raw rather than being laid over the mostly-cooked egg mixture before it is folded, as in a conventional omelette. Eggs for frittata may be beaten vigorously to incorporate more air than traditional savoury omelettes, to allow a deeper filling and a fluffier result.
• The mixture is cooked over a very low heat, more slowly than an omelette, for at least 5-10 minutes, typically 15, until the underside is set but the top is still runny.
• The part-cooked frittata is not folded to enclose its contents like an omelette but is instead either turned over in full, or grilled briefly under an intense salamander to set the top layer, or baked for around five minutes.
• Unlike an omelette, which is generally served whole, a frittata is usually divided into slices. It may be served hot or cold, accompanied by fresh salads, bread, beans, olives, etc.

Frittata is equivalent to an Iranian dish called kookoo.

Kidometer- This was a hit! They simply loved it and said it looked like a pizza. My little girl who was helping me said the chopped mushrooms looked like a "p". (She's been learning to recognize "p" and was delighted to find it in the mushroom!)

Since it contains quite a combination of colourful veggies, its a great addition to a school lunch. It can also be served as an after school snack with bread.

Mushroom Frittata

Ingredients-

4eggs

1cup chopped button mushrooms

1/2cup chopped green pepper/capsicum

1 large tomato chopped

2cloves garlic minced

2 shallots sliced

salt

freshly ground pepper

Preparation-

• Chop all the veggies and keep them ready.
• Break the eggs, add salt and ground pepper and beat the eggs using a hand blender.
• Heat some olive oil in a skillet and saute the shallots. When the shallots get fragrant add the garlic and capsicum. 
• When the capsicum begins to look slightly cooked, throw in the mushrooms. Stir and cook till mushrooms are half done.
• Add the tomatoes and cook till they are cooked.
• Toss the cooked veggies into the beaten egg and mix well.
• Heat some olive oil in the same pan and pour in the egg-veggie mixture.
• Cook on low flame, till the top layer is cooked as well. Do not toss over.
• Serve hot with toast.

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