Frittatas, Flans, and other Savory Egg Dishes

Zucchini are one of the nicer things about early summer, and quite versatile: You can stuff them, steam them (if you're on a diet), put them in pasta sauce, sauté them, and if you sauté them, easily transform them into a light lunch by using them to make a zucchini frittata. Cut into thin wedges, a zucchini frittata is also a nice antipasto.

Bruschetta is, at its simplest, toast rubbed with garlic and seasoned with olive oil and salt, and it's a wonderful way to start a meal. However, you can do much more with a slice of toast, including this light snack.

You might not think to put spaghetti into a frittata, but the combination is very nice indeed, and perfect summer fare of the sort that's wonderful served cool on a hot day, and ideal for picnics or cookouts too.

Joe's Special is a savory, meaty frittata developed to satisfy band members after hours in San Francisco during the 20s. And it's just as tasty now.

Eggs sunny-side-up on a bed of tomatoes: Very tasty, and quick too!

There's no getting around it, sausages and eggs (and potatoes) go very well together. But they are not breakfast food in Italy. Rather, this sausage and potato frittata is the sort of thing one might serve as an antipasto in a buffet, with other kinds of frittata and other foods, or at a light lunch. It will also be a tasty picnic food.

This recipe is from Artusi, and the introduction is quite typical: He didn't think much of cauliflower, but thought his readers might -- "You will need to know the quantities if you are to make a good frittata with a vegetable as insipid as this."

Torta Salata con Speck e Cipolle -- -- Savory Speck and Onion Pie

Garlic-and-Parsley Frittata, or Frittata di Aglio e Prezzemolo: This is a refreshing summer dish that will work nicely with a tossed salad and a bottle of white wine, for example Vermentino, as a light meal.

A Salami Frittata, or Frittata con il Salame: This is one of the Valdostan dishes that would have been the major player in a one-course meal in the past, and has now become an antipasto (in small wedges). In Val D'Aosta it would have been made using butter or lard as the fat for the skillet because they didn't have olive oil, but you're free to...

Soft-cooked eggs over a bed of asparagus.

Cauliflower makes for a very delicate sformato.

A frittata is an excellent way to stretch eggs, and thus feed a multitude.

A rich savory greens pie made with a dozen eggs, and an onion pie too.

A classic; if made in a ring mold it's the perfect vehicle for presenting a stew (which goes into the well).

They're similar to soufflés, though not quite as airy, and are amazingly versatile, ranging from hearty comfort food to light vegetarian delights to tasty desserts.

A standby for all seasons, and one of the tastiest side dishes going.

A rich asparagus sformato that will be perfect for an elegant luncheon.

A voluptuous asparagus sformato that's perfect as an antipasto or in a light (even romantic) meal.

An elegant ring of mashed potatoes filled with baccalà and mushrooms.

An elegant Neapolitan timballo with lots of mushrooms.

This translates as boiled onion pie, but is actually more of a quiche.

An extremely delicate sformato made with bulb fennel, from Pellegrino Artusi.

An delicate winter sformato made with cardoons, from Pellegrino Artusi.

The perfect thing to do with fall mushrooms, especially wild ones.

This asparagus and pea flan will be nice either as an antipasto or a main course, depending upon how big the portions are.

A quck, tasty summery dish.

An extraordinarily rich, potatoey, cheesy wonder that's perfect for the keeping the cold at bay.

A simple, tasty tomatoey frittata from the veneto that will be very nice in the summer months.

Of all the many frittata recipes out there, this is one of my favorites, especially if it's made slowly, giving the onions time to caramelize in the pan before adding the eggs: The contrast between savory egg richness and the sweetness of the onions is delightful.

A frittata with spinach is one of the most classic simple country dishes you'll encounter in Italy, and though you likely won't be served one as a main course if you visit (unless you're family), you may well come across them on an antipasto platter.

Parsley Frittata: Frugality at its best, a simple dish made just with eggs and some herbs to give them flavor.

Some frittate are summer dishes -- light and refreshing. However, chickens continue to lay eggs in other seasons, and this potato frittata will be quite nice when the air has a chill to it.

In Abruzzo, eggs and cheese are added to bolster stewed lamb.

A Calabrian egg & sausage specialty that's perfect for brunch

"Bread crumbs are often added to fritattas in Southern Italy to stretch the servings. This economy measure also turns out to add an interesting flavor and texture boost," says Erica de Mane in presenting this.

"Potatoes and morel mushrooms are a heavenly match. The potatoes soak up the mushroom flavor..."

An unusual recipe for scrambled eggs that is surprisingly tasty, and served with a tossed salad would be a good bet at a luncheon.