Food: Rachel Roddy’s Delectable Potato and Tomato Frittata Recipe

“With joyful inventiveness,”
is how food historian Gillian Riley describes the writing style of Vincenzo Corrado, an Italian chef and philosopher from the 18th century. She praises his fresh ideas, individuality, and ability to condense complex recipes. I am also a fan of Riley’s lively and scholarly writing, especially showcased in her masterpiece The Oxford Companion to Italian Food, where I first encountered The Gallant Cook.

Born in 1738 in Oria, a humble town in Puglia, Italy, little is known about Corrado’s early life. After the death of his parents, he likely entered the service of an aristocrat. At the age of 17, he joined a Celestine monastery, which provided him with an excellent education and the opportunity to travel across Italy with senior clergy, fueling his passion for food and recipe collection. Corrado later settled in Naples, the lively capital of the Spanish-ruled kingdom and a hub of culinary indulgence for the wealthy.

Corrado became the head of mouth services at the court of the Prince of Francavilla, working alongside prestigious French- and Spanish-style cooks known as “monzù”. His role involved planning extravagant banquets. Despite the French culinary influence, Corrado’s first book, Il Cuoco Galante, stands out for its distinctly Italian flavors and textures inspired by his travels and love for Naples. The book includes both French dishes like bisca, budin, gattò, and bignè, as well as Neapolitan classics like calamaretti fritti, cardoni alla Parmegiana, genovese, timballi, gnocchi, lasagne, and vermicelli.

In addition to his culinary innovations, Corrado played a significant role in introducing tomatoes and potatoes into traditional southern Italian cooking. His book, Del Cibo Pitagorico, written in 1781, reflects his passion for vegetables influenced by the fashionable European vegetarianism of the time. The book includes recipes featuring tomatoes and potatoes, ingredients that were still relatively unknown in Europe at that time. Corrado presents various ways to cook potatoes, including frittate and mashed potato cakes, as well as tomato recipes with the skins and seeds removed.

The tumultuous period of the Repubblica Napoletana began in 1799. Corrado witnessed the instability but lived long enough to see stability return and his contributions to Neapolitan cuisine become standardized. He passed away at the age of 98 in 1836.

Potato, Tomato, and Onion Frittata Recipe

Makes 8 slices

Ingredients:

• 1kg potatoes: peeled and halved
• A bunch of spring onions: trimmed and diced (both the bulbs and green parts)
• Olive oil
• 250g tomatoes: peeled and roughly chopped
• A handful of basil or parsley (or a mix): chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 eggs: lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
• Watercress: for serving

Instructions:

1. Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until tender, then drain and mash or pass through a potato ricer.
2. In a frying pan, heat four tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the spring onions until translucent. Add the tomatoes, herbs, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes, mashing them with a spoon to create a sauce-like consistency (you can also use a food mill for a smoother texture, but it’s optional).
3. Add the tomato mixture to the mashed potatoes and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then, add the beaten eggs, grated cheese, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Press the potato and tomato mixture into a well-oiled frying pan and cook until a crust forms on the bottom. Flip the frittata and brown the other side. Once cooked, invert it onto a plate.
5. Serve the frittata warm or at room temperature with a side of watercress salad. Leftovers can be enjoyed in a sandwich.