Frittata di Cipolle

The frittata is not a French omelet. It is not folded, not runny, not pale. It is an Italian creation: flat, set throughout, cooked slowly until the eggs are tender and the filling has given everything it has to give. When the filling is onions, cooked properly, you have one of the most satisfying dishes in the Italian repertoire.

In Piedmont, where the winters are cold and the cooking is honest, onion frittata has fed farm families for centuries. It costs almost nothing. It uses ingredients every kitchen has. And when made with attention, it tastes like something far more complicated than its ingredient list suggests.

The secret is time. You cannot rush onions. High heat makes them bitter and burnt at the edges. Low heat, sustained for 40 minutes, transforms them into something sweet, soft, and golden. This is the foundation. Skip this step or hurry it, and you will have eggs with crunchy onion bits. That is not a frittata. That is failure.