Close your eyes and go back in your memory to when you were a child.
What was your snack (in Italian merenda)?
I was a lucky child, and I hope you were too.
Before packaged snacks, which I have to admit I ate in quantities, the snack was homemade.
Bread, pizza, focaccia, stuffed sandwiches, and cakes did not come out of a plastic bag.
Salami was from the local countryside, jams homemade.
Even the fruit came from the countryside where grandma had grown up.
About stuffed sandwiches and frittata
The stuffed sandwich was for all seasons.
Bread and salami were a great classic. I still remember the salami and other charcuteries hanging in the cellar to season.
Among my all-time favorite sandwiches is the rosetta bread with mortadella.
The smell is an irresistible invitation, and the first bite is an explosion of flavor.
And the frittata sandwich?
It was the snack on road trips or packed lunch on school trips.
At birthday parties, for instance, sandwiches stuffed with frittata were among the first to be eaten.
The frittata was almost always vegetable or onion, and I can’t think of anything better. Although today I propose it with mortadella Bologna.
Mortadella Bologna frittata recipe
If you’ve never tried mortadella Bologna frittata, cook it.
I’ve added a bit of flavor of Emilia to a dish as simple as frittata, and the outcome is perfect.
You can accompany it with a seasonal salad and eat it as a main course.
Or cut it up and serve it on a cutting board at cocktail hour.
Finally, remember the option I like best. Use the mortadella Bologna frittata to stuff a sandwich and accompany it with a glass of chilled Lambrusco.
Have the slice of mortadella cut to a height of about 1/2 cm to make cubes to add to the pan where the batter cooks.
Eat bolognese, and life will smile at you, Monica
When snacking was a good habit and in season
Krapfen, focaccia, and pizzette were the snack of seaside vacations.
With the summer also came fruit salad.
In autumn, I remember cooked fruit, especially apples cooked with sugar and cinnamon.
In winter, butter and jam or butter and sugar spread on bread. Or bread and chocolate.
But also hot milk and cookies and hot chocolate. I also remember an old-fashioned snack, the beaten yolk with sugar.
About snacks and good habits, I talk about them in the post where you can find the recipe for cocoa cookies (HERE).
Cook with me
A happy pairing is with tomatoes au gratin a la romagnola (HERE, find the recipe).
If you like Bologna, I recommend trying cutlets, a delicious Bolognese recipe (HERE).
If, like me, you are a lover of egg dishes, herb frittatas (HERE), stuffed frittata roll (HERE), tripe frittata (HERE) and cheese-stuffed crepes (HERE) are waiting for you on the blog.
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Food tips
You can also bake the mortadella Bologna frittata in the oven, already hot, at 170-180C degrees until firm and golden brown.
Flavor with chopped mint or chervil or parsley.
Mortadella Bologna frittata recipe
serves 4
List of the Ingredients
medium eggs, 4
grated Parmigiano, 40 g
chopped shallots, 3 (or 1 little white onion)
butter, 30 g (plus what you need to grease the pan)
1 o 2 mortadella Bologna slices, 150 g (thick cut slices)
milk, 150 ml
olive oil and salt to taste
Directions
Cook the chopped scallions in a skillet where you have added some olive oil and a pinch of salt.
In a bowl, beat the eggs, add Parmesan cheese, milk, salt, and a tablespoon of olive oil.
Pour the batter into the pan, and add the diced mortadella.
When the omelet comes off the bottom, flip it over and finish cooking.
You can serve it either hot or cold.