Anya Fernald

Author Anya Fernald on how a broken oven on Thanksgiving sparked her love of cooking, and how her time in Italy informs her methods for entertaining others.

I love this dish, a rich savory pie made with whatever greens I find at the farmers’ market. I’ve made it with kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, radish tops, beet greens, half a bunch of parsley—if it’s green and leafy, it’s going in the torta! A generous amount of olive oil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano enriches the greens and prevents the torta from feeling too restrained, too healthful. Serve thin wedges of this as a starter.

I learned to make these eggy disks not long after moving to Italy because I loved eating them. Though called frittata in Italy, they bear little resemblance to any of the thick frittatas often served for brunch in the States. It’s basically a very thin, herb-packed omelet that is cooked like a pancake—sizzled on one side until a golden crust forms, cooked over low heat until the top sets, then flipped with a wide spatula and browned on the other side.