Frittata Pasquale: A Recipe for Club Members

the perfect addition to brunch or lunch

On Saturday, we shared our full Calabrian Easter menu. Today, as promised, the recipe we saved for club members: Frittata Pasquale, Lina's Easter frittata.

See the full Easter menu here.

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Italian Easter Frittata

Typically, Italians don’t eat eggs for breakfast. The exception is those who work in the campagna (the countryside) because they need the energy and protein to get through the day.

But frittatas like this one were reserved for certain times of year, such as Easter.

Frittata Pasquale is made with eggs, dried salsiccia Calabrese, parsley, ricotta, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Traditionally, cotenna is also added. But we’re skipping it in this version.

What is Cotenna?

Cotenna is pork skin. It is a Cucina Povera ingredient that provides a very specific texture and depth to slow-cooked dishes. When raw or cured, cotenna is extremely tough. But when simmered in a ragu, the collagen breaks down, adding a gelatinous body to the dish that you can’t achieve from meat alone.

Traditionally in Calabria, a pig is slaughtered in January, and absolutely nothing goes to waste. The skin is salted, cured, and ready by Easter. In this recipe, the cotenna would be cooked alongside the salsiccia so it could absorb the flavor and spices from the pork.