If the Spanish tortilla demands a flipping skill half of us never mastered, the Italian frittata is its calmer sister - the same concept, far less drama. No flipping. Start on the stovetop, finish in the oven, and done.

The base is simple: two to two and a half eggs per person, salt, pepper and a little butter or olive oil (or both). Anyone who wants a creamier texture adds a spoon of sour cream, ricotta or grated cheese - Parmesan, pecorino or mozzarella. Beat the eggs gently, just until they come together, no more.

Here's the whole secret, and it's in the heat, not the force. The remaining ingredients - spinach, onion, courgettes, asparagus, peas, bacon, mushrooms, even leftover pasta - are sautéed first and drained well. Then the eggs are poured into an oven-safe pan with heated butter, and left over a low flame without stirring until the edges set.

The finish goes into an oven heated to 180 degrees, just two to four minutes - enough for the centre to set but stay creamy, not dry. Then a mandatory five minutes' rest before cutting. The frittata doesn't like to be rushed, and that's exactly why it's a good dinner for days when you have no patience for anything more complicated.

Balkan cooking knows this logic without an Italian name - every grandmother made something similar with yesterday's leftovers, eggs and whatever's in the fridge. The frittata is just a prettier package of what we already know: that the best dish is often the one that saves what's left over, throwing nothing away.