FRITTATA WITH PESTO AND TOMATOES

Preparation For the Frittata:
· Medium Eggs: 5
· Vine-Ripened Tomatoes: 120 g
· Basil: 1 bunch
· Fine Salt: as needed
· Black Pepper: as needed
For 70 g of Pesto:
· Basil: 12.5 g
· Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese: 18 g
· Grated Pecorino Cheese: 7 g
· Pine Nuts: 4 g
· Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Il Cavallino IGP): 25 ml
· Garlic: ½ clove
· Coarse Salt: 2 g
For Garnish:
· Basil: 6 leaves

To prepare the Frittata with Pesto and Tomatoes, start with making the Genovese pesto (if you already have homemade pesto, you can use it in the specified amount). Crush the garlic clove to a paste using a mortar and pestle (or a blender if you don't have a mortar). Then add the basil leaves along with a pinch of coarse salt. Crush the basil leaves against the mortar's walls by rotating the pestle from left to right and simultaneously rotating the mortar in the opposite direction. When the bright green liquid is extracted from the basil leaves, add the pine nuts and continue crushing. Gradually add the grated cheeses while continuing to crush. Finally, drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. Mix the ingredients together. Once the pesto is ready, set it aside covered with plastic wrap.
Proceed to prepare the tomatoes. Wash them under running water, then dice one of the tomatoes: remove the stem, cut it in half, and scoop out the interior to remove the seeds. Dice the flesh and keep it in a small bowl. Deal with the second tomato: remove the stem and slice it; these slices will be used for decoration. Finely chop the bunch of fresh basil, which you'll later add to the frittata.
In a bowl, crack the eggs, add salt and pepper to taste, and start whisking them with a fork or whisk.
After whisking the eggs for a few seconds, incorporate the pesto that you had set aside, and mix with the whisk to create a homogeneous mixture.
Add the chopped basil and the diced tomato pulp that you had set aside to the egg mixture. Mix everything together.
Now you can assemble the frittata. Take a 26 cm diameter cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Arrange half of the previously prepared tomato slices on the bottom. Pour the egg, pesto, and tomato dice mixture into the pan, leveling it to fill the pan evenly without gaps. Complete the composition by placing the remaining tomato slices on top.
Decorate the frittata with whole basil leaves, placing them on each tomato slice to create a contrast of colors. Then, bake in a preheated static oven at 180°C (356°F) for 30-35 minutes or in a convection oven at 160°C (320°F) for about 25 minutes until the surface is golden brown. You can also cook the frittata in a non-stick skillet as you would a regular frittata. Once done, remove the frittata, let it cool slightly, and serve it warm or cold, as per your preference!