Chef Hillary Sterling is the executive chef of the swanky Italian restaurant Ci Siamo, which Yelp has deemed the number one restaurant in the country. But between dinner shifts, Sterling also penned the cookbook Ammazza!, a heartfelt collection of recipes that celebrates vibrant, seasonal eating.
Among the many inventive dishes in the book (Sterling puts an Italian spin on Passover and urges you to make Mexican food for Thanksgiving), we were particularly drawn to the sweet corn, pine nut, and feta frittata topped with optional (but highly recommended) dandelion pesto.
"Italian cooking makes little use of corn, but adding it to a frittata feels like a hidden treasure of sweetness and texture, since its color blends in with the eggs," Sterling writes. But you don't have to limit yourself to just one veggie here: "A frittata loves variations — try adding thinly sliced onions, mushrooms, or zucchini. Gently sauté rather than caramelizing the vegetables, allowing their pure flavor to shine. Or make a simple soft herb frittata with a combo of lovage, parsley, and basil."
No matter how you choose to personalize the dish, it’s an easy, adaptable canvas that rewards whatever’s in your fridge — and always comes together beautifully.
Sweet Corn, Pine Nut & Feta Frittata
Makes: One 7-inch frittata
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- Kosher salt
- 2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- ¼ cup (43 g) blanched yellow or white sweet corn
- About 1 tablespoon crumbles marinated feta or fresh goat cheese
- Freshly grated Pecorino Romano, for sprinkling
- Freshly ground coarse black pepper, for garnish
- A few dill fronds, for garnish
- Dandelion Pesto (optional; see below)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add a pinch of salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Warm a 7-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the pine nuts and gently toast, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Transfer the pine nuts and oil to a small bowl and set aside.
- Return the now empty pan to low heat and add the remaining 1½ tablespoons oil and the corn, and gently cook to warm it through, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and cook undisturbed until the edges set, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven.
- Bake until the frittata is set, but still tender in the center, about 10 minutes.
- Cover the skillet with a large serving plate and invert the pan to flip the frittata. Scatter the pine nuts and their oil across the top, along with the feta and a sprinkling of Pecorino. Garnish with 2 grinds of pepper and some dill. Serve with dandelion pesto, if desired.
Dandelion Pesto
Makes: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small whole garlic clove
- 2 cups (60 g) loosely packed spinach leaves
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 3 (4 x 1 inch) strips of lemon zest
- 1 bunch (115 g) dandelion greens, ends trimmed
- Generous 1 cup (115 g) freshly grated Pecorino Romano
Instructions
- In a high-powered blender, combine 3⁄4 cup (180 ml) of the olive oil, garlic, spinach, salt, and lemon zest. Blend until smooth.
- Add the dandelion greens in batches, stopping now and then to scrape down the sides as needed, and continue blending until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the Pecorino and the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil.
- Use right away or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, pressing plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent oxidation. For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe excerpted from AMMAZZA! Culinary Adventures from New York to Italy and Back Again. Copyright © 2026 by Hillary Sterling. Reprinted by permission of Scribner, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC.
