There Is No Wealth But Life

Picture stolen from my brother. Please don't tell him.

A few weeks ago Kristy tweeted about making a frittata. I confessed the horrible truth that I had never made a frittata, and Kristy kindly emailed me her recipe.

Tomato, Asparagus, & Cheese Frittata
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

6 eggs
2 tbsp heavy cream (I’m sure 2 tbsp of whatever milk you have in the fridge would work)
1/2 tsp salt (you can use less if you’d prefer but it’s good to add at least a pinch)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (you could probably use 2 tbsp olive oil if you didn’t want to use butter)
12 stalks asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces (bite-sized, really)
1 tomato, seeded & diced (I didn’t have any fresh on hand, so I used half a can of diced tomatoes, drained, and it worked like a charm)
cheese, grated or diced (The recipe said fontina, and it’s great with fontina, but all I had was colby jack. Any kind of nicely melty cheese will do, but I’d probably say not mozzarella. Or you can omit it. But I love cheese and tend to go a little overboard with how much I use. And I find it melts better grated than diced.)

Preheat the broiler.

Whisk together eggs, cream (or milk), salt, & pepper. Set aside. (I had some fresh rosemary on hand, which I added to the mix. This would be the step to add any fresh herbs if the fancy struck you. It definitely makes it more delicious.)

Heat oil & butter in an oven-proof skillet (8″ to 10″ size) over medium heat. Saute asparagus for a couple minutes, until bright green & cooked but still crisp. Raise heat to medium-high, add tomato, and saute for another couple minutes. You can add a pinch of salt to the veggies if you think it’s necessary. (I like to add red pepper flakes.) Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and just let it cook until the egg starts to set. It will take a few minutes or so – you want it mostly cooked through but still runny/raw in the middle. The middle will cook in the oven. Sprinkle the cheese on top to cover, and pop the pan in the oven. (But not on the highest rack or you’ll accidentally char the thing in places. Oops.) Leave it to broil for 3 minutes, then check on it. It might take 5 minutes to finish cooking, but I think it’s better to be cautious. =) Once it’s done (completely set and not visibly raw & jiggly in the middle), let it cool for a couple minutes, then slide it out of the pan & serve. Or leave it in the pan if you’re lazy like I am.

You could probably replace the asparagus & tomatoes for pretty much any other veggie, as long as it isn’t one that is too juicy. I could see mushrooms or broccoli or cauliflower going into this easily. Probably because they tend to have a nice bit of texture & bite to them to contrast with the soft eggs.

The first time I tried Kristy’s recipe I used mushrooms and broccoli instead of asparagus and was quite pleased with the results. The next time I added in chives–including the blossoms—and it turned out equally well. If you look closely at the picture above you can see flecks of Parmesan cheese. Not exactly melty, but still quite tasty.

Have you tried a recipe recently that made you wonder why you did not start cooking it years ago? If so, please share!

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