I want to spring frittata my way into your heart with my asparagus sticks
Inspired by my love of eggs, asparagus, and failed attempts at food aesthetics
Spring is in the air. Or at least that’s what I tell myself in this never-ever-ending 2023 winter in Northern Nevada where my patio furniture is still buried in snow and I can’t see the ground anywhere in my backyard. Yet, somehow, my local produce box had a bunch of asparagus that was bright green with admirable spears. My brain could not compute as I was holding this gorgeous green spring vegetable and looking at the mountains of snow outside my kitchen window. I think my local produce lady is a magician. While the realistic answer may be that the winter at her elevation is over and spring is indeed in the air, I prefer the magician theory.
You already know, I love vegetables. I love eggs too! And my local magician also sends me pasture raised cage free eggs with my produce box. In my world, eggs are absolutely perfect from the standpoint of nutrition, ease-of-use, versatility, satiety, and deliciousness. This is despite the turmoils around egg price gouging by corporations recently, which is also one of the reason I turned to my local farmers for eggs. Truly, eggs have no blemishes whatsoever in their track record, in my kitchen.
A beautiful vegetable and eggs immediately lights up the frittata bulb in my head. Frittata is the ultimate weekend brunch food for me. It’s simple, inexpensive, fresh, and best enjoyed in my pajamas. The combinations are endless thanks to the variety of vegetables and cheeses that easily slip into this dish.
So one winter day, although it was not the weekend, I decided to make a frittata using the asparagus. It’s seemed to be the perfect lunch to make in between work meetings. I washed the asparagus, chopped up the stalk into very small pieces but kept the spears at length to bring some aesthetics to my frittata. I sautéed these in a little bit of olive oil for about 5 mins, sprinkled some salt, and splashed some lemon juice. Asparagus and lemon juice are such a perfect combination. Technically this asparagus could have been eaten as is right now. Look at how beautiful and inviting it is. I almost scrapped the frittata idea and was musing over eating this asparagus right out of the pan. I came to my senses realizing it would not be a balanced meal. I separated the spears from the rest (for the sake of aesthetics!). In another buttered pan on low heat (you could use the same pan, I wanted to use a smaller one), I transferred the small cuts of asparagus, added the eggs (5 eggs whisked with salt and a splash of milk), and mixed them. Keeping it all on low heat, I let the eggs cook for 2-3 mins and then added the spears in a circular pattern as a ‘decoration’ to make this visually “appealing” (yes, yes, I know, my aesthetics are usually left wanting).
The key to a good frittata is slow cooking. I covered the pan with a lid and left it to cook slowly on the stove top for about 15 mins (while I attended to a work task). I could have let it cook for another 10-15 mins this way but I got impatient so I popped it in the oven under broil for 3 mins to finish the top. Typically, frittatas are started on the stove and finished in the oven. I have used all combinations of this including stove only and oven only or a mix of this. I just watch the frittata to see what it needs and see what I need (in terms of time) and cook it accordingly. Beware, if heated for too long, it can be overcooked and become tough and rubbery. Just keep an eye on it and adjust heat as needed, it will always come out great.
What do you think of my attempts at decorating this frittata with asparagus spears? I have mixed feelings about it. While it looks nicer than if they were not there, something is missing for the ultimate visual appeal. The great thing though is that this frittata was super tasty! I forgot to add cheese to this frittata, but after tasting it, I realized it did not need any because the flavors were on point already. The brightness of the tender lemony asparagus combined with the soft egg was lip smacking good. I paired this with a simple salad of romaine and pomelo dressed with lemon and salt. The frittata and the salad paired fantastically together to remind me at each bite that spring is indeed around the corner.
What frittata are you making next? Tell me your vegetable and cheese combinations in the comments.
Dish Debrief:
Is this my winner or disaster? definitely a win!
How would I rate this dish out of 10? 10 out of 10
What would I change next time? keep making frittatas with different combinations
Would I make this again? Absolutely