Shaved Asparagus and Goat’s Cheese Frittata

I spotted some locally-grown Asparagus in a local fruit shop, and it reminded me about this great recipe – I look forward every year to making – and eating – this Fritatta!

I’ve been waiting patiently for my friend Julie’s Asparagus to be finally ready to eat – it’s a monster to grow yourself, which you’ll know if you’ve ever tried. You’re not allowed to pick it for the first two years after you’ve planted it. Not that Julie was in any danger of eating it before she should, because the local rabbit population developed a taste for it, despite the latent threat of a) an irate Julie, and b) a mini army of dogs whose favourite thing is chasing rabbits. Still, we live in hope, and in the meantime I use the stuff from further afield while I wait for our local Asparagus to arrive in the shops.

This recipe though, this recipe, is beyond delicious, and – get this – takes about 10 minutes from thinking about it, to sitting down to hoover it up eat it ..

This is a Deb Perelman/Smitten Kitchen recipe; I’ve made a few – not many – changes, and I have to tell you that if you like Asparagus* (see NOTES), and you like Goat’s cheese, you are absolutely going to love this!

This recipe made enough for a lunch for 4 today – assuming that you’re going to serve a salad  and some nice bread with it. Of course you can ‘up’ the ingredients, add more eggs, use a bigger frying pan, to make it feed a few more lucky diners..

EQUIPMENT:

• A Y-shaped vegetable peeler
• A sharp knife
• A non-stick frying pan
• a wooden spoon for stirring
• a jug for the eggs
• a balloon whisk
• An over-head grill

INGREDIENTS: Feeds 4 for lunch, 2 for dinner.

• 125g  asparagus, cleaned, not trimmed – i.e.: don’t snap the end off as you normally do when cooking Asparagus.
• 2 ounces thinly sliced Prosciutto – optional – I didn’t bother. Fry the prosciutto until it’s crispy, then crumble into the Egg mixture before cooking.
• 4-5 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• Sprinkle of  salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 or 4 scallions/Spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• a good knob of butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled or spooned over (to taste)

METHOD:

• Put the grill on full heat.
• Holding the cut end of the asparagus stem, use the vegetable peeler to swipe thin slices off. Swipe from the cut end towards the head of the stalk. When you get to the end, you’ll discover that the ‘snap point’ of the Asparagus stem is a different colour. Cut if off and dispose of it. Use your sharp knife to cut the very last bit of the stem into thin slices. Continue until you’ve shaved all the Asparagus stems.

 

 

• Top and tail the Spring Onions, then slice finely on the diagonal.
• Whisk the eggs, cream/milk, and salt and pepper together.
• Put the frying pan on to heat – add the Olive oil and melt the butter until it’s bubbling but not browned.
• Throw in the Asparagus and Spring onion, and stir fly for a couple of minutes. They will wilt fairly quickly.

• Pour over the egg mixture, and leave the pan on a medium heat without touching it for 3-4 minutes.
• During those minutes, dot the Goat’s cheese over the top of the Frittata, then put the pan under the grill until it browns slightly and puffs up a bit – about 4-5 minutes.

• Remove from the grill – the handle of the pan may be hot, so take care.
• Cut into 4, drizzle with some of your best Olive oil and serve immediately.

NOTES:

• * Asparagus: you either love it or hate it. Let’s not get into the smelly pee thing – we’re far, far too refined for that.. What I’m trying to say that is if you’re not yet a fan of Asparagus, then this recipe might change your mind.. If you are determined to hate Asparagus, then I think that some lightly cooked then shredded French beans might make a very acceptable alternative.
•  I have a horror of over-cooked eggs, so these timings are about right – the Frittata shouldn’t be fully cooked when you take from under the grill. Likewise, the base shouldn’t be left on the hob for too long.
• Don’t be disappointed when the Frittata deflates  after you’ve taken it from the grill – it always does that!
• I thought a squeeze of lemon would be nice, but the Goat’s cheese is quite tart, so I didn’t feel the need for it. If you don’t like Goat’s cheese, you can really use anything you like –  Cream cheese, or even some Brie might be a good substitute.
• I’m going to try this recipe using some of my own, home-grown, purple sprouting Broccoli. I think it would be an excellent easy substitution, and it will stop those pesky pigeons from eating it all on me!