Asparagus frittata - spring asparagus, savory ham, and melty cheese

It’s here! It’s here! It’s finally here! No, not our delivery from chewy.com, or those high-waisted yoga pants I ordered last week, but SPRING! It feels like the snow-bomb-cyclone-storms-of-the-century are a thing of the past. It feels like we’re going to ride out these sunny days and gentle breezes right into the fun of summer. It feels safe to put away my winter coat and boots. It feels real this time. So what do I do now? I’ve given this a little thought and here’s what I’ve got so far:

1. Go outside.
2. Seek out someone with a puppy and engage in polite conversation with its human while you soak in that puppy love.
3. After puppy time, find a farmer’s market (a grocery store is also acceptable).
4. Get a bunch of beautiful, bright green, pencil thin asparagus.
5. Come home, make this frittata, eat it, and save the leftovers for easy lunches all week.
6. Go back outside – find another puppy.

Your list might look a little different than mine, for instance you could replace “puppy” with “good book”, “frosty beverage” or “enormous pizza”. But you shouldn’t skip the frittata making part. It’s delicious – hot or cold, makes a super-quick weeknight dinner or a perfect brunch, and is just, plain pretty and totally evocative of this beautiful season. Also it’s quite tasty with some of last week’s romesco sauce, if you happen to have a batch hanging around.

Happy spring (finally)!

Springtime Asparagus and Ham Frittata

This, like any frittata is a super, versatile dish. In this asparagus and ham version I've thrown in some sharp cheddar cheese because ham and cheese are happy friends. However cheddar can easily be replaced by gruyere, parmesan, or a nice, tangy goat cheese. Also, if you don't have ricotta, don't go out and buy it especially for this - it'll be a-ok without it. Because the tender, spring asparagus is so thin, it doesn't need to be par-cooked before going into the frittata, but if you have big, fat, asparagus spears just give them a 2 minute blanch in boiling, salted water before laying them on top of the eggs.

By: Jo

April 24, 2018
6-8
30 min
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Ingredients

1 T olive oil
½ lb cooked ham, diced into ½ inch cubes
3 scallions, sliced
8 eggs
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ C ricotta cheese
1 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ lb asparagus, washed and trimmed of woody ends

Directions

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375° F.
Step 2: In a 10 inch, oven proof skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
Step 3: Add ham and scallions and sauté until scallions are wilted and ham takes on some brown color, about 5 minutes.
Step 4: In a large bowl whisk the eggs until the whites and yolks are thoroughly combined.
Step 5: Add the salt, pepper, ricotta and cheddar cheese, and whisk to combine.
Step 6: Spread the ham and scallions into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
Step 7: Pour the egg mixture evenly over the ham and arrange asparagus over the top of the egg mixture. The egg will puff up around the asparagus, so it’s ok if the asparagus sticks up a little bit.
Step 8: Transfer to the middle rack of your oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is a light, golden brown and puffed, and the tip of a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 9: Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.

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