Our children are loving the Diary of A Wimpy Kid books these days, and, truth be told, I find them hilarious myself. They are part comic, part novel and they are written from the perspective of Greg as he begins his life in middle school. I'm not sure I can quite convey what I find so funny about them. I think it's Greg's voice. He thinks he has it all figured out, but his overconfidence gets him into trouble time after time.
Anyway, if you have read them, you know about the cheese touch. If you haven't read them, the cheese touch is a piece of American cheese that somehow gets left on the playground to mold and turn bizarre colors. Any child who touches it is immediately ostracized by the rest of the middle school until he passes the touch on.
When I put something on the table that my children don't like, it's a lot like the cheese touch. One of Oscar's least favorite foods is asparagus. When I put it on the table, he gags and makes awful faces. If I put some on his plate, he moves all the remaining food away from it so that it doesn't get contaminated.
The rest of us love it, though. For me, asparagus is one of those foods that I can't pass at the farmers' market and not buy. Their flavor is fresh and green, the quintessential taste of spring.
When I made this frittata for dinner recently, Oscar pulled his usual tricks, isolating it on the plate. Eventually, though I convinced him to eat some of the egg that was in the frittata even though it had touched a piece of asparagus. A small victory, certainly, but I'll take it.
Second helping: Asparagus with Shallot-Champagne Vinaigrette
Asparagus and Goat Cheese Frittata
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
a few grinds of pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch asparagus (about 10 large)
1 large scallion (about 1/2 cup), chopped
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper. Slice the asparagus diagonally into one-inch segments, reserving a 2-inch tip of about 10 of the asparagus.
Heat a 10-inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat for a minute or two until it is good and hot. Add the oil and swirl it around the pan to make sure that it coats the sides. Add the asparagus segments (holding out the tips) and spring onions and saute until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the egg mixture and cook until the edges set, about 5 minutes. The center will still be runny.
Arrange the remaining asparagus tips around the frittata and crumble the goat cheese on top. Move the pan to the oven and cook until the frittata has firmly set and is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let the for a couple of minutes out of the oven. Then, with an oven mitt over the end of the handle (I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten this and burned myself), run a rubber spatula around the edge of the frittata. Lift the pan over a serving plate and use the spatula to slide the frittata onto the plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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It was a pleasure to meet you at Momzshare. That frittata looks amazing. I might have to give cooking it a try. Thanks.
Posted by: Megan at Acorndreaming | May 22, 2010 at 11:40 PM