Asparagus Frittata

There are many reasons I love a frittata.  Not only does it taste great, but you can put anything in them.  I mean anything.  I have 3 little kids and no one has ever used the word organized when referring to me.  So that being said I love any recipe in which I can throw in bits of leftovers and turn them into something fantastic.  I like to start my day with eggs.  That protein keeps me full and steady.  I can always tell when I have not had my eggs because around three o'clock I am raiding something, anything.  It's not pretty.  So for this reason eggs are good for my waistline.  You will see that this dish is a complete meal.  This is honestly things I had on hand.  I am not a cooking show where I magically happen to have a tablespoon of minced garlic.

For this Frittata I used:

8 Tudor Hall Farm Free Range Eggs
Tudor Hall Farm Asparagus
Almost a whole link of Tudor Hall Farm Sweet Italian Sausage
Small Yellow Onion
Bow-tie pasta
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Cheese


This first step is to turn on your boiler.   You will be putting your skillet in the oven so make sure that the handle is heat safe.  If not you will need to cover it in Aluminum foil.  If you are not sure, grab the foil.

These are my frittata fixins all cut up.  The sausage link is left over from when I made pizza the other night.  The sausage was a topping.  I had some steamed asparagus.  I am just using the tips because I am using seconds.  The good stuff went to market.  Because it was cold this week, there was not as much asparagus.  People may not call me organized but they do call me resourceful.

These are the pretty brown eggs that I used.  I used 8 eggs because I am feeding a crowd, but also I am using a 14 inch pan.  I have read other recipes that suggest 6 eggs for a 12 inch pan.  I do not like cold eggs and I don't think they reheat well.  So if I was making this just for myself I would use 2 or 3 eggs in a 6 inch pan.

I just remembered that I had bow tie pasta in the fridge.  My brain is still slightly foggy because I have not had enough coffee.  But I am doing a little dance because now my frittata will be a complete meal.  It will have protein, vegetables, and a carbohydrate. I should note that I did not use all of this pasta.  I just used a handful.

I sauteed my onions in some butter. I probably used a teaspoon.  I am using a non-stick pan so I really don't need the butter.  I like the taste of it.  I try not to use too much, but again I love the taste.  I use real butter. Butter and eggs are wonderful.  And the fake stuff, well it's fake.  Not only are many brands made with stuff I can not pronounce, I am not fooled.  I will eat the real stuff in moderation.  This frittata will have 6-8 servings. In my opinion a teaspoon of butter is worth it.  If you are using raw asparagus this is where you would add it so that it cooks a little bit.  Then when it's bright green and your onions are soft you will add the eggs.

These are my eggs.

Once your onions are soft, and if using raw asparagus it's bright green, throw in the rest of your stuff.  You want to heat it all through.

I like to really whisk my eggs.  I get them so they have a nice foam on top.  The more air you trap in them at this point the fluffier your eggs will be.  Like whipped cream it is the fat in the egg that holds onto the air.  This is why there is no whipped milk, it's whipped cream.  And when you add heat that air expands making a nice fluffy egg.  So if you don't trap the air you have nothing to puff up.  I get my bowl on the side and really go after them.

I forgot to add my handful of pasta.  So here it is.

Spread your fixins out evenly and then pour in your eggs.

Once I add the eggs I turn the heat down to medium.  The outside starts cooking first. I take my spoon or spatula and pull that into the middle so that the raw egg can replace it.  You do this a couple of times around the pan.  Once it's set but still liquid in the center it's time for the broiler. You will need to broil it until it's brown on top and the eggs are set, but not rubbery.  I think mine was in there about 5 minutes, if that. 

Here it is turned out on my cutting board and I am about to yell for my children to come over. I did sprinkle a cheese over it.  I used a colby because that is what I had open and it needs to be used.  But Swiss or Fontina or even Bleu with the green asparagus would be wonderful flavor combinations. 

Enjoy!