just this once

June 04 2009 by Kristin at The Kitchen Sink in Breakfast, Recipe » 16 comments

I usually consider a frittata to be an anything-goes affair. An excuse to clean out your fridge, if you will. You can use any cheese banging around your fridge door. The produce that will be sliced and diced and ultimately become suspended in the baked eggs can change right along with the seasons, as can the herbs. If you are lucky enough to have just made a batch of homemade ice cream, say, and you have a bunch of yolk-less eggs on hand, you can use those in the skillet in place of whole eggs. And I usually feel free to throw in any salty pork product that suits my fancy.

This recipe, though, has changed all that. It’s really meant to be made exactly as its written. As someone who has accumulated a rather lengthy list of heavily adapted recipes, I don’t make this claim lightly.

I only say this so that you don’t miss out on the lovely marriage of flavors going on here—melty, fragrant fontina; leeks sliced in half-moons and sauteed in butter; the season’s most tender asparagus (pencil-thin, if you can find it; sliced lengthwise, if you can’t). All this gets cooked up in a skillet, along with some eggs, before taking a turn under the broiler, where it puffs up and goes golden-brown.

But it almost wasn’t so. I made this frittata for brunch on Memorial Day with our friends Patty and Marie, who were visiting from L.A. Mid-frittata-making, I nearly ruined everything. I had a palmful of sliced thick-cut bacon hovered inches above the piping-hot skillet. Seconds before I unfurled my fist, releasing the bacon and setting it sizzling, Kevin, in a moment of brilliance, asked whether I’d inquired into whether our guests were carnivores. A couple frantic text messages later, we confirmed that indeed one was not. So I set the bacon aside and, for that reason, got to experience this frittata as it was meant to be.

So the moral of the story is this: poll your guests regarding carnivorism in advance. And also: don’t tweak the recipe, just this once.

Leek and Asparagus Frittata
Bon Appetit

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 12-ounce bunch thin asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup sliced stemmed shiitake mushrooms
8 large omega-3 eggs
1 cup diced Fontina cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat broiler. Melt butter in heavy broilerproof 10-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté 4 minutes. Add asparagus and shiitake mushrooms, sprinkle lightly with salt, and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Whisk eggs, 3/4 cup Fontina cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Add egg mixture to skillet; fold gently to combine. Cook until almost set. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Fontina cheese and Parmesan cheese over. Broil until frittata is puffed and cheese begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

16 comments so far. »
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Half Assed Kitchen says on June 04 2009 at 3:42 pm:

Would you believe I’ve never made a frittata? I’m all over this one!
Andrea [bella eats] says on June 04 2009 at 4:15 pm:

I’ve just recently discovered frittatas and am completely sold. This one looks absolutely delicious. Your photos are beautiful, as always… Thanks for sharing!
Jen H says on June 04 2009 at 4:53 pm:

This sounds wonderful! I’ll have to try it out.
Kaitlin says on June 04 2009 at 5:56 pm:

Looks amazing! I love frittatas, because I was never quite able to master an omelette. Frittatas are a perfectly delicious substitute.
Kara says on June 05 2009 at 6:22 am:

YUM We love frittatas (or really anything with eggs) – but this is a gorgeous ‘dressed-up’ version… I’m sure your guests loved it! And really like how it looks (and I bet tasted) in the cast-iron skillet!
Chocolate and Toast says on June 05 2009 at 7:19 am:

Is it wrong that I’m fixated on the ’salty pork product’ part of this post? That I can only wonder where that handful of thick sliced bacon went after being set aside? I want to love this frittata, I do, but, but, you said pork! And now I really want bacon. I’ll bookmark this for a non-bacon day and try to remember not to read that part.
Whitney Merritt says on June 05 2009 at 3:57 pm:

I made a similar frittata today for lunch. Asparagus, mushrooms and feta.

Beautiful pictures (as always)!
Donna says on June 06 2009 at 4:17 am:

This looks absolutely delicious. And asparagus is one of my favorite veggies. Nicely done, it looks perfect!
gastroanthropologist says on June 06 2009 at 5:06 am:

I love frittatas – they are wonderful for cleaning out the fridge but also when you’ve got good fresh veggies. Asparagus and eggs or eggy sauces are always delicious. I had a brunch a few weeks back and made two – one with bacon, one without.
Cookin' Canuck says on June 06 2009 at 9:16 pm:

I love frittatas as an easy throw-together meal. As you said, I usually just throw in whatever is in the fridge. However, I promise to try this without variation.
holler says on June 07 2009 at 2:09 am:

Your frittata looks so good! Hold the bacon for me too!
Hayley says on June 07 2009 at 7:42 am:

I’ve never made a frittata, but this looks heavenly. And I’m glad to see a bacon-free version. I would so love this. Thanks for sharing!
Treehouse Chef says on June 08 2009 at 12:08 pm:

This looks so delicious. The photo is foodtastic!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on June 13 2009 at 10:56 am:

Chocolate and Toast: It went into a potato salad, the recipe for which I just posted. Don’t worry. We don’t go around wasting salty pork products in this household. : )

For all the frittata newbies, you’ve got to give them a try! So much easier than making an omelet or a quiche—yet you get the best parts of both of those types of dishes, too.
Sprouted Kitchen says on June 14 2009 at 1:59 pm:

I am in love with leeks. They are my favorite item ever in teh whole world I love your site! Glad I found the blog, keep in touch ~
Onica says on June 19 2009 at 4:53 pm:

hmm cant wait to try this…

But why in this country are eggs only had at breakfast. It seems such a waste…

Anyone had a Spanish revuelto with asparagus and garlic. Please give it a try sometime for lunch. No bacon required but some Jamon Serrano would be great!