Back in the Saddle (So to Speak)
Monday, May 17, 2010 at 9:37 PM For the next few months, don't be surprised if most of my posts will be about food and cooking. Warm weather and fresh produce inspire me every year to get back into the kitchen after months of winter cooking doldrums.
This weekend, I stopped by one of my favorite farm stands to buy more strawberries for Benjamin, who is OBSESSED. Smart kid. I could eat strawberries right now like it's my job.
'Tis also the season for asparagus, and the market had some real beauties. I picked some up not really knowing what I'd do with them.
There's been some difficult stuff going on in my family during the past few weeks, and cooking provides a little bit of a respite. I feel guilty sometimes about doing mundane things (and then writing about them), but if I don't, I think I might go crazy. I try to remind myself that life is a series of Big Things and Little Things, and that it's not real life without both. Doing or thinking about one doesn't take away from the other. And so I cook, I take care of my son, I clean my house, I listen to music, I drink too much coffee, I shop more than I should, I write, I don't get enough sleep, and I worry about my family all at the same time. (Well, not all at the same time, but you get my drift.)
I came across a recipe for a frittata with asparagus and tomato in one of Giada De Laurentiis' cookbooks a little while ago, and I had all of the ingredients, so I gave it a whirl. Frittatas are awesome. They're basically thick omelets that you don't flip or disturb in any way, or quiches without crusts. You can put anything in a frittata.
It was easy: eggs, cream, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, asparagus, tomato and provolone cheese. (The recipe called for fontina, but I didn't have that, so provolone it was.) You whisk together eggs, a bit of cream, salt and pepper, and then you cook the asparagus and tomato in the butter and olive oil. Pour the egg mixture on top of the veggies, add the cheese, and cook for a few minutes until the bottom is set but the top is still runny.
Pop the skillet (it needs to be ovenproof; I used our cast-iron one) under the broiler for a few minutes until it's cooked and the top is golden-brown. Pull it out, let it cool for a couple minutes (I used the time to whip up a quick salad of local lettuces and spinach), flip the frittata onto a plate, and slice it up. Perfect, easy, delicious dinner.
