Asparagus Frittata

Geoff Jansz reminded viewers that spring is asparagus season, a time of year when good quality, fresh asparagus is available at reasonable prices. Geoff’s favourite way to use fresh asparagus is to make a delicious frittata. This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• salt & ground black pepper
• 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems
• 2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups asparagus, diced but heads intact
• 1/2 cup red capsicum, diced
• 1 cup cooked long grain white rice (optional)
• 1/2 cup cheese, grated

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180-190°C.
2. Break 4 eggs into a bowl and add salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and parmesan cheese, if using. Beat together.
3. Dice the asparagus, leaving the heads intact. (Tip: asparagus ends are often woody and tough. You can snap each asparagus spear then discard the woody end, but Geoff recommended using a sharp vegetable peeler to simply pare off the stringy parts.)
4. Heat a frying pan which has an oven-proof handle, then add the butter and olive oil. When the butter and oil foam, add the asparagus and red capsicum and toss for a few minutes until the vegies colour. Stir in the cooked rice, if using.
5. Add the egg mixture to the pan, shaking gently to stop the frittata from sticking. When the top starts to set, remove from the heat and sprinkle the cheese on top. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for about 5-10 minutes until the cheese browns.
6. Take the pan from the oven and allow to the frittata to cool for about 5 minutes. When cool, remove from pan, slice and serve with salad.