Asparagus and Dill Frittata

Frittata! Doesn't that word just scream out for an exclamation point?

You know the phenomenon when you have never heard of a particular word, phrase, person, and then you hear it once and it seems to be everywhere you go for the next few days/weeks? Well, I had that experience with frittata. I had never heard of a frittata (call me unenlightened) and didn't know what it was until I saw a cooking show featuring a fritatta last week. I then in very rapid succession came across frittata recipes on the internet, t.v., etc. Everywhere I looked, there was the frittata staring back at me. Very strange. When I found a recipe for mini asparagus frittatas I decided to transpose it to a regular frittata and make it for dinner last friday. It's the perfect meal for a lent friday since you can put anything you want in it, much like an omlette, and since I *heart* asparagus, I had to try it. Since it is a cheap, fast and easy meal, I look forward to experimenting with all kinds of frittatas.


Asparagus and Dill Frittata
1/2 C ricotta
1/2 C feta (since feta is salty, I did not add any extra salt)
1 T fresh dill, minced
1 T fresh chives, minced
5 eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 onion sliced in very thin strips
1/2 bunch asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces (or more if you really like asparagus)
1 T butter
splash of olive oil

Tip: Before cutting the asparagus, hold the spear in the middle and on the tail end and gently bend the spear. It will snap off the toughest part of the end of the spear which you want to discard.

Place a nonstick oven proof skillet on medium heat and melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the asparagus and onions and saute until onions are browned and somewhat caramelized. Whisk the eggs together in a bowl. Dump the cheese, dill and chives into the pan with the asparagus and onions, and immediately dump the beaten eggs on top. Stir with a rubber spatula like you would scrambled eggs until eggs start to set. Let the eggs cook undisturbed until all but the top is cooked (it should look runny and wobbly). Turn on the broiler; place the skillet in the oven and broil 3 minutes or until the top is set and golden brown.

If you are eating this as a one dish meal, it will serve 2-4. Two if you are me and my husband...oink oink.