Shaved Asparagus Frittata

This year marked my parents 40th wedding anniversary. An amazing accomplishment and constant reminder of how old I am getting. Did I just make this about me?

To mark this momentous occasion my sisters and I decided to book a cottage in Grand Bend for the entire family- eight adults, three children under four and two babies. Good thing we left the canine family behind! What seemed like a great idea at first (it was mine after all) quickly turned disastrous. Putting the weather aside (our ideas of sun-soaked beach fun turned into heaters, hoodies, and umbrellas), my mother ended up undergoing knee replacement surgery only two weeks before our trip. Did this deter us? It should have but apparently it did not! While it may not have been the trip we planned, we still had lots of laughs, great wine (for those of us not on pain meds), and great food.

This shaved asparagus frittata made it onto the menu as it was seasonal, it feeds a crowd and is fairly quick to make. The only annoying part of this dish is trying to shave asparagus with a regular vegetable peeler (especially the dull one that was available at our Airbnb). Let me explain. The method espoused by Smitten Kitchen- holding the asparagus by the woody end and shaving with a peeler away from yourself, through to the tip- works well, for about 1/2 way down the asparagus shoot. Then the little ‘knob’ at the end of the peeler that protects your hands gets in the way and you are left with 1/2 of an asparagus that will not peel. Smitten Kitchen recommends placing the asparagus along the end of the breadboard and essentially hanging the ‘knob’ over the edge of the board. This has never worked for me and I end up taking off some of the breadboard, or getting precariously close to my hand. I just slice the remaining half as thin as I can with a chef’s knife.

Amazingly while shopping at some of the cute shops in town during our vacation I found a specifically designated asparagus peeler. No little ‘knob’ at the end. However, this is very clearly a single use item and I did not purchase it. I was a fool. Back to chef’s knife for me.

Shaved Asparagus Frittata

Slightly Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Serves 6, alongside a salad

1/2 pound asparagus, cleaned, not trimmed
2 ounces of pancetta or bacon, diced
8 large eggs
2 Tbsp cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 to 4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Heat a 12-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Cook the pancetta until crisp and browned. Remove the pancetta and let cool. Leave any accumulated fat behind.

Holding the tough end of your asparagus, lay a single asparagus stalk on its side on a cutting board. Use a vegetable peeler to peel ribbons away from the tough end right through the soft tip. Discard the tough ends once you’re done peeling. [See Note above regarding peeling tips]

Beat the eggs with the cream, salt and pepper until well-combined. Stir in the scallions and cooled pancetta. Gently add the asparagus peels, just swishing the egg mixture over them.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Let the oil and accumulated fat heat fully and then swish it around so it goes up the sides of the pan. [Note: be careful to use an oven mit if you are using a cast iron skillet] Pour in the asparagus and egg mixture, nudging the asparagus around so it mostly stays level with the eggs. Crumble the goat cheese over, to taste. Cook gently, stirring occasionally until loose curds form; 3-4 minutes. You want the eggs to start cooking but not fully set.

Transfer the skillet to the pre-heated oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until puffed up and set. You will know if is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.

Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.