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I thought that I was being so clever. We are in the midst of an early in the season heatwave. The streets are soupy. The kitchen has been steamy. Meals have been mostly salads — crisp leaves of tatsoi, dressed in lemon and topped with a few slices of beef drizzled with horseradish, or dandelion and arugula with strawberries and a scatter of cubed chicken breast. Thinly shaved ribbons of zucchini, carrots, beets and asparagus. All lovely, but we were feeling the need for something a little more substantial. I had a half dozen duck eggs, most of a bunch of asparagus and a mess of Parmesan. Clearly a frittata was in order. I wanted to roast the asparagus, for both texture and to add some sweetness. I tackled that early in the day when the heat was merely oppressive. Which was smart. I trimmed the toughening ends off of about 20 spears of asparagus. Here’s where I (erroneously) thought I was being so smart. As I was laying them in the (oven-proof) skillet I thought, wouldn’t it it look pretty if I arranged them in a sunburst, with bottoms in the center and tips at the edges. I spent an inordinate amount of time, trimming them to the right size, and arranging them just so. I drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and set them in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Beauteous. But you have probably figured this out, when I later mixed the six eggs with 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan and a good pinch of black pepper and then gently poured the mixture over the stalks, they went everywhere. So much for my pretty pattern. But it was still delicious — cook over a flame until the eggs begin to set, and then place into a 350 degree oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
