Whats for dinner? Asparagus and Goat Cheese Frittata

Every good Chef needs a Sous Chef. I have mine:)

 Last night I decided to make a frittata for dinner.  We love frittatas around here (Laurie got us hooked a few years ago- its kind of one of his specialties)- they're easy- they use up ingredients in the fridge and they taste great.  And the best part- is they make a great lunch the next day- so we usually make a massive one!  The only problem?  Dyllan hates eggs.  Not sure why... she is the least picky eater I have probably ever met.  She gnaws on raw asparagus and broccoli, she eats parsley straight from the garden, she wow's people with her love of vegis (even when they are still frozen!), she snarfs down avocados like they're candy... but eggs?  Wont have a bar of it.  Not scrambled, hard boiled, fried, or even mixed in with vegis (in the form of a frittata)!  Dang.  So.. Dyllan gets her dinner separately on frittata nights.  Oh well. 

Ready to cook, mom.  Let's get this frittata started!

Eating the raw asparagus and broccoli.

Here comes trouble...

My sous-chef was in charge of the asparagus.

Thanks Dyllan.  Clearly the asparagus didnt belong in the strainer anyway. One by one- out they flew!

Dyllan snarfing down her daily avocado (and frozen spinach clumps- haha, what a MESS!)-pretty pleased with herself- and staying put in her chair while I finished putting the frittata together.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 leek, pale section only, washed, dried, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 bunches asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 4cm lengths
• 4 eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 50g goat's cheese (South Cape brand), crumbled
• 1 1/2 tbs fresh thyme leaves
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil, to grease
• ** I add any vegis I have in the fridge
• ** In tonight's frittata I added a can of cream of asparagus soup too

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 400° (250° in Australia- and 300° in our slow cooking oven!)
2. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
   
3. Meanwhile, cook the asparagus in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes or until bright green and tender crisp. Refresh under cold running water. Drain.
   
4. Whisk together the eggs and egg whites(*I add a splash of water to make the eggs fluffier) in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in the leek mixture, asparagus, goat's cheese (* I save all the cheese for the top) and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
   
5. Bake until eggs have set (our oven takes a few hours- but yours shouldn't take that long)- maybe 45 min.

** In this recipe I added broccoli, and frozen spinach (2 packets)- as well as a can of cream of asparagus soup to the egg mixture.  The best part about a frittata?  You can add whatever you want. 

I like to add a spinach and rocket (arugula) salad with goat cheese and cherry tomatoes on the side.  I usually mix it all together- but that didn't look as pretty.  Dan on the other hand- drowns his with BBQ sauce (should I be offended?!).  Laurie- dips his in sweet chili sauce.  Everyone is different- but we can all agree that this is a tasty- and super healthy dinner- lunch- or even breakfast!  Give it a try.