Thursday, March 29, 2012

Cheesy Frittata with Spinach, Asparagus and Mushrooms


Jerry Seinfeld once said that a washing machine was like the night club for clothes. 
I always think of that quote when we have frittatas.  Why?  Well, frittatas are kind of like the nightclub for vegetables, right?  It can get a bit stuffy in the crisper drawer, so its inhabitants need to get out and live a little.  Vegetables, fresh herbs, and in this case fungi, each get all primped and pampered, rinsed, peeled, chopped, cleaned up and ready for a night on the town to mingle with the other cleaned up vegetables.  They get to dance and sauté and bake together in a cheesy egg mixture.  And a good time is had by all.


Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, chopped
5 ounces fresh spinach
12 ounces asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
5 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cup shredded Fontina cheese, divided
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

Ingredients
Preheat oven to 325.  In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat, sauté the leek in butter and olive oil until soft.  Increase the heat to medium-high and add the asparagus and mushrooms.  Sauté for 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, boil some water (I tend to do this in the microwave) and wilt the spinach leaves.  Wring dry, being sure to get rid of the excess moisture.  Chop the leaves, and add the spinach to the rest of the vegetables and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.  In a large bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites, 1 cup Fontina cheese, 1/8 cup Parmesan, seasonings, and the fresh herbs.  Add to sauté pan, sprinkle with remaining cheeses, and bake for about 35 minutes until edges are golden brown and eggs are set.

I sometimes serve this with a quickly assembled sauce of jarred pizza sauce mixed with some red pepper sauce like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.  Just mix together, heat, and serve.

28 comments:

  1. Haha! I love your comparison about the night club, awesome. This looks super tasty! I love frittatas, they are such a quick and delicious week night dinner.

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  2. Yes! Great analogy. :D Cheese, spinach, and asparagus...I'd love to go clubbing with that trio. :D This looks amazing!

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  3. I love the frittatas... and the fact that you referenced Jerry Seinfeld in this post!

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  4. This sounds amazing! You've included all my favs, spinach, cremini mushrooms, asparagus - and the seasonings look perfect!

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  5. Wow, this is a rich and delicious frittata!! I am sure I would love every single bite of it...

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  6. Great analogy in reference to the night club! I do like to put a lot of goodies in my frittatas. Your recipe here does look like you made some delicious choices with ingredients. Your version is well worth a try-yum!

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  7. Frittatas are my go to dish when I don't prepare in advance. They're so easy and with all the cheese...so good!

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  8. Yum! I wish I had that frittata in front of me right now for lunch - a night club in my belly;)
    -E

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  9. LOL! Nightclub for veggies! Love it!

    And I would love to have this fritatta on my plate! YUM!

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  10. This looks great. I love veggie frittatas!

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  11. Very apprpopriate comparison! I have never thought of frittata this way lol! You have a lovely blog with beautiful recipes!

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  12. Jenn, this looks so yummy. I love frittata. It's packed with flavor and super easy to make. Love all the fixin's you put into it.

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  13. Love frittatas.... One can put almost anything in them and they're wonderful. So happy asparagus is in season again!

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  14. The veggies seem to be having a great time in the night club, they seem to have mingled really well with their old friends egg and cheese :-) Love reading your pieces and the frittata is looking yum...so much so that I am happy I restocked on eggs today :-)

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  15. Oh, gosh, I love everything in your fritatta! SO yummy, Jenn!

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  16. What a wonderfully delicious fritatta the cheesiness is calling my name :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  17. You've hit my hot button with this gorgeous frittata. Hungry now!

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  18. This sounds so good, there's so many flavours going on. Great way to use up spinach...I always find I have some left!

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  19. I just had laugh at the "frittatas are vegetable night clubs"... hilarious! I usually consider them as a way to clean a fridge. Love this one with all the cheese1

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  20. Love your description! You have a great sense of humor.

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