Asparagus and Smoked Salmon Frittata

Can’t go wrong with the ever-versatile frittata. A frittata is the perfect vehicle for just about any vegetable or other ingredient lurking in your fridge (leftover pasta frittata?). A frittata is good at any temperature — hot, warm, or room temperature. It works for breakfast, lunch, Sunday brunch (perhaps with a glass of your favorite rose), dinner, or snack any time of day. When it comes to a frittata, the possible combinations of flavors and ingredients are endless. Really, what’s not to like?

Today’s version incorporated a few of my favorite spring ingredients: asparagus, chives, purple chive blossoms, and dill, with the addition of fresh goat’s milk cheese and hot smoked salmon.

Took a hands-on/DIY approach and made my own goat’s milk cheese (post and recipe to follow shortly) and smoked my own salmon for this spring-inspired frittata (the bread is homemade too; okay, so I have no life). Of course if you’re not feeling quite that ambitious, you could easily make this delicious frittata with readily available store-bought goat’s cheese (chevre) and hot-smoked salmon. Don’t like salmon, how about some crispy prosciutto, speck (smoked prosciutto), sausage, bacon, tofu, or seitan?

Toast up some bread, serve with a side salad or sauteed greens/vegetables, and, voila, you have yourself a tasty, no-fuss meal in minutes. Four to five minutes on the stovetop, followed by a few minutes under a hot broiler, is the extent of your cooking time.

Just be careful with the hot skillet once it comes out of the oven. Lost count of how many times I’ve burned my hand on a hot skillet handle after I set it down to cool. It gets me every time. Sometimes my head is in the clouds.

And, make sure to use a non-stick skillet. I love the DeBuyer line of pans (made in France).

The greens in the bowl below are fava bean greens. Have you ever seen or tried them? I love discovering new plants. They have a faint fava bean flavor to them.

Some people say fish and cheese don’t mix. I grew up eating salmon (lox) and cream cheese on a NYC bagel with a slice of tomato. Classic!

makes 1 (9- to 10-inch) frittata
1 bunch (about 7 ounces) asparagus, woody ends snapped off, cut into 1-inch pieces
butter or olive oil
6 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
5 ounces hot smoked salmon, flaked into large chunks
handful of chopped dill
handful of chives and chive blossoms
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 rounded tablespoons fresh goat’s chevre

Preheat the broiler.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Add the salmon, dill, chives, and chive blossoms, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a 9- to 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of butter or olive oil. Add the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the asparagus is tender, but still has a little bite to it.

Reduce the heat down to medium-low. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus. Make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Place four nice sized dollops of goat’s cheese over the top. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until the edges are set but still loose and eggy on top.

Place under the broiler (ideally, not too close to the heat) and cook another 3 to 5 minutes until the eggs are set and are golden (keep a close eye on it).

Remove from the heat. Allow to cool a couple minutes. Run a spatula around the edges and slide the frittata onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.