Rena's Spring Frittata

So this is much more of a spring recipe, but with the winter weather wearing on me, I am really in the mood for some food that brings the warmer weather and fresh flavors of spring to mind. This recipe is from my "sister" Rena who has made this for me a few times and after begging for the recipe this has become a favorite in our house. This frittata is great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a quick snack. Give it a try and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Rena's Spring Frittata:




6 eggs, scrabbled

1 cup fontina cheese - shredded

1 lb small potatoes sliced thinly

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 bunch of chopped asparagus

1 1 1/2 cups chopped ham



in fry pan cook potatoes and onion on medium/low for 45-60 minutes or till tender, turn up heat to brown for 5-10 minutes - remove potatoes from pan and set aside. Saute asparagus and ham for 5 minutes, add the potatoes mixtures to the pan. In a bowl beat eggs and fold in the cheese - now pour over the potato /asparagus mixture in fry pan and let set for 7-10 minutes, then finish it in the oven at 350 for 5-10 min.

Perfect Seasonal Side

Rena and I were having a conversation about food, as always, and she mentioned a salad that she had read about that featured peas and asparagus, I thought that sounded great, so armed with no recipe off I went to create a great side dish to feature the local asparagus that I got at Dean and Don's the other day. This is quick and simple and even my five year old liked it.

1 bunch of local asparagus
1/3 cup of frozen peas
2 tablespoons of olive oil
the zest from 1 lemon
salt and pepper to season

Wash asparagus and cut each spear into about 3 pieces. Heat a skillet large enough to fit all of your asparagus on medium high and add oil. When oil is heated add asparagus, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Cook stirring regularly until asparagus begins to turn a brighter green, about 3 minutes, at this time add the peas and cook until peas are bright green. Serve on the side of fish, chicken, pork, beef, or eat alone. Enjoy...

Great Spring Recipe

A friends and I were talking about recipes using vegetables that are in season right now, and she mentioned that Food and Wine magazine had a great pasta recipe. After hearing about it, I knew that I had to try this recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/penne-with-asparagus-sage-and-peas. It is a habit of mine to never make a recipe as written, this one was no exception. For this one I did not use sage, I used one of my favorite Italian cheeses, Pecorino Romano, and used mini cheese raviolis instead of penne. I also cut down on the chicken stock, used low fat milk instead of heavy cream, and reduced the amount of cheese, garlic, and butter. I really do not feel that I made the recipe from Food and Wine, however it was definitely my inspiration and deserves credit as such. Give this recipe a try or add your own touch to it. Take the recipes advice and serve with a nice Sauvignon Blanc. While on the website for Food and Wine check out some other great recipes, there were quite a few that I am dying to try. I hope this recipe inspires you to get some asparagus and taste the flavors of spring.