Asparagus is in season! And this quick stir-fry seemed like a nice way to enjoy it while it lasts (as well as adding a little green to our plates).

Asparagus Stir-Fry

From the The Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 2 tsp. oyster sauce
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 450g asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the bias
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Combine the stock, wine, sugar, sesame oil, and pepper and mix well. Set aside.
2. Heat a wok or pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the oil and swirl to coat.
4. Add the asparagus and stir-fry for a minute or two.
5. Add the garlic and the sauce and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Make a slurry of the cornstarch and water and add it to the pan.
7. Cook until sauce thickens (~30 seconds).

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 2 tsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1/4 tsp. raw sugar
• 1/4 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 450g asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the bias
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. water

Dumplings with Steamed Egg and Rice

I picked up a bag of frozen beef and kimchi dumplings on sale at the grocery store earlier this week. So, when I wanted something quick and easy for dinner tonight, that seemed like the way to go. I hit up Aaron & Claire for preparation ideas. They have a whole bunch of frozen dumpling recipes, but this one looked pleasingly straigh-forward and we hadn't made it before, so that helped me with my choice.

I scaled up the sauce to match the number of dumplings, but I think I'd cut it back slightly next time. I also think it really wanted a few mushrooms in. It was okay as-is, but some mushrooms would've really made it. And, since we had a bunch of asparagus on hand, we also added that to the pan. Not strictly necessary, but having something green in does help to balance it out a bit.

Dumplings wiht Steamed Egg and Rice

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. dark soy sauce
• 1/4 c. light soy sauce
• 1/4 c. mirin
• 1/2 c. water
• 500g frozen dumplings
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 225g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 225g asparagus, broccoli, green beans, or vegetable of your choice, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 6 green onions, chopped
• cooked rice, to serve
• toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, dark soy, light soy, mirin, and water in a bowl and mix well.
2. Place the dumplings in a bowl with a little water, cover, and microwave on high for 4 minutes.
3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the onion and mushrooms.
5. Break up 6 of the dumplings, add them to the pan, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the remaining dumplings, asparagus, and sauce and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium and pour in the beaten egg.
8. Sprinkle with green onion, cover pan, and steam until eggs are set (~10 minutes).
9. Serve dumplings over rice and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
10. Add the onion

I've been a little preoccupied lately and haven't felt up to doing much meal planning or cooking. This meant that I needed to find something quick and easy to do for dinner last night. Normally my go-to for that is curry. But I've been feeling kind of curried out lately, so I decided to hit up Aaron & Claire for some ideas instead.

I ended up settling on this spicy chicken stir-fry. We were all out of doubanjiang (豆瓣酱/Sichuan spicy bean paste), but we did have Laoganma (老干妈), so I just used that instead. It's not the same. Laoganma is much more oily and salty than doubanjiang. But it makes a tasty dish nonetheless. And some people¹ find they prefer the results of dishes made with Laoganma over doubanjiang anyway. Personally, I think I still prefer the doubanjiang flavour, but this certainly got the job done.

Spicy Ground Chicken Stir-Fry

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. doubanjiang (豆瓣酱/Sichuan spicy bean paste)
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 tsp. chicken bouillon powder (or dasida)
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Stir-Fry

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 500g ground chicken
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. minced ginger or ginger paste
• 200g garlic scapes, cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
• 450g asparagus or green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small red bell pepper or mild chile, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• cooked rice, to serve
• fried eggs, to serve

Directions

1. Combine the doubanjiang, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, mirin, bouillon powder, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
2. Heat a wok over high heat.
3. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
4. Add the chicken and cook until underside is browned.
5. Flip and continue to cook, breaking up as it sears, until chicken is cooked through and liquid has boiled off.
6. Add garlic, ginger, and garlic scapes (if using) and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the asparagus and bell pepper and cook for another minute or two.
8. Pour in the sauce and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and sprinkle with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
10. Serve on a bed of rice, topped with a fried egg.

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¹ Looking at you, Reiver!

They had whole, gutted and gilled salmon available at the grocery store here yesterday. They looked beautiful and fresh. And, notably, were about half the price per unit mass as the salmon fillets. So, given that, I figured I might as well just get a whole salmon and figure out how to cook it for dinner.

I did a mash-up of two different recipes for it. For cooking instructions, I followed a Jamie Oliver recipe that I found online. But I used the seasoning and side veggies from one of the Dish of the Day recipes. That one called for braising salmon fillets in a mixture of white wine and vegetable stock and then serving it with sautéed asparagus, leeks, and peas. For mine, I baked the salmon (and potatoes) as per Jamie Oliver, but stuffed it with leeks and lemon and then more-or-less braised the veggies to serve with it. It worked out quite well and we were all very happy with the results and looking forward to the leftovers tonight!

Roasted Whole Salmon with Potatoes and Spring Vegetables

Adapted from Jamie Oliver and Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 whole gutted and gilled salmon (~2kg)
• 1-2kg potatoes, sliced ~5mm thick
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 leeks, divided
• 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives (or 1 Tbsp. dried), divided
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon (or 1/2 Tbsp. dried), divided
• 2-3 Tbsp. oil, divided
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 500g asparagus, trimmed
• 1/4 c. white wine
• 1/4 c. vegetable stock
• 2 c. fresh or frozen green peas

Directions

1. If the salmon still has its scales, you will want to descale it. This is a messy process. Put down some towels or paper and be prepared for scales to go flying everywhere. Drag the back of a knife from tail to head at a 45° angle. Repeat all over the fish until you've removed as many scales as possible. Rinse the fish and your knife and do another pass or two until it feels like all of the scales have been removed.
2. Rinse the fish again, then dry thoroughly with a towel. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 250°C (475°F) and oil a large roasting pan.
4. Add the potatoes and onion to the pan, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Rub the fish all over with the remaining oil and place it on top of the potatoes.
6. Trim the leeks, halve lengthwise, wash very well, and slice.
7. Zest the lemon.
8. Combine the lemon zest with half of the leeks, 4-5 tsp. of the chives, 2 tsp. of the tarragon, and a bit of salt and pepper and toss to combine.
9. Stuff as much of the leek mixture as possible into the salmon. Allow any excess stuffing to spill out onto the potatoes.
10. Slice the lemon and stuff some of the slices into the fish.
11. Make a few gashes in the skin of the fish.
12. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over it, making sure to get some into the gashes.
13. Place any remaining slices of lemon on top of the salmon (preferably over the gashes if possible).
14. Bake at 250°C (475°F) for 15 minutes.
15. Reduce temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 30 minutes.
16. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat.
17. Add the remaining leeks and sauté until softened (3-5 minutes).
18. Add the asparagus and cook for another minute or so.
19. Add the wine, stock, remaining tarragon, remaining chives, and salt and pepper to taste; cover; and cook for 2-3 minutes.
20. Add the peas and cook until vegetables are heated through and just tender (another 2-3 minutes).
21. Serve the salmon and potatoes with the vegetables on the side.

This made for a phenomenal brunch! The flavours were great and it looked very nice too. The only slightly hiccough (and I do mean slight) was that, in order to get the egg whites to fully set, I had to cook it until the yolks were also hard. They were still delicious. It just wasn't the set white, runny yolk result that I'd been hoping for. But, given how this one went, I think you'd need to cook the whites and yolks separately for that. That said, it was good enough like this that I probably wouldn't be inclined to bother most of the time. And, I will admit: having the yolks fully set did make it easier to serve.

I've given ranges for a lot of the ingredients here because I do feel that you have a fair bit of flexibility. Our green onions were large, so I only ended up using three. But with smaller ones, I think that the full six called for in the recipe would have been more appropriate. The recipe also called for just over 100g of each kind of cheese. I used 100 and felt that was very generous. I think that I probably could've gotten away with half that amount and still been quite happy. That said, maximum cheese was delicious! And I followed a similar logic with the asparagus, bacon, and garlic. For the eggs, the original recipe actually called for 4-6. But I had a very large pie plate and, even with six eggs, it still looked a bit sparse, so I tossed in an extra two and that seemed just about right.

Asparagus, Corn, and Egg Tart

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 recipe cornmeal shortcrust pastry
• 100-150g asparagus, trimmed
• 100-150g pancetta or bacon, chopped
• 3-6 green onions, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c. frozen corn kernels
• 50-100g mozzarella cheese, grated
• 50-100g cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/3 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6-8 large eggs
• 1/2 c. sunflower or similar sprouts (optional)

Directions

1. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a 23cm (9") deep-dish pie plate or 25cm (10") tart tin. Chill for 20-30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
3. Line the pie shell with baking paper, fill with pie weights, and blind bake for 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus for 1-2 minutes and then drain and shock in cold water.
5. Cook the pancetta/bacon over medium heat for a few minutes, then add the green onion and garlic and cook until softened (5 minutes + 3-5 minutes).
6. Add the corn and cook for another minute or so.
7. Remove the paper and pie weights from the pastry shell and spread the bacon mixture in an even layer in the bottom of the pie shell.
8. Place the asparagus on top and sprinkle with the cheese.
9. Drizzle with the half-and-half and season to taste with pepper.
10. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes.
11. Crack the eggs into the tart, doing your best to space them evenly. If it's important to you to have set whites and runny yolks, then separate the yolks from the whites and pour the whites on first. Set the yolks aside for now.
12. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
13. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15 minutes.
14. If you reserved the yolks, add them now, doing your best to space them evenly atop the tart.
15. Return to oven, turn off heat, and allow to sit in hot oven for 10 minutes to finish setting whites and thicken yolks.
16. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
17. Garnish with sprouts (if using), cut into wedges, and serve.

I made this... quite a while ago. Honestly, at this point, I don't even remember making it. But it's in my notes, so I must've done at some point. I've just been bad at keeping up with all the recipe write-ups this year. There's been a lot going on and the write-ups (along with a lot of other stuff) have been falling through the cracks. I'm doing my best to catch up now though. We'll see how far I get.

Quinoa with Asparagus, Portobellos, and Feta

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. quinoa
• 2 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock, divided
• 1/3 c. dried currants
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red onion, halved and sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 450g asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/3 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 125g feta, crumbled

Directions

1. Combine the quinoa with 2 c. of the stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the currants and reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed (~15 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside. (Keep covered.)
4. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add garlic, mushrooms, and onion and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Sauté until they begin to brown (5-6 minutes).
7. Add the vinegar and cook until absorbed.
8. Add the asparagus and toss to coat.
9. Add the remaining 1/2 c. of stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is fork tender (3-4 minutes).
10. Add the quinoa, parsley, lemon zest, and feta and serve.

We had a surplus of chicken this week. We thawed out a big package of chicken breasts for a recipe that only actually needed ~1/3 of them. I was planning on making some sort of curry with the remainder. But, in the end, I decided to try something from Aaron & Claire's channel instead. This gochujang chicken looked tasty. And I had everything I needed to make it (except for the asparagus for the side), so I figured I'd give it a try.

The original recipe calls for skin-on chicken thighs, but I figured I could probably make it work with skinless chicken breasts. They're a lot leaner, for sure, so I was somewhat generous with the fat when cooking. And they generally take a lot longer to cook, so I cut each breast into three or four smaller pieces to allow them to cook through more quickly. And, I must say, I really have no complaints with the results! It came out great!

TF even managed to run out and grab some asparagus so we could have our greens with it. And I made a somewhat pared down version of oi muchim (basically just omitting the garlic chives), to give us a few more veggies on our plates. Sadly, I completely forgot about the soft-boiled eggs. Maybe we can have some with the leftovers tonight. But, other than my minor brain fart, this recipe worked out really well! Definitely glad I tried it.

Gochujang-Glazed Chicken

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Calire

Ingredients

Asparagus

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 400g asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 mild red chile, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. gochujang
• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. dasida or chicken bouillon powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)

Chicken

• 600-700g skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into tender-sized pieces
• 1/4-1/3 c. cornstarch (cornflour) or potato starch
• 3-4 Tbsp. schmaltz or lard
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 green onions, white parts only, chopped

Assembly

• 2-4 c. cooked rice
• 4 soft- or medium-boiled eggs
• 2 green onions, green parts only, chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Asparagus

1. Heat a wok over medium heat.
2. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
3. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
4. Add the asparagus and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
5. Increase heat to medium-high and add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chile (if using) and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sauce

1. Combine all sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Chicken

1. Dredge the chicken in the starch to coat completely.
2. Melt ~1 Tbsp. of fat over medium heat.
3. Add a few pieces of chicken to the pan and cook, turning every few minutes, until golden-brown on all sides and cooked through (4-5 minutes per side).
4. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding more fat to pan as needed.
5. Set chicken aside and add a little more fat to the pan. If there is a lot of fond/stuck-on bits, add a splash of water and deglaze the pan.
6. Add the garlic, ginger paste, and green onions (white parts only) and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
7. Stir the sauce and pour it into the pan.
8. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened.
9. Return the chicken to the pan.
10. Stir to coat, reduce heat to low, and cook until heated through and well-combined.

Assembly

1. Place a portion of rice on each bowl/plate.
2. Top with some chicken, asparagus stir-fry, and a soft-boiled egg (cut in half).
3. Sprinkle with chopped green onion (green parts only) and sesame seeds and serve.

My apologies for yet another write-up where I have become very hazy on the actual details and results of the recipe. I checked this one off in my notbook and TF says that it sounds familiar, but I don't actually remember making it. So this write-up is pretty much just a copy of what's in the book since I can't speak to the results or any modifications that we made. I just want to include it here for the sake of completeness.

Spring Vegetable Tart

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 sheet (~250g) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 125g fontina cheese, shredded
• 15-20 thin asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 small leek, halved and thinly sliced (white part only)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Lay the pastry out on the prepared baking sheet and fold over edges by ~2cm to make a lip (doubling up at the corners). Press lightly to adhere and then prick the centre of the pastry with a fork in several places.
3. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bottom of the pastry.
4. Place the asparagus spears on top and then sprinkle with leeks.
5. Bake at 190°C (400°F) for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the milk, salt, and pepper.
7. Once the pastry has been in the oven for 15 minutes, pour the egg mixture over the asparagus and leeks and top with the remaining cheese.
8. Bake until eggs are just set and pastry is puffed and golden (10-15 minutes longer).
9. Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Asparagus and prosciutto are a great combination. They're great on their own. And they also work very well together in other dishes like pasta or this easy frittata.

Asparagus & Prosciutto Frittata

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 250g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 100g prosciutto, chopped
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
• 10 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Steam the asparagus until just tender.
3. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
4. Add onion and season with salt and pepper.
5. Cook until softened (~6 minutes).
6. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two.
7. Add asparagus and prosciutto and spread into an even layer.
8. Beat eggs with milk and cheese and season with salt and pepper.
9. Pour into pan and cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes.
10. Transfer to oven and bake until eggs are set (~12 minutes).
11. If top is not quite done, place under broiler for a minute or two.
12. Invert onto plate, cut into wedges, and serve.

Lunch time rolled around today and TF and I were both feeling ravenous. Unfortunately, we didn't really have any leftovers in the fridge. And no bread or other quick and easy lunch options. We were considering having some sort of ramen. But I decided to take a quick look through the egg book before resorting to instant noodles. Luckily I ran across this recipe and remembered that we still had some asparagus in the fridge that needed to be used up.

The original recipe called for basmati rice, but we swapped it out for long-grain brown rice. It takes a little longer to cook, but it's a bit healthier and more filling than white rice. We also swapped out the fresh ginger for ginger paste¹ and halved the oil called for. This worked quite well and made a tasty and relatively easy lunch option!

Brown Rice, Asparagus, and Egg Salad

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1 c. water²
• peanut (or other neutral) oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea slat, ground
• 340g asparagus, trimmed
• 1-2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 c. sliced green onions
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing

• 1/2 c. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. neutral oil
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil

Directions

1. Cook the rice by your preferred method.
2. Meanwhile, heat a few mm of oil in a 6" frying pan over medium-high heat.
3. Beat the eggs with the ginger, garlic and salt.
4. Once the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture and cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes.
5. Lift the edges of the egg and let the uncooked mixture flow underneath. Cook for 1 more minute.
6. Flip and cook for 1 minute longer.
7. Transfer to a strainer or paper towel to drain.
8. Cut or tear the omelette into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
9. Place a steamer basket over a few cm of boiling water and steam the asparagus for 3-4 minutes.
10. Rinse the asparagus under cold water, transfer to serving bowl, toss with sesame oil, and set aside.
11. Combine the vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, and sea salt for the dressing and mix well.
12. Whisking constantly, add the oil in a thin, steady stream.
13. Continue whisking and drizzle in the sesame oil. Set aside.
14. Once the rice is done, add it to the bowl with the asparagus along with the green onions and toss to combine.
15. Pour over the dressing, add the omelette pieces, and stir to mix.
16. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

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¹ I doubled the quantity of ginger paste since I find it doesn't tend to have quite as much presence as fresh ginger. If you are using grated fresh ginger, then halve the quantities called for here. ^Back
2 The amount of water needed to cook the rice will vary depending on the method used to cook it. The proportions shown here are appropriate for pressure cooking in an InstantPot. ^Back

I had a bunch of extra basil to use up and this frittata has been on my short list for a while, so it seemed like a good fit. It's very simple, but it was tasty nonetheless. There are also several variations provided. The asparagus-ham version sounds particularly appealing...

Parmesan and Basil Frittata

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2015

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs¹
• 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 c. whole milk²
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (350°F).
2. Whisk the eggs with the Parmesan, basil, milk, salt, and pepper.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring with a spatula, until large curds form and the spatula leaves a wake in the pan. (Egss should be clumpy, but still very wet.)
5. Shake the pan to even out the eggs and cook, without stirring, for ~30 seconds.
6. Transfer to oven and bake until puffy (~5 minutes).
7. If you would like the top more browned, turn on the broiler and cook for 1 more minute.
8. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
9. Use the spatula to loosen the frittata and slide it onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

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Variants

Asparagus, Ham, and Gruyère Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 250g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5mm pieces
• 100g deli ham, cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 shallot, minced
• 12 large eggs¹
• 3/4 c. shredded Gruyère
• 1/4 c. whole milk²
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (350°F).
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the asparagus and cook until lightly browned (~3 minutes).
4. Add the ham and shallot and cook until softened (2-3 minutes).
5. Meanwhile whisk the eggs with the gruyère, milk, salt, and pepper.
6. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring with a spatula, until large curds form and the spatula leaves a wake in the pan. (Egss should be clumpy, but still very wet.)
7. Shake the pan to even out the eggs and cook, without stirring, for ~30 seconds.
8. Transfer to oven and bake until puffy (~5 minutes).
9. If you would like the top more browned, turn on the broiler and cook for 1 more minute.
10. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
11. Use the spatula to loosen the frittata and slide it onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Leek, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 leeks
• 85g thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1cm pieces
• 12 large eggs¹
• 1 c. crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 c. whole milk²
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (350°F).
2. Trim and halve the leeks lengthwise, wash them very thoroughly, and slice thinly.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the leeks and cook, covered, until softened (6-8 minutes).
5. Meanwhile whisk the eggs with the goat cheese, basil, milk, salt, and pepper.
6. Add the proscuitto and the egg mixture and cook, stirring with a spatula, until large curds form and the spatula leaves a wake in the pan. (Egss should be clumpy, but still very wet.)
7. Shake the pan to even out the eggs and cook, without stirring, for ~30 seconds.
8. Transfer to oven and bake until puffy (~5 minutes).
9. If you would like the top more browned, turn on the broiler and cook for 1 more minute.
10. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
11. Use the spatula to loosen the frittata and slide it onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Mushroom and Chive Frittata

Leek, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 280g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 170g shiitake mushooms, stemmed and sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 12 large eggs¹
• 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 c. whole milk²
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (350°F).
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the both kinds of mushrooms and the onion and cook until dry and lightly browned (~15 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the Parmesan, chives, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
5. Add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds.
6. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring with a spatula, until large curds form and the spatula leaves a wake in the pan. (Egss should be clumpy, but still very wet.)
7. Shake the pan to even out the eggs and cook, without stirring, for ~30 seconds.
8. Transfer to oven and bake until puffy (~5 minutes).
9. If you would like the top more browned, turn on the broiler and cook for 1 more minute.
10. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
11. Use the spatula to loosen the frittata and slide it onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

---

¹ I had some excess egg whites to use up, so I actually made this frittata with 10 eggs + 3 egg whites. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for 3 Tbsp. of half-and-half (10% MF). I happened to have some half-and-half in the fridge this time, so I did actually use that, but normally I would just put in a bit of milk instead, so that's the way I've written it up here. ^Back

This is a convenient way to prepare asparagus, especially if the stovetop is occupied by other cooking. We usually cook a half batch, which is what I've written up here.

Foil-Baked Asparagus

Cook's Country April/May 2020, p.12, by Morgan Bolling

Ingredients

• 500g fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tbsp butter, diced
• 1 shallot (or a small onion), minced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ½ tbsp capers
• ½ tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• ½ tsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Arrange the asparagus in the center of a sheet of tinfoil.
2. Top with butter, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper.
3. Fold foil over and crimp shut. (Depending on the breadth of your tinfoil, you may need to use a separate piece for this.)
4. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 18 minutes.
5. Remove sheet from oven and let stand 5 minutes to continue baking.
6. Cut open top of packet to release steam. Extract asparagus and gently toss with capers, dill, and lemon.

Fettuccine al Prosciutto e Asparagi (Fettucini with Prosciutto and Asparagus)

I could have sworn I'd written this up before, but apparently not! It's basically just alfredo with asparagus, onion, and prosciutto, so if you've made any other "alfredo with ____" recipes you probably already have an idea how it's going to go.

I've presented it here almost as written (apart from switching from boiling to sauteeing the asparagus), but I can state from personal experience that bell peppers make a tasty addition to it, rotelle works fine as a pasta, and if you don't have any prosciutto, thinly sliced salami will do in a pinch.

Fettuccine al Prosciutto e Asparagi

The Classic Pasta Cookbook, p.95

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried fettuccine
• 3 tbsp butter
• ½ lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into ¾" lengths
  
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 oz (115g) prosciutto, cut into thin strips
• 1 C heavy cream
• ½ C freshly grated parmesan
  

Directions

1. Get some salted water boiling for the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften.
4. Add the prosciutto and asparagus, and cook until the prosciutto begins to darken and lose its raw colour and the asparagus softens.
   
5. Stir in the cream and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced by half; remove from the heat.
6. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and toss with the sauce and cheese.

Rotelle coi Gameberi e Asparagi (Rotelle with Shrimp and Asparagus)

Shrimp is a rare treat in this household, since the Kidlet is allergic to it, but the other day I had a chance to indulge and I took it. This is heavily adapted from tagliatelle coi gamberi e asparagi; apart from changing the pasta shape, I switched from boiling the asparagus separately to sauteeing it with the shrimp, and then boiling the asparagus trimmings to add a bit more flavour.

I was cooking just for myself, so I scaled it down; I have used the original recipe here.

Rotelle coi Gameberi e Asparagi

Adapted from The Classic Pasta Cookbook, p.98

Ingredients

• 1 lb rotelle
• ¾ lb asparagus, whole
  
• ¼ C olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ lb raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped into ½" pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
  

Directions

1. Put on some salted water to boil, for the pasta.
2. Break the ends off the asparagus and reserve them; cut the rest of the asparagus into 1" pieces.
   
3. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.
4. Add the cut asparagus and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the asparagus just starting to soften, 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the shrimp, season generously with black pepper. and cook, stirring often, until the shrimp is cooked through; remove from the heat.
6. Once the water boils, add the pasta and asparagus trimmings. Cook until the pasta is al dente; drain, reserving half a cup of water. Discard the asparagus trimmings.
7. Add the water to the skillet and return to the heat until it has mostly cooked off. (You can do this while the shrimp is still cooking if the pasta finishes early.)
8. Add the pasta to the skillet, toss with the sauce, and serve.
   

This was absolutely delicious and surprisingly easy to assemble. Most of the prep time was spent cutting the asparagus.

Penne with Pancetta & Asparagus

Cook's Country

Ingredients

• 125g pancetta, diced
• 700g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 500g store-bought dry penne rigate or similar pasta
• 250mL mascarpone
• 15mL lemon juice
• ~200mL freshly grated parmesan
• 80mL coarsely chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook pancetta in a large, deep pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and crispy, ~10 minutes.
2. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and reserve.
3. Increase heat to high. Add asparagus and cook, without stirring, until starting to brown, ~3 minutes. Stir vigorously and continue to cook until browned and starting to become tender, ~2 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in garlic and pancetta.
5. Cook pasta al dente. Reserve 250mL of pasta water and drain.
6. Return asparagus to low heat. Stir in mascarpone, parmesan, lemon juice, the reserved pasta water, and pepper to taste.
7. Add pasta and basil and toss to combine. Serve.

Creamy Basil Pesto Cheese Tortellini Pasta with Crispy Bacon & Corn

This Hello Fresh recipe, while tasty, could use some work. The original recipe — the one we followed — calls for shallots and bell peppers. The bell peppers, however, don't integrate well; they remain crunchy, and defy the fork while contributing little to the dish overall.

The recipe recorded here is a proposed modified version which swaps out the peppers for mushrooms and peas. Asparagus might also make a tasty additive.

Creamy Basil Pesto Tortellini Pasta with Crispy Bacon & Corn

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 500g tortellini
• 200g bacon, sliced into ~2cm strips
• 450g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 80mL basil pesto
• 115g corn kernels
• 125mL? cooked frozen peas
• 60g freshly grated parmesan (plus more for topping)
• 150mL sour cream

Directions

1. Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until just crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain the pan, reserving ~30mL of the bacon grease.
2. Add the shallots and mushrooms to the pan. Sautée over medium heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture and softened and the shallots are soft and translucent.
3. Meanwhile, cook the tortellini and drain, reserving 125mL of the cooking water.
4. Reduce heat to low. Add the peas, corn, pesto, sour cream, parmesan, and reserved cooking water. Stir together and simmer gently until all ingredients are warmed through.
5. Add the bacon and tortellini to the sauce, toss to combine, and serve.

Pasta Primavera

"Pasta with spring vegetables and cream" is, when you get down to it, basically pasta alfredo with vegetables simmered into the sauce. Those vegetables make a huge difference, though!

This recipe comes from the Classic Pasta Cookbook, slightly modified; I don't pre-boil the asparagus and have adjusted the vegetable quantities somewhat to reduce the number of fractional vegetables it generates. It will happily take a great deal of variation, though; if you don't have some of the veggies you can just turn up the dial on the others or swap in something else you like, if you want it more saucy you can increase all the vegetables (or just your favourite) and add more cream and butter. For a recent batch we dropped the zucchini (not having any) and used 5mL celery seeds in place of the celery, but cranked up the asparagus and onion dramatically.

Fettucini is traditional for this, but I find I actually prefer it with more "lumpy" pasta like penne or radiatori; it makes it easier to get some pasta and some veggies in each bite.

In a pinch you can make this with mixed frozen vegetables, but it's not nearly as good. Nor does it reheat well; it's best if you can eat it all the day it's cooked.

Ingredients (for 450g dried store-bought pasta)

• 60mL butter
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 celery spear, finely sliced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• ½ a zucchini, finely diced (about 192mL?)
• 125g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1cm lengths
• 250mL heavy cream
• 125mL freshly grated parmesan

Procedure

1. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions and sautee until translucent and golden.
3. Add the celery and carrot and sautee for another ~5 minutes.
4. Add the bell pepper and zucchini and continue to sautee until tender, 10-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the asparagus and sautee for another minute or two so that it just starts to soften.
6. Add the cream. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cream has reduced by half, then remove from the heat until the pasta is ready.
7. When the pasta is cooked al dente, toss it with the sauce and the cheese.

Braised Spring Vegetables

This is a gently cooked dish of early season vegetables. They come out a bit soggy, but tender and flavourful.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 shallot, sliced into thin rings
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 10 radishes, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tsp grated orange zest
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2" lengths
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

Procedure

1. Heat oil, shallot, garlic, thyme, and pepper flakes in a dutch oven over medium heat until the shallot is just softened, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in radishes, lemon zest, orange zest, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, and 1¼ cups water. Cover and cook until radishes can be easily pierced with a sharp knife, 3-5 minutes.
3. Stir in asparagus and continue to cook, covered, until tender, 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Let stand, covered, until peas are warmed through, about 5 minutes.
5. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Stir in tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Slow Cooker Strata

I'm a bit behind on my blogging. I just haven't been feeling like writing up my recipes after dinner this week. So now I've got a bit of a backlog. I'll start with the most recent experiment, breakfast this morning, and work my way back through the week.

This recipe makes a huge amount. I mean, I'm not really surprised seeing as the recipe called for a dozen eggs (among other things), but still! Huge! I'd make a few tweaks next time, but overall, this strata was pretty tasty, if large.

Slow Cooker Strata
Slightly adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2015
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
12 oz. breakfast sausage (I used maple flavoured)
2 onions, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 Tbsp. minced chipotle in adobo + 1 tsp. adobo sauce
2 Tbsp. garlic paste
2 tsp. cumin seeds
14 oz. baguette, cut into 1/2" cubes (this took ~1 1/2 baguettes for me)
2 blocks lactose-free jalapeño cheese, grated (generous 3 c.)
12 large eggs
3 c. half-and-half
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
4 scallions, sliced thin

1. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and sausage, breaking up sausages if you were not able to get bulk sausage meat.
2. Add chipotle, adobo, garlic paste, and cumin seeds and cook for another minute or so.
3. Stir in baguette.
4. Grease slow cooker with butter.
5. Place half of bread mixture in slow cooker. Sprinkle with 1 c. grated cheese. Place remaining bread mixture on top.
6. Beat eggs with half-and half. Add salt and pepper.
7. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture. Press down on bread to submerge. Top with remaining cheese.
8. Cook on low until internal temperature registers 160F. Let stand, uncovered, for 30 minutes, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.

I think I'd halve the recipe next time, change up the cheese, and add a few more veggies just to round things out a bit.

Smaller Slow Cooker Strata
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
6-8 oz. breakfast sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
227g cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1" lengths (optional)
1 Tbsp. chipotle in adobo + 1 tsp. adobo
1 Tbsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. cumin seeds
7 oz. baguette, cut into 1/2" cubes
2-4 oz. cottage cheese
1 1/2 c. half-and-half
6 large eggs
1/4 tsp. pepper
2-4 oz. mozzarella, grated
2-4 oz. extra-old cheddar, grated
4 scallions, sliced thin

I'd sauté the mushrooms and asparagus with the sausage and other veg. Mix the cottage cheese into the bread mixture. Dump the bread in all at once and then top with a combination of mozzarella and cheddar. (Mozzarella for meltiness, cheddar for flavour.) I've also deliberately excluded the salt in this version because I found the original to be just a bit too salty for my taste. It's easy enough to add a bit more salt at the table if you find it a bit flat without it.

Roast Pork with Asparagus

I changed up a couple details for this recipe to fit what was available/on hand. It came out delicious and was very quick and easy to put together with almost no prep work! It would've been even faster if I'd done it with pork tenderloin as the recipe suggested. I ended up using a boneless rib roast, so it took a little longer to cook since it was thicker than tenderloin. Still wonderful and pretty quick though.

Roast Pork with Asparagus
Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2015
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
1 Tbsp. + 1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
800g boneless pork rib roast
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
800g (or more) asparagus
1/2 c. chicken broth
140g soft, unripened goat cheese
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1. Combine rosemary, 1 Tbsp. pepper, and 1 tsp. salt.
2. Dry pork and sprinkle with pepper mixture.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large pan over medium-high and sear pork on all sides.
4. Roast for 30-35 minutes at 450F. (Until internal temperature reaches 140F.)
5. Heat remaining oil in empty pan (still over medium-high). Add asparagus, broth, and remaining salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Remove asparagus to serving dish/platter. Crumble goat cheese on top.
7. Add vinegar and cook until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
8. Slice pork and place on top of asparagus. Drizzle with sauce and enjoy!