Asparagus Frittata Recipe [video] (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep frittata fluffy? ›

Tips for Fluffy Eggs

Don't overcook! Overcooking eggs makes them rubbery. When you remove the Frittata from the oven, it will continue to cook, especially if you are using cast iron, which retains heat well. You do want it to be set and not liquidy, but keep this in mind so you keep the texture perfect.

One reason your frittata is soggy, is that an ingredient you used had water or other liquid that was released when cooking the frittata. One solution, is to drain all ingredients first before mixing, or to reheat the ingredients seperately, until the liquid is removed.

It's easy to do. In a wide pot, boil a few inches of generously salted water and add your asparagus, either whole stalks or cut into pieces. Cook at a rapid simmer for 1 minutes. Then immediately plunge the spears into a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking and to keep them green.

Putting a little char on the stalks makes the flavor more complex and less bitter. Start by blanching asparagus, cooling them and then hitting them with a little oil, salt and pepper. You can cook them on a hot grill or in a very hot sauté pan. The goal is to put some flavorful char on the stalks, not burn them.

Use a cast-iron skillet.

The best choice for making frittatas, cast iron skillets can safely go from stovetop to oven, and they conduct heat well and evenly. Seasoning a cast-iron pan gives it a non-stick quality, so a well-seasoned skillet will result in the easiest slicing & serving.

The Frittata Formula

Frittatas are incredibly simple. For every six large eggs, you'll want to mix in ¼ cup of milk or cream, ¼ cup of cheese, and about 3 cups of meat or vegetables. The small amount of milk and cheese keeps the eggs soft and creamy and the meat and vegetables give you endless options.

The eggs should be cooked through, not runny and a knife should come out clean when inserted into the centre. You can also give the skillet a gentle shake to determine if it is done; a runny frittata will jiggle when you shake the skillet.

Tough vegetables like potatoes, squash and onions need to be pre-cooked since they will not have time enough to soften before the eggs are done. Raw meats such as bacon and sausage also need more time and heat to cook through safely, so get them prepped before your other ingredients.

Never use uncooked vegetables in a frittata

Therefore, if you add them to the mixture raw, you'll end up with a watery frittata with undercooked vegetables. That's precisely why leftover vegetables are traditionally used, so while you could use fresh vegetables, you'll need to sauté them beforehand.

Roasting asparagus is one of the easiest ways to cook this vegetable. Simply drizzle with olive oil and pop in the oven. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Snap any woody tips off the asparagus where they naturally break apart.

What does baking soda do to asparagus? ›

Boiling green vegetables in a small amount of water means bathing them in a virtual soup of color destroyers. Add something alkaline, such as baking soda, and the chemical reactions are altered so the chlorophyll turns bright green. Unfortunately, alkalinity also speeds up the breakdown of plant tissues.

I soak all asparagus first in cold water. I trim the ends and then rinse the stalks and let them sit in cold water for five minutes. It hydrates the asparagus, and they cook more quickly, for they are already wet with some moisture within them.

Lignin is not softened by heat, so it remains fibrous and tough after cooking. To eliminate lignin, snap (don't cut) the end of each spear just before cooking. It will break right at the point where the stalk becomes tender. Do this just before cooking so you leave no time for asparagus to accumulate yet more lignin.

Does asparagus get softer the longer you cook it? Yes, it does. But you don't want to cook it too long or it will be soggy. That's fine when using in a soup, but not so much as a roasted side.

According to Currie, you should peel the tough ends of the asparagus stalk, leaving an inch or so of the thinner skin just underneath the leafy top, then cure them in a 50/50 mixture of salt and sugar for 10 minutes to eke out all the moisture. You can then rinse them off and cook as you normally would.

Forgetting to add milk or cream.

Without this important addition, frittatas cook up flatter and a bit more dense. Follow this tip: After whisking the eggs together, be sure to whisk in some milk or cream. As a rule of thumb, use 1/4 cup of dairy for every six eggs.

For a fritata specifically, you should be careful about not overcooking it -- it can cause it to deflate if the air bubbles over-expand and burst.

Use A Non-Stick Pan

A non-stick pan is the best way to whip up fresh and fluffy eggs. You shouldn't need to scrub or scrap the eggs off the bottom of the pan, and unless extremely seasoned, any other pan will leave you with more eggs inside it than on your plate.

Restaurants also use much fresher eggs than sold in the supermarket and they whisk them more thoroughly. Butter or margarine on the flat top and then fold with a spatula as they curdle. The steam elevates and fluffs them. At home, use a large non-stick skillet.