Today Mark came home early, right around lunchtime, to take our oldest to the local university for an afternoon visit at the college of business. I have some hopes that he and I might go out for a dinner date this evening, so I decided this morning to make the food that had been intended for tonight's dinner for a quick family lunch instead. I expected the smaller children to eat their fill of peanut butter sandwiches, leaving the tasty vegetables for the rest of us.
First I started bread in the bread machine, then considered a fat bunch of asparagus, probably at least a pound, that I had picked up on sale a couple of days ago. Then I scrounged around in the pantry and found a jar of roasted red peppers; in the fridge I found half a red onion and some aged white cheddar. Perfect for finishing off a carton of eggs. My inspiration here is the Persian frittata known as a kuku, which often contains herbs and spices and feta and huge handfuls of greens—but which can be adapted to contain almost anything you might put in an omelet. The recipe is very elastic—you can increase the vegetable-to-egg ratio quite a bit, probably by fifty percent or more, and it will still hold together fine.
This recipe is 3-4 servings, sized to fit a seasoned 10" cast-iron skillet.
If you double it, either use two skillets, or bake the vegetable-egg mixture for a longer time in a well-oiled glass dish (after sautéing the vegetables on the stove top). You can also bake it in muffin cups. Baked outside the skillet, I bet, this would be a great dish for a brunch potluck.
Asparagus and Red Pepper Kuku with Rosemary and White Cheddar
- 1 pound (or more) fresh asparagus, trimmed, tips set aside, and tender stalks cut into 1/4" lengths
- 1/2 a large red onion, sliced 1/4" thick
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (I used a jar of piquillos), cut into thin strips
- 3 oz extra sharp white cheddar cheese, cut into small dice
- 2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
- Plenty of olive oil (sorry, I don't measure this)
- 6 to 8 eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Heat the skillet dry over medium-high heat. When it is hot, scatter the onion slices in the dry pan, then cover and cook five minutes to begin caramelizing the onion (following the technique here). Uncover, add oil and salt, and continue sautéing and stirring the onions until they soften and are nicely caramelized. Transfer to a bowl.
Add more oil to the pan along with the cut asparagus stalks. Sauté a few minutes until they begin to brown a bit, then add the rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the hot pan, cover, and steam until the water evaporates. Add the tips and continue to sauté for just a couple more minutes until the asparagus is tender and the tips are crisp-tender. Transfer to the bowl with the onions; mix in the roasted red peppers.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs well. Fold the vegetables into the beaten eggs, mixing well.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add oil, coating the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the vegetable-egg mixture into the hot skillet and cook for 2-5 minutes (or more if needed), until the edges are set. Dot the top of the mixture with the diced cheese and transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Bake until firm, 5–10 minutes in the cast-iron pan.
Allow to cool at least ten minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.
I had it ready before Mark got home, and we enjoyed it hastily with warm buttered homemade wheat bread before he had to run off to his appointment with the big boys in tow. If it weren't eleven o'clock in the morning, a cold witbier or hefeweizen would have been a lovely accompaniment. And the leftovers will make you a beautiful breakfast.
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