Asparagus and Brie Frittata

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Lately I have become obsessed with breakfast. Not eating it in the morning, mind you, but around 1 o’clock in the afternoon. It all started when I found a couple of rolls of bulk sausage in my freezer, and figured I should put them to use. I started making sausage and egg biscuits each day, finding that I really liked them. I know, people eat these all of the time at fast food restaurants, but I rarely go to fast food restaurants, because my stomach always reminds me afterwards that it was not a good idea.

As I was paging through one of my new favorite books for 2019, The Saltwater Table, I found a recipe for asparagus frittata. As I had asparagus in the fridge, and couldn’t quite remember why, I thought this would be the perfect recipe to try for my breakfast/lunch du jour. I made a few changes, because when I make a scrambled egg, omelet, or anything similar, I add a couple of ingredients to give it phenomenal flavor, so I didn’t make this recipe exactly. I also did not have Green Hill cheese, but found Brie to be an excellent substitute. Naturally, I cannot compare my adaptation with the original from the book, but the similarities are close enough, that I will still give a strong nod to the author. 

Asparagus and Brie Frittata

Adapted from “Asparagus and Green Hill Frittata” in The Saltwater Table
Serves 2

4 large eggs
1 tablespoon heavy cream
¼ teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
½ teaspoon dried minced onions
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
10 spears Melissa’s Organic Asparagus, woody ends trimmed

Pinch kosher salt
2 ounces Brie cheese, finely sliced
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, steak seasoning, and minced onions; set aside.

In a medium (8-inch) nonstick pan or well-seasoned cast-iron pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the asparagus and pinch of salt, and cook until barely tender, about 2 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the egg mixture. Allow the eggs to lightly set before gently moving around with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. Continue this process until the eggs are fluffy and set, but still a little runny on top, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and top with the asparagus, cheese slices, and parsley.

Place in the oven. Cook until the eggs are set and the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes.

Slide the frittata out of the pan onto a platter and serve.

Shrimp Roll

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I recently had the opportunity to view Abrams Publishing’s new book, The Saltwater Table, Recipes from the Coastal South, by Whitney Otawka. There are so many delicious looking recipes that I hardly knew where to begin. But begin I did, with this luscious Shrimp Roll. I am a big fan of lobster rolls, but rarely make them due to the high price of lobster. Why it never occurred to me to substitute shrimp for the lobster meat, I have no idea, but shrimp makes an excellent, easy-to-acquire, more economical substitute.

What I liked about this recipe was that the celery, fennel, and shallot, were sautéed ahead of time to bring out the flavor. This is an excellent combination of ingredients (I did have a bit of a heavy hand with the hot sauce because I like my food spicy), and, if you are the seafood lover that I am, is one you will certainly enjoy.

Shrimp Roll

1 Bay leaf
½ lemon, sliced
2 tablespoons + ¼ teaspoon salt
1 pound shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 tablespoons small-dice celery
2 tablespoons small-dice fennel
1 tablespoon small-dice Melissa’s shallot
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
6 soft rolls or hot dog buns
6 large lettuce leaves, such as butter head or bib

In a medium pot, bring 2 quarts of water, the Bay leaf, lemon slices, and 2 tablespoons of the salt to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until bright pink and cooked through, about two minutes. Remove the shrimp and place in an ice water bath to stop them from cooking further. Drain the shrimp and dice into small, bite-size pieces. Set aside.

In a small sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the celery, fennel, and shallot, and cook until softened, about two minutes. Transfer to a bowl and chill until cold.

In a bowl, combine the shrimp, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, the chilled celery-fennel mixture, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, celery seed, chives, and parsley. Mix until combined.

Stuff each roll with a leaf of lettuce and 1/2 cup of the shrimp salad.