"frittata" news and stories

An extremely versatile Italian egg dish, a frittata can contain many savory ingredients. Don't be scared by the length of ingredients for this recipe - if you can use short cuts, feel free. I made it for dinner Sunday night and it made a repeat appearance last night for dinner (love leftovers!) Perfect for brunch, this dish can bake while you finish setting your table and get ready for guests. You won't miss a beat with this sure-hit, extremely satisfying meal.

Tip: Whole Foods didn't have any sun-dried tomatoes in stock, but they did have chicken sausages with sun-dried tomatoes in them. While the sun-dried tomatoes weren't as prominent, it did the trick! If you have leftover pasta, whether it be penne or another short cut, use that instead of making a whole new batch.

• Sheryl Julian and Julie Riven end their Globe column after 25 years.
• What is roti?
• It's picnic time again.
• Has Wal-Mart been caught selling conventional food under an organic label?
• Local fruits and veggies can make all the difference in recipes.
• Hey, Mother's Day isn't over yet! Maybe the kids can make her this.
• This week's recipes: Easy Cinnamon Rolls, Curried Chicken Salad, Asparagus and Gruyere Frittata, Chicken Tagine, and Ham-wrapped Scallops with Vegetable Medley.

Did I just say that I felt like "sweet" for Sunday morning breakfast?

Well, that was a few hours ago, and besides, it's time for the next meal of the day anyway...brunch!

Jason Truesdell has a gorgeous Spring Frittata on his food blog that is perfect for a late morning, or early afternoon,Sunday spring brunch. He simply whisked together eggs with a bit of broth for flavor, added ramps, morels, and leftover rapini, then topped the frittata with Humboldt fog cheese.

I can't think of a better way to do brunch.

Thanks, everyone, for coming by our little Garden Party today! In case you missed anything, or want an easy reference back to all our recipes, ideas and posts, here is a roundup of all the stuff we did today:

General and How-To:

• Party Food Porn: White Chocolate Petit Fours
• Edible centerpieces for a garden party
• Cookbooks for parties
• Impress with caviar
• Lime cheesecake mini-tarts

Recipes:

• Smoked Salmon Benedict
• Carrot Mini-Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
• Lemon Buttermilk Cupcakes
• Edamame Hummus on Toasted Flatbread
• Asparagus, Basil and Tomato Fritatta
• Spinach and Feta Fritatta
• Garlic and Parmesan Roasted New Potatoes
• Coconut Cupcakes
• Cauliflower Soup with Toasted Garlic and Scallions
• Elegant Nasturtium and Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Drinks:

• Easy punch recipes
• Pimms Original Cocktail
• Campari and Soda with orange
• Grapefruit Cooler Cocktail
• Sparkling cocktails: mimosa, bellini, and kir royale

Tropical fruits:

• Papaya
• Tamarind
• Watermelon Juice
• Spanish Limes/Genips/Quenepas/Mamoncillos

We also had a reader submission from Cookbook 411 for some amazing looking Mini Puff Pastry Pizzas - check them out!

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

One frittata is not enough, especially if you have company. With that, here's a simple version with asparagus, basil and tomatoes. Begin by setting aside four large eggs so that they can begin to approach room temperature. Rinse a good handful of asparagus stalks and snap off the woody lower portions. Blanch the stalks and then transfer them immediately to ice water to keep their color. Drain the stalks, cut them into thirds and set them aside. Seed and dice half of a medium-sized tomato and finely slice a handful of basil leaves. Also, halve a small onion and slice it into half-inch thick strips. Preheat your broiler. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a medium (9-10") non-stick skillet and cook the onion until it turns translucent and takes on a little color. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Add the tomatoes, basil, asparagus to the beaten eggs and stir to combine.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]