The decision to eat animal protein is a personal choice. If you do, it is essential to be a conscious consumer - not only to think about where your protein is sourced, from a humane perspective, but also for health purposes. Selecting animal protein that has not been injected with hormones, antibiotics, or given feed rich with genetically modified organisms are all essential to consider in addition to the quality of the animal's life. Ultimately, what has entered into the animal's body will enter yours.
Navigating through the nutritional marketing noise can be quite tricky, even for an individual who is highly knowledgable in the field. The egg industry, in particular, can be quite dicey as there are various terms to comprehend. Goop did an eggcellent round-up here, and I encourage all egg consumers to start questioning their purchases on their next food shopping trip.
A frittata is the ideal way to put your pasture-raised, certified humane, organic eggs to use and it is the perfect food for any time of day. A frittata is economical, can feed a crowd, be repurposed for a few meals, and be made on a whim with whatever you have on hand. Jarred sundried tomatoes, lovely. Slightly droopy greens, no problem. Parm, fantastic. Day old potatoes, lucky you. The possibilities are infinite.
Ideally, you want your frittata custard-like with a little tremble and just barely set. If possible, use a cast iron pan, but keep in mind that, due to the pan's ability to conduct heat, the frittata will continue to cook once removed from the oven. So, err on the side of slightly underdoneness.
For this recipe, an 8-inch cast iron skillet was used for 8 eggs making 4 servings. Adjust the ratio accordingly. In my constant mission to reduce salt, none was added due to the salt contained in the sundried tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Use your own discretion and season as needed.
spring vegetable frittata
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 8 pasture-raised organic eggs
- 5 spears asparagus, chopped
- 3/4 cup freshly shelled English peas
- 5 sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp chives, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- salt + freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsps olive oil
Directions
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 350°. Heat 1 tbsp oil in an 8-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus, peas, and sundried tomatoes, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk eggs, lemon zest, and chives in a large bowl; stir in cheese. Season with salt (if you wish) and pepper.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add remaining 1 tbsp oil to the skillet. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus, tomatoes, and peas, shaking the pan to evenly distribute mixture. Cook the frittata, without stirring, until its edges begin to set, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer skillet to oven. Bake frittata until golden brown and center is set, 25-30 minutes. Check the frittata five minutes before it is ideally supposed to be done to avoid over cooking.
- Eat right away with a lightly dressed salad of mixed greens and herbs, or cut up and refrigerate for a quick breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
