For whatever reason, I’ve settled on 30 as the magical number of minutes I want to spend cooking most weeknights. 30 minutes from cutting board to plate feels just long enough to prepare something “cooked”, but it’s not so long that the the whole evening simmers away to nothing but the burnt bits.

Frittatas tick not only the 30 minute checkbox, but also the “crap, that produce is about to turn – better make something pronto” box. Presenting a fine Frankenstein of a frittata that came out of one such evening: the asparagus, tomato, stilton, and marscapone frittata!

• 5 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon marscapone
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• a small bunch of asparagus, trimmed
• a few small tomatoes, quartered
• a few ounces of stilton or similarly stinky cheese
• a pinch of garlic granules
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C, 400F.
2. Par-cook the asparagus in a steamer for a few minutes. You’ll want to vary this depending on the girth of your little green wonders – skinny ones will only need 1-2 minutes. They’ll still have quite a crunch to them. Shock the asparagus in some icy water. Dry them on a towel and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, marscapone, and garlic granules. Season to taste. The marscapone shouldn’t completely emulsify. Deep breath: move on.
4. Heat some olive oil in an oven-friendly pan. Add the onions and dash of salt. Sautee the onions until they’re translucent.
5. Add the egg mixture to the pan. Arrange the asparagus, tomatoes, and crumbled stilton into something pleasant to look at. Once the bottom of the egg mixture starts to set, transfer the pan from the heat of the stove to the heat of the oven. It doesn’t take long for the magic to start happening. The frittata will start to rise and then brown. It should only take 5 minutes or so, but it’ll depend on the size of your pan, so keep an eye and nose out.

Sure, it’s fantastic straight out of the oven, but it’s also tasty anywhere between piping hot and room temperature. A friendly suggestion: serve it with a salad of greens and apples (which work tiny miracles with the stilton).

Whisked to School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms