If you offer a foodie farm fresh produce...

If you offer me farm fresh produce, chances are I'll hardly be able to turn it down.  Which is why, despite the fact that I had a fridge full of food at home, when I walked by my local greenmarket and heard the beautiful skinny green stalks of asparagus calling my name from their bin I knew I was going to end up taking them home.

It was a purchase that I almost felt guilty about, as I thought about my week and realized there was a large chance that they would go to waste before I could use them, but luckily everyone loves fresh produce.


So I decided to make something I could share, and since everyone also loves breakfast I knew the two would go hand in hand.

I envisioned crossing a frittata and quiche to make a batch of farmer's market egg cups by lining a muffin tin with little circles of dough, twirling little pieces of asparagus around each cup in the shape of little green roses, and filling the gaps with freshly whisked egg and feta.

The feat turned out easier dreamed than done.

As someone who's never made a frittata or a quiche or egg cups I ran into several unforeseeable issues.  First off, muffin tins are much smaller than you think, so the crust took up so much room and the asparagus did not exactly form into rings as I thought.  Additionally, I knew the asparagus and onions and garlic would have to be cooked slightly before putting them in the egg but the oil used to saute them robbed the dish of freshness.

I was filled with disappointment as I popped the pan into the oven, and as I cleaned up the mess I had made I started thinking of all the things I could've done differently.

In the five minutes it took me to wash the dishes I had thought of so many delicious changes, like how it would be easier to circle the asparagus if I used a pie pan instead of a muffin tin, how the crust would be better if it could be butterless, and herbed, and maybe even gluten free, and how the dish would feel fresher if the onions were soaked and asparagus flash steamed instead of sauteed, that I knew I had to make it again.

So back to the farmer's market for more asparagus I went!

Farmer's Market Frittata

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 T cornstarch
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 T dried herbs of choice (I used basil)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 c Greek yogurt
• 2 T coconut oil

For the filling:

• 1 bunch of skinny asparagus
• 1/2 Vidalia onion, very thinly sliced
• Balsamic vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• White vinegar
• Feta, thinly sliced and crumbled
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika if desired
• 6 eggs

Combine:

1. Slice the onion as thinly as possible, place in a bowl, and cover with balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
2. Place the garlic in a second dish and cover with white vinegar and a pinch of salt.  Set aside.
3. Use a food processor to mix the dry ingredients for the crust, add the oil and pulse until crumbly, then add the Greek yogurt and pulse again.  Pulse a few more times until the crumbs come together in a large chunks or one ball.
4. Take the dough out of the processor, roll it into a ball, wrap in plastic, and set in the freezer.
5. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a pie pan with parchment paper.
6. Cut the hard ends off the asparagus, cut the stalks in half, and rinse very well. Place a steamer in a large pot, add an inch or two of water, bring to a boil, then add the asparagus and steam for 1-2 minutes until bright green and just barely softened.
7. Take the dough out of the freezer, place the ball between 2 sheets of Saran Wrap, roll into a disc the same size as the bottom of the pie pan, and roughly 1/4 of an inch thick, yes I used a wine bottle for this.
8. Place asparagus spears around the pan in a circle, fill the gaps loosely with onion slices, then top with another layer of asparagus. Note: I tried to use more ends for the bottom layer and more tips for the top layer so you can see the pretty tips of the asparagus.
9. Strain the vinegar off of the garlic and whisk the garlic into the eggs with a pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika, then slowly and evenly pour the egg over the asparagus.
10. Sprinkle with crumbled feta and freshly cracked pepper.
11. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the center is just set but still moist looking.
12. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing and enjoy!