Asparagus spears, even if briefly blanched and refreshed, retain their light crunch after being cooked with egg in the oven. Their good looks also mean you can arrange the tips to look pretty when you turn the frittata out.

I used plenty of creamy feta from Dalewood Fromage near Franschhoek and sprinkled grated Colby cheese from Klein River in Stanford near Hermanus over the top before baking it. And butter, there must be butter when frying or baking eggs.

Ingredients

16 asparagus spears

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup Dalewood Fromage full cream Jersey feta or similar, crumbled or chopped

8 large eggs

Salt to taste

White pepper to taste

1 cup grated Klein River Colby full fat semi hard cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 170℃. 

Prepare the asparagus spears by snapping off the ends (they will break at their weakest point, which is precisely that point between the softer part of the spear and the woody stem). Use a paring knife to scrape off the scales.

Cut each spear into five or six pieces. Blanch them in boiling water for a minute. Refresh under cold water and drain. Separate the tips from the bits of stem.

In a pan, sauté onions and garlic in butter until softened. Season with salt and white pepper.

Add the pieces of asparagus stalk, evenly.

Sprinkle the feta over.

Beat the eggs with salt and white pepper and pour into the pan.

Place the asparagus tips neatly. Sprinkle the Colby cheese on top. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes to firm up before serving. DM/TGIFood

Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Champion 2021. His book, foodSTUFF, is available in the DM Shop. Buy it here. 

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks. Share your versions of his recipes with him on Instagram and he’ll see them and respond.

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