This weekend at Berkeley Bowl they had Wild Asparagus. Not only have I never seen this before, but never even heard of it. It resembles green lavender plants, with tiny stalks and a little bud at the top. Not going to say how much they were a pound! Ouch!
The best way I could think of serving them was like this, as a lunch with some crusty Acme baguette and a bottle of French Cider.
Wild Asparagus Fritatta
Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer
1/3 Cup of Wild Asparagus
4 eggs beaten with Salt and Pepper
3 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/2 cup Gruyere, grated fine
1/2 of a small onion, sliced thin
In a small frying pan, put the Wild Asparagus in with a few tablespoons of water and some salt. Have it ready to steam for 2 minutes or so when the eggs are almost set.
Preheat broiler to High
In a large non-stick fry pan, melt the butter and olive oil and sweat the onion until quite soft. Beat the eggs with the cheese and when the onion is done, add the eggs and turn the heat down to pretty low. It should take a few minutes to get the eggs halfway set. When they are, steam the asparagus for no more than 2 minutes or so, until the stalks are just tender. Drain and carefully press the asparagus into the egg mixture. Cook for another minute or so, then run under the broiler to set the top. When the top is set and browned, as above, remove from broiler and slide the fritatta onto a cutting board. Cut like a pizza and serve.