araucana frittata

so, araucana chickens lay these fabulous eggs in a spectrum of colors from from steel gray to green to martha stewart flagship blue. the shells are stalwart, so, be prepared when you whack them on the edge of the counter. it's gonna take a little bit of strength. the yolks are bold. orange, really, and the whites a lot more viscous than the watery, flabby eggs you get from the grocery store. alas, you cannot get araucana in grocery stores, you've got to be lucky enough to have a supplier at the farmer's market, and if you are, you will soon find that there is just no comparison in flavor and texture (and health benefits). i like to imagine my farmer sprinkling pellets of corn over a patch of dirt, the roosters and hens flocking about her. it's this pastoral image that makes me an apostle for farm to table anything, really. when i think of eggs from the grocery store, i imagine those horrible white orbs being delivered from mechanical tubes. where is the chicken? you don't want to know.

this morning i was feeling peckish whilst perusing david lebovitz's site, and he had just made a frittata in the name of some crazy diet he's on because he eats too many profiteroles, so i was inspired. he uses a bunch of egg whites to supplant some of the whole eggs in his frittata, but the idea of dieting is balderdash as far as i'm concerned. life is short. food is fabulous. i can't see any reason to abstain from profiteroles or whole eggs in a frittata. i do believe that moderation is the key, and if we adhere to this sort of thinking, we get to eat whatever we want and stay trim. works for me.

here's the thing, a frittata can be made with leftover stuff in the fridge, you know, a little o' this, a little o' that. i had some leeks and flageolet left over from dinner last night, a chunk of comté and tons of cavolo nero that i needed to use because i bought six bundles at the sunday market with every intention of juicing them and making mango-banana-kale smoothies with them (which are fabulous, by the way). turns out that this week i preferred to chew.

with my leftover bounty, so arose this beautiful  lunch, which turned out to be just the thing for a garden gathering or some lovely event to applaud the advent of spring.

i realize that i've been wholly absent, but you know, i do have another blog, and aside from that, we get busy, no? i also do most of my cooking at night, and i've made countless things that i would love to share, but night photography is not happening, so, unless i want to eat hearty fare in the afternoon, i am sad to say that many things will be left undocumented.

i had considered taking down this blog, but i decided to leave it up for the recipes that are already posted, and in case i make a periodic something that's simple for me to share. like this post today.

i guess what i'm saying is, i hope that you don't desert me. and whilst my posts may be extemporaneous and sparse, when i do post, it's with the utmost love.

here's your extemporaneous post. araucana frittata with a little o' this, a little o' that...

araucana chicken egg frittata with a bunch o' good stuff

INGREDIENTS

7 araucana chicken eggs

1/2 bunch cavolo nero, sliced into ribbons

about 1/3 cup sweated leeks
1/3 of a  yellow onion
1 garlic clove, sliced thinly
about 1 cup cooked flageolet, drained well
2 sprigs tarragon
a few leaves of fresh oregano
a small bit of comté, grated
a small bit of parmigiano-reggiano, finely grated using your rasp

THE PROCESS

- first, turn the broiler on.

- whisk the eggs and set aside.

- dice the onion, add it to the cast iron with a bit of olive oil. salt them, yeah? when they begin to brown, add the garlic. cook until the garlic becomes fragrant.

- add the cavolo to the pan with a a touch of water. wilt this down. if there is any excess water in the pan, drain it off (you want the mixture to be dry, or you will end up with a gross, wet frittata).

- add the sweated leeks to the pan with the flageolet and the herbs to warm through. pour the eggs over this mixture and turn the flame down to medium low. gently cook until the eggs just start to set. you will see it begin to set around the edges.

- sprinkle the eggs with the cheeses and pop under the broiler. get down on the floor and watch it vigilantly or it will burn. you will probably have to rotate the pan for even cooking. the top of the frittata should puff up and turn golden brown.

- to serve, invert the frittata by placing a plate over the mouth of the pan, then deftly flip it over. the frittata should fall from the pan with ease.

-serve wedges on your best garden party plates, with a simple green salad and a glass of wine.

mangia bene, vivi felice!