Leftovers Fritatta

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This is a dish I've been making for years, since my kids were little, and it never fails to satisfy. It uses up meat and veggie leftovers and it's low carb to boot. Use whatever leftover ingredients you have on hand plus eggs, 1/2 & 1/2 (or milk, or cream, or even a bit of water or stock), and cheese. The possibilities are endless. Herbs fit right in to this dish so I'll send it over to Kalyn's Herb Blogging Weekend as an entry. For low carb information in general, Kalyn is a fountain of information on eating low glycemic foods. Her recipes are healthful, delicious and very, very photogenic.

Here, I've used up some leftovers from recent blog posts. So if you want to duplicate this recipe and haven't made the parmesan-asiago cheese dip yet, you'd better get going!

Lamb, Asparagus, Marjoram, Parmesan-Asiago Cheese Fritatta
all measurements are approximate - this is a very forgiving dish

1/3 of a large, sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed through a garlic press

1 pound asparagus, peeled and stems cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths, retaining 2 1/2-inch long tips

8 large eggs, beaten
3/4 to 1 cup fat free 1/2 & 1/2 or regular 1/2 & 1/2 (see above for other possibilities)
1-2 teaspoons crumbled, dried marjoram, or use fresh chopped if you have it
Pinch of sweet smoked paprika (optional)
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Leftover meat, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used up the roasted lamb from Clay's birthday dinner)

1 cup (about) Parmesan-Asiago Cheese spread (or grated cheese, like jack, cheddar, parmesan - whatever you have on hand that will melt appropriately for the dish

Oil and butter for the pan

Heat an oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and 1/2 & 1/2 . Add the marjoram and paprika and cayenne, if using, and whisk to combine. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.

In a cast iron skillet large enough to hold the finished egg and meat/veggie/cheese volume, melt equal parts butter and olive (1-2 teaspoons each) over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the chopped onions and saute until they are soft and slightly golden (adjust heat so they don't burn). Add the pressed garlic cloves and the pieces of asparagus and continue to cook until the asparagus is just softly cooked. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from skillet to a plate and set aside, separating the asparagus tips from the rest.

Return skillet to the heat and set to medium-low. Pour egg mixture into pan and let cook gently until the bottom begins to set. Using a spatula, carefully go around the edge of the pan, lifting the cooked egg mixture away from the side and letting the still runny mixture take its place. Keep on doing this, around and around the pan, until most of the eggs are softly cooked. Adjust the burner heat if necessary to avoid burning the bottom.

When the eggs are softly set, add the cooked meat then the veggie saute then the cheese spread. Arrange the asparagus tips on top. Place in the 325 oven for about 15 minutes or long enough for the mixture to fully set and the cheese to melt. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes to set further before cutting.

This makes a very satisfying, low carb meal when paired with a nice salad. Surprisingly, it re-heats in the microwave quite well on about 65% power.

With this particular set of ingredients, the olive oil from the cheese spread melted throughout the dish, giving it a very mediterranean flavor. The slice above, center, was cut 15 minutes after the dish came out of the oven. The one here on the right is a slice from the next day. Not a very photogenic dish, but it's very delicious. (Click on the photos to see a larger image.)