Vivo O Sonho

I first made this for a group of writers at a retreat in a lovely home overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It’s a quick and easy dish that presents beautifully for brunch and is filled with bright flavors. It does not require the traditional pre-cooking in a pan; it bakes fully in the oven and the clean up is a breeze.

Variations: Change out the yellow bell peppers for red or green, add diced onions or shallots, and try different cheeses. Don’t double by putting in a larger baking pan; the center will take longer to set and the edges will overcook. Instead, make two 8 or 9 inch square pans.

Ingredients:

• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
• 1 cup finely chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 10-15 pieces of thin asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 fresh lemon
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray (I prefer the parchment paper as it makes it easy to remove the frittata from the pan to cut for serving.
• Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard and thyme together.
• Fold in the spinach, bell pepper and cheese.
• Pour the egg mixture into the baking pan, tugging up the parchment paper so the mixture is distributed evenly.
• Place in the middle of the oven and rack and bake for 12 minutes.
• While the eggs are baking, wash and pat dry the asparagus and cut the ends to a length of 9 inches or shorter.
• Coat the asparagus with olive oil, then squeeze the lemon on top and season with salt and pepper.
• When eggs have cooked 12 minutes and are slightly firm on top, remove from oven and place the asparagus on top in a row.
• Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a knife into the center. If it comes out “dry” it is done. If it is wet with egg mixture, give it a few more minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let sit for two or three minutes, then lift the frittata from the pan and place on a cutting board to slice. This can be served warm or refrigerated and served cold.

Serves 4 to 6.