June 22, 2010 Update: This post was featured on FoodBuzz Top 9 today
Right! I know, June isn't Spring. But it is according to my CSA! What is CSA?, you ask? Well.. it stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which, basically means that you sign up for 6 months worth of farm fresh, seasonal, organic produce and you support local farms in doing so, by providing an estimated demand ahead of time, so they can manage their planting and harvests accordingly...
I had first heard of this concept from friends who were singing praises about how fabulous it was. I am all for supporting local farms and when it comes with the additional catch words of "seasonal" and "organic", there is no stopping me. I decided it was worth the experiment and picked up a half share of veggies and fruit. So, for the next six months, once a week, I will be getting a basket of farm stuff, straight out of the land...
My first basket was last week. It came with Spring produce - 4 varieties of lettuce, 2 garlic scapes (yes, just 2!!), 1 stalk of rhubarb (another story there, for later!!), a few radishes and tiny bunch of sage... Not impressive, I must admit but I am hoping for a fuller Summer!
Well.. atleast it was opportune! The Velveteers decided to go seasonal this month. The idea was to use whatever is in season, in the different parts of the world we live in, with the additional monthly ingredient of "Mint" for this month. I pondered for a bit on what to make and decided to go with something simple and light - Frittata
Besides, I have wanted to make this Frittata for the longest time. You'll laugh when I say the inspiration was an in-flight meal but, it is true! I was served a layered potato frittata for breakfast on my flight to Australia (Quantas) and it just hit the spot.
So for brunch, I served this lovely layered potato frittata flavored with garlic scape and mint with a light salad of variety lettuce, grape tomatoes in a light, fruity mint vinaigrette!
Verdict: I loved the frittata although the mint flavor was not particularly strong in it. We needed the vinaigrette to bring in the taste. As to the scapes, they were fantastic; a subtle garlic flavor blending in so beautifully with the rest of the dish!
For more ideas on cooking fresh, seasonal produce, please click on the "Farm to Table Series" tab above.
I had first heard of this concept from friends who were singing praises about how fabulous it was. I am all for supporting local farms and when it comes with the additional catch words of "seasonal" and "organic", there is no stopping me. I decided it was worth the experiment and picked up a half share of veggies and fruit. So, for the next six months, once a week, I will be getting a basket of farm stuff, straight out of the land...
My first basket was last week. It came with Spring produce - 4 varieties of lettuce, 2 garlic scapes (yes, just 2!!), 1 stalk of rhubarb (another story there, for later!!), a few radishes and tiny bunch of sage... Not impressive, I must admit but I am hoping for a fuller Summer!
Well.. atleast it was opportune! The Velveteers decided to go seasonal this month. The idea was to use whatever is in season, in the different parts of the world we live in, with the additional monthly ingredient of "Mint" for this month. I pondered for a bit on what to make and decided to go with something simple and light - Frittata
Besides, I have wanted to make this Frittata for the longest time. You'll laugh when I say the inspiration was an in-flight meal but, it is true! I was served a layered potato frittata for breakfast on my flight to Australia (Quantas) and it just hit the spot.
So for brunch, I served this lovely layered potato frittata flavored with garlic scape and mint with a light salad of variety lettuce, grape tomatoes in a light, fruity mint vinaigrette!
Verdict: I loved the frittata although the mint flavor was not particularly strong in it. We needed the vinaigrette to bring in the taste. As to the scapes, they were fantastic; a subtle garlic flavor blending in so beautifully with the rest of the dish!
For more ideas on cooking fresh, seasonal produce, please click on the "Farm to Table Series" tab above.
Potato Frittata with Garlic Scape and Mint
3 eggs
3 T cream
3 medium potatoes, sliced real thin
1 T garlic scapes, sliced thin
1 T mint, as chiffonade
1 T butter, melted + more for greasing
salt, pepper per taste
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease the bottom of a 8 inch oven proof pan with a butter. Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, butter and garlic scape slices. Arrange one layer of overlapping slices of potato at the bottom and season with salt. Pour 1/3 of the egg mixture evenly over the potatoes. Sprinkle some mint over them. Repeat to make two more layers ending with the egg layer.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes. At the end of it, the egg should have just cooked on top. Move the pan to the top rack and continue baking for another 5 or so minutes until the top is just golden.
Remove and cool for two minutes, slice and serve immediately. I imagine this will be good reheated too, since that is how it was served on flight! :)
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Velveteers was started by Aparna, Asha, Alessio and Pam, who are passionate about different cuisines and food in general. Each month, we will attempt a new dish and share our experiences and the recipes we used. If you’re interested in joining the Velveteers, please feel free to drop by our food blogs and leave a comment and drop me a line at asha@forkspoonnknife.com.
Do, check out what the other Velveteers have created:
Alessio - http://recipetaster.blogspot.com/
Aparna - http://www.mydiversekitchen.com/