Greek Fritatta with Asparagus and Feta Cheese (Previously Frozen) & Hip Update

Finally something to post about.  I was doing my morning blog reading when one of my regular reads posted a recipe for an asparagus frittata and since our asparagus patch is now producing, I became immediately interested.  As good as it looked, I decided I wanted something using Greek flavors and after a little web search, I settled on a recipe for Greek Omelet with Asparagus And Feta Cheese from All Recipes – I had everything on hand.  The recipe is for omelets but I decided to make it as a frittata so I used the ingredients as listed plus some onion and chopped ham that needed to be used but changed the directions.  The original recipe can be found by clicking on the above link.

Greek Omelet with Asparagus and Feta Cheese – Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 spears fresh asparagus (I used ½ lb. after trimming) 

1/4 cup diced onion (added by Larry)

½ red bell pepper, chopped

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup chopped fresh spinach

1/2 cup chopped Kentucky Legends ham (added by Larry)

½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried basil

salt to taste

2 tablespoons butter

6 large eggs

¼ cup whole milk

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

¼ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Since I don't like to get up and put much effort into breakfast, I prepped everything the day before.

2. Preheat oven to 400F.

3. Heat olive oil in a 10” cast iron skillet over medium heat and stir asparagus, onion, and red bell pepper until the vegetables start to soften, about 3 minutes. 

4. Stir in cherry tomatoes, spinach, garlic, oregano, basil, and S&P and continue cooking until tomatoes are soft and spinach has cooked down, another 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Add the cheddar.

6. Whisk eggs, milk, and S&P in a bowl and pour evenly over the vegetables.  Note the color of the local free range egg yolks.

7. Top with feta cheese and add to oven.

8. Bake 12-15 minutes or until eggs are set.

9. Sprinkle on a little more feta (top photo) cut into wedges, and serve.

The Verdict:

Bev and I thought it was very good and a great use of our asparagus.  The ham added a porky smokiness to the dish but I’m sure it would be equally good without the ham.  I added the onion because I cannot imagine an egg casserole type dish without them.

Frozen Feta

Sam’s club, and maybe others, carries 2½ lb. blocks of feta cheese (Presidents I think) and, due to slow use, we had one go bad and threw most of it away.  After a little research, I learned that feta freezes well so I decided to give it a try.  We bought the large block of Feta, cut it into sizes we would use quickly enough, wrapped it tightly with plastic wrap and froze it.  After using several of our packages, it seems to be just the same as unfrozen in both taste and texture.

Hip Update

I am now 12 days with my new hip and although I can’t recall where I was in my recovery last time, I believe I may be further along therapy wise as I’m doing more exercises and walking on my non-therapy days.  I took my last painkiller a week ago and while there is still a little discomfort, it’s more like an ache than a pain, always good to get off the oxy’s.  I did some grilling the other night and made the above meal – thanks to the countertop, I can move around the kitchen without the walker, except for trips to the fridge.  

I also watched the total hip replacement video on You Tube which I found to be very interesting but with a surprising amount of hammering involved.

 Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

04/23/22 event date