Asparagus frittata

Asparagus is my favorite vegetable, after artichokes. Whenever I see it on sale, I go for it, as it is one of the more expensive veggies.

Now. When I get my fresh bunch of asparagus home, this is what I do. First comes the asparagus risotto, using only the tips and parts of the stalk nearest the tips.

After that you have the problem of what to do with the rest of it. In my experience, a good rule of thumb is that if you can still easily break off pieces of the stalk with your hands, it's still tender and edible.

So I took the remaining stalks left over from my risotto of the other day. Broke them into pieces slightly less than an inch (about two centimeters, for the furriners out there). Any bits that were resistant to breaking I threw out.

In the morning, I had already put out four eggs, as I make frittata and omelette with eggs at room temperature. This is not absolutely necessary, but I do it.

I preheated my broiler, because I come from the school of those who broil the top of the frittata rather than flippin' it.

Now. I microwave my asparagus. That's right. Put the bits into the ole microwave at one-minute increments and zap 'em. They should retain their vivid green color and pleasant grassy smell, or else you've gone too far. Move 'em around in between zappin' to cook evenly. If you're feeling particularly insecure that day, make it 30-second increments. Have a knife with a sharp point to test for tenderness.

Thinly slice one fourth of an onion.

Now you've got your asparagus and onion. Get a medium-sized non-stick pan. Cover with olive oil and heat. Beat your eggs with salt and freshly ground pepper, add a small splash of milk if desired. Lightly saute' the onion in the olive oil; do not brown. Mix in asparagus with eggs, drop into hot pan. Add freshly grated parmesan and fresh minced parsley (optional); swirl to cover pan and cook evenly. When almost set, manually place under broiler to cook top.

Mighty fine eatin'.

Do not forget that frittata can be eaten warm or at room temperture. Frittata, like Spanish tortilla, is cut into wedges and can be eaten as a snack or even in a sandwich with crunchy bread.

Word of the week- quaresima

Our word of the week is quaresima, the Italian word for Lent. This is the period preceding Easter, which celebrates what Christians believe is the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth after his crucifixion. Today, Tuesday, is martedi' grasso (Fat Tuesday, or mardi gras in French), the day before Ash Wednesday (mercoledi' delle ceneri). The reason these peeps in historically Catholic countries or cities (like Brazil or New Orleans) like to carry on like there's no tomorrow is that during Lent you are supposed to give up stuff, especially yummy stuff like meat. Since Catholics knew that a period of deprivation was around the corner, they went hog wild just before the beginning of Lent, with Ash Wednesday being the first day of deprivation. So the period before Lent is a time of compensatory celebration, called Carnevale in Italy. The word Carnevale apparently comes from the Latin carnem levare, to take away meat. In fact, historically Catholics gave up meat and other pleasing stuff during this period. A kind of Christian Ramadan. You may still see Catholics with a smudge of ashes on their forehead tomorrow. Do not be culturally insensitive and ask them if they haven't washed their face.

You may have noticed the word quaresima is similar to the word quaranta, forty. In fact, Lent is about forty days. At the end of which we have Easter, and springtime.

Time interviews Mario Monti

Time magazine has Mario Monti on the cover of the current issue, with the provocative title, "why Mario Monti is the most important man in Europe." Above is the interview that accompanies the article, in which you can see that Monti has an excellent command of our fair language, albeit with a marked accent. The most significant part to me is when he agrees that Italians must make structural changes in their cultural and social life to effect economic improvement, instead of projecting all their faults onto government. This tendency is so widespread that there is an old saying: "Piove, governo ladro." It's raining, the government is crooked. Although right about now they're blaming the government for the snow, not the rain.

Unfortunately, the article is available online only to Time subscribers, drats. I'll have to read it in the library. In the meantime, Monti met with Obama in Washington today, receiving lavish praise from the Prez.

Pizza with French fries topping (!)

Yes, this actually exists. And what is more horrifying is that it exists in... Italy.

When I first heard of it, I thought they were talking about pizza with a side of fries. Which would be bad enough. But noooooooo. The French fries are on top. Even worse, there is a variant (or let's call it a mutation) with fries and hot dogs (as seen in the alarming photo).

It shouldn't come as a surprise that this is well-beloved of teenagers. But it certainly doesn't bode well for the future of Italian cuisine, if this is what the young people like.

It may seem counterintuitive, but potatoes are not bad at all on pizza as a topping. But I like them thinly sliced and roasted, with other veggies and olive oil.

Che freddo!

It's very, very cold in Italy, with a foot or more of snow in some places, and a frozen lagoon in Venice. Italy is of course unprepared for what is normal New England weather, so everything is snarled up, with trains blocked, roads closed, schools out for days on end, and more chaos than the regular everyday confusion you already have in the bel paese. We seem to be having an Italian winter here in Boston (so far), very little snow and mild temps. Role reversal.

The weather is bad throughout Europe, causing even the famous little boy in Brussels to temporarily stop peeing. You'd think he'd put a jacket on.