I like attractive food. I like bringing a dish to the table that elicits an anticipatory sigh of happiness. Sure, I love homely-looking dishes too, like this wild rice casserole, or these stuffed mushrooms I can’t seem to take a good picture of (and so aren’t yet posted).

I love the look of these eggs with bright, healthy greens throughout and wrinkled, vibrant tomatoes on top. Our farmer’s market opening day isn’t until May, so I’ll have to wait for local asparagus until then. But in the meantime, this spring veggie is available at an affordable price at the local grocery.

Swiss Chard, Asparagus + Leek Frittata with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

1 TBSP olive oil, divided
1 medium leek, washed and sliced into half moons (white and light green parts only)
1 small bunch swiss chard, washed, de-stemmed and sliced into small ribbons (2 1/2 – 3 cups)
1 small bunch asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
8 eggs
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 tsp cayenne
sea salt + pepper to taste
1/3 – 1/2 cup feta cheese
10 – 15 cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 1/2 TBSP of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add your leeks and saute, stirring until starting to soften, about 3 min. Add your swiss chard ribbons, and saute for another 3 minutes, until wilted. Remove from pan and set aside.

Warm up the other 1/2 TBSP of olive oil in the same pan and add your asparagus. Saute until just tender, about 3 – 5 minutes. I always sample one to be sure, as asparagus can vary in widths. You don’t want it to be fully soft, and you don’t want it to have a hard crunch when you bite in to it. Watch it closely, and aim for just tender.

Set asparagus aside with the leeks and swiss chard to let cool a bit.

Slice all of your grape/cherry tomatoes in half.

Whisk your eggs and half-and-half together. Add the cayenne, salt and pepper, and incorporate fully. Add the asparagus, leeks and swiss chard to the egg mixture and stir together.

Pour the eggs + greens mixture into a greased 8″ square dish. Top with crumbled feta, spreading evenly over the surface. Top with your tomatoes, all of them seeds side up. Carefully transfer your dish to the oven (the feta and tomatoes will move around quite a bit if you’re not careful).

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the frittata is starting to brown a bit at the edges, and the center is no longer jiggly. (It can be soft, but not runny.)

Happy spring!