Asparagus & Prawn Frittata

There are fewer pleasures greater than the arrival of the first British asparagus. And as with much of life, simplest is often best. Steamed (never boiled, please), grilled, barbecued, baked. With melted butter or Hollandaise sauce, with lemon juice, with Parmesan shavings, with a poached egg. All the obvious ways, but no less delicious for being straightforward.

From a food columnist's point of view, however, it's a bit like recurring festivals such as Christmas or Easter. After a number of years you run out of things to write about. To save you searching, I've listed below links to some of the recipes I've posted in years gone by. Today's is just a little idea of my own, and rather fine it was too.

My fishmonger in Inverkeithing stocks large bags of frozen prawns, shelled and allegedly deveined. They are big  - at least 5cm - and nicely firm when cooked, so they don't disintegrate. Yes, they do come from Vietnam but, most importantly of all, they have terrific flavour. Remember Julia Child's strict criterion for food from a couple of weeks ago.

I think an Italian cook would insist that a frittata should be turned over in the cooking process. I don't because I want a softer result. I like to finish the cooking under the grill and serve in wedges from the pan. Unlike a classical omelette, which is cooked over a very high heat, do this over a slightly lower flame (in my case 7/9 on the induction hob) and take off the heat while it is still a little soft. There is no point in my insisting on precise ingredients*. It will depend on the size of your prawns, and how hungry/greedy you are.

Ingredients (serves 2)

8 raw prawns (but see above*); 8 asparagus spears; 6 eggs; 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; generous grating of Parmesan - at least 30g; olive oil and butter for cooking; s & p.

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In the frying pan in which you will eventually make the frittata, cook the prawns in the oil and garlic over a medium heat. You want them barely cooked. Set to one side. Remove any garlic from the pan, but otherwise don't clean it.

Steam the asparagus until al dente and remove. When cool enough to handle cut the prawns into chunks. Cut the asparagus into pieces about 2cm long, setting the tips to one side. You can do this in advance.

When you're ready to go, preheat your grill. Beat the eggs in a jug and season with s & p. Melt a couple of good chunks of butter in the pan then add the eggs. Stir until they are beginning to solidify, then spread the prawns and asparagus evenly throughout, reserving the tips. When the mixture is nearly cooked through, arrange the asparagus tips artfully (ha!) around the outside.

Scatter the Parmesan over the top. If you're still being artful, and plan to post a photo on Instagram, or take the pan to the table, leave the asparagus tips visible. Otherwise it doesn't matter a docken. Put under a hot grill until the cheese has melted.

Asparagus with Iberico Ham, Jersey Royals and Poached Duck Egg; Asparagus Soup; Asparagus and Gruyere Flan; Pine Nut Roulade with Asparagus and Hollandaise

Tom Cooks! will be back in a fortnight