Pearl Onion and Haricot Vert Frittatina

Dear Devon,

I read a lot of cookbooks, food blogs, and food sections of various major newspapers. You could say I read a lot of recipes and even more opinions about food. But what happens when you abandon the written word for intuition and casual cooking? The answer is kitchen magic and a darned good meal.

Thomas Keller’s recipe for creamed pearl onions has been swimming around in my head. In the past, I never bothered with pearl onions. The tedium of removing skins from onions smaller than gumballs was enough to make me shelve any thoughts of pearl onions. I must have been in a good mood, because today it didn’t seem like that big a deal.

Waiting for my turn at the grocer, I saw a rectangular box, neatly packed with short, matchstick-thin green beans. I always go to the market with a rough shopping list. There is always room for unusual or seasonal fruits that might catch my eye. In this case, I decided on the spur of the moment that these unimposing legumes would pair nicely with butter braised pearl onions.

My loose dinner plan centered on leftovers with a side dish of braised pearl onions and legumes. However, as the temperature in the apartment was on the chilly side, there was a request for something that required oven cooking. I abandoned my plan and converted my braised veggies into a quick frittata. The addition of four eggs and a splash of milk transformed this aromatic side into a rustic main course.


Measuring just short of an inch thick, I dubbed it a frittatina. Tucked into their egg blanket, the fat pearl onions charmed me. Hard crackers served as our carbohydrate for the meal. The wheat based crackers, crunchy and inflected with the earthy taste of unrefined grain, made a nice contrast to the succulent pearl onions and the creaminess of the eggs.

While I love following a battle-tested recipe, it is always reassuring to know that some of the most satisfying meals do not require the consultation of long texts, complicated techniques, or unusual ingredients.


Pearl Onion and Haricot Vert Frittatina
(serves 2 comfortably)

½ cup pearl onions, roughly 16 onions
about 30 thin haricots verts
4 eggs
¼ cup milk
½ tbsp butter
1 sprig rosemary
shaved parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

Bring a large pot of water to bowl. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Using a sharp knife, remove the ends of the haricots verts. Add pearl onions to boiling water and cook for about two minutes. Add haricots verts to the boiling water and onions. Cook for one minute more. Remove onions and haricots verts and quickly dunk into icy water. Let sit for thirty seconds to one minute. Strain and remove haricots verts to an awaiting bowl. Carefully slip the brown skins off the onions to reveal the opaque white flesh. Set aside in a separate bowl.

In a medium-sized nonstick pan, melt butter. Strip leaves from rosemary and add to melting butter. The entire kitchen will start to smell of nutty butter and fragrant rosemary. When the butter begins to brown, add the skinned pearl onions. Braise over a low flame for approximately 10 minutes, until the onions are nicely browned and slightly golden. Add haricots verts, cooking for an additional two to three minutes, just to give the greens a touch of color.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs with milk and two large pinches of salt. Pour beaten eggs into the skillet of browned onions and haricots verts. Gently cook the eggs for three minutes over a low flame. Place in the oven to continue cooking. Bake for approximately 7 to 10 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the eggs have just set. Be careful not to overcook, as this will produce a rubbery texture. With a vegetable peeler, shave large ribbons of parmesan cheese directly over the hot frittatina.

Four Onion Frittata

Dear Devon,

Did you know that within the Allium genus, there are over 600 types of onions? Not all of them are edible or easily found. In fact, only a handful are cultivated (chives, scallions, garlic, shallots, onions, and leeks). The tasty five onion pizza at Porchetta inspired me to think about onions. The pizza isn't exactly made with five onions, but rather five types of onions. I loved this idea and borrowed it for my frittata.


Saturdays are my days for eggy breakfasts. I love soft scrambled eggs with whole grain toast. But with the taste of five onion pizza still on my mind, I tested my own multiple onion variation. My big concern was too much onion flavor, so I chose softer, sweeter onions: sweet yellow onion, leeks, shallots and scallions. This is breakfast after all. Goat cheese seemed an obvious choice. It pairs nicely with leeks and eggs- plus what is brunch without goat cheese?

I used a cast iron pan because I wanted that lovely brown, crisp edge. The size of the pan was perfect. The pan was deep enough to hold all the yummy onions and eggs but also allowed the frittata to puff slightly. The pan needed to be oven proof. I love the feeling of cooking with cast iron. It evokes a rustic, pioneer-like feeling. I felt this was fitting for this dish.


Fresh from the oven, the frittata was beautifully puffed and speckled with varying shades of green and hints of purple. It had formed a wonderful golden crust and the goat cheese was slightly burned. It looked amazing. The recipe called for eight eggs. I worried that with this many eggs, the frittata would turn out rubbery if over-cooked or too dense. Luckily, eight was the perfect number. The texture was fluffy and light, yet without losing that hearty quality of eggs and onions. I ate it piping hot with a piece of toast and some jam. Later, in the afternoon, it made a wonderful cold snack. In Italy, they make sandwiches out of fritattas and two pieces of sliced bread. It might be time for a picnic!


Four Onion Frittata

1 leek (A. ampeloprasum), chopped
1 1/2 shallots (A. oschaninii), sliced
1/2 yellow onion (A. cepa), diced
2 scallions (A. ascalonicum), sliced
8 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
3 oz goat cheese
2 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare leeks by removing the root and trimming the leaves along the stalk where they turn a darker shade of green. Halve the leek along the stalk. Rotate 45 degrees and halve again. Run under some cold water to wash out all the sand. Leeks are grown in sand and can carry a lot of dirt in their leaves. Roughly chop, along with scallions, shallots and white onion.

Over medium flame, melt butter and gently saute onions in a large cast iron pan. It will seem like a lot of onion, but it cooks down. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in salt. When the onions are translucent, add the beaten eggs. Cook gently over medium low flame. The mixture will gradually firm up and the edges will get a bit crusty. Dot with lumps of goat cheese. Place the frittata in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the eggs are set. Set frittata under the broiler to get some nice brown color and some crunchiness. I won't give an estimate for broiler time. I've noticed that broilers vary vastly. Some broilers will absolutely char your food in 30 seconds (my mother's super high powered oven does that) while in others, the broiler can be on for five minutes with no effect.