Let’s talk for a second about excess.
We have a great debate in our house about how much is too much.
The conversation usually comes up when we are eating crackers and dip.
While Rob is constantly in pursuit of the perfect bite making sure he has the exact ratio of cracker to dip. I use my cracker as a means to scooping up a huge amount of whatever tasty goodness we’re snacking on.
He thinks I’m crazy and I think he’s crazy.
This approach of no amount is too much prevailed during my early cooking days, but I’ve slowly learned that sometimes you CAN have too much of a good thing.
I went over the edge with this dish. While the original recipe called for 1 cup of asparagus, I threw the whole pound on there. Oops.
The pro? You’ve got a whole lot of yummy roasted asparagus to nosh on.
The con? You can’t see the farinata underneath.
I’d say the pro outweighs the con.
Asparagus, Tomato and Onion Farinata
barely adapted from Cooking Light.
Ingredients
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3/4 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound asparagus, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons parmigiano reggiano, grated
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°
Combine tomatoes, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon rosemary, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl, toss to coat. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast 10 minutes. Stir mixture and roast another 10 minutes. Set aside.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Whisk together 1 cup water, flour, 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining 2 teaspoons rosemary, salt, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth and let stand 30 minutes.
Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in oven.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil and swirl to coat. Add onion and stir. Cover and cook for 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon red pepper. Cook, uncovered, 18 minutes or until onions are golden, stirring frequently. During the last minute, add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat and stir in asparagus.
Carefully remove cast-iron skillet from oven. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat. Stir batter once and pour into skillet. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes.
Remove skillet from oven and top evenly with onion mixture and tomatoes. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake an additional 12 minutes or until center of dough is set. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Cut into 4 wedges.
Serves 4.
