My favorite elective in high school was horticulture. I was the captain of my motley crew of agronomists, consisting of the “stoners” of my class who were hoping for an easy way to skate through their senior year. I, however, took my role seriously. Clipboard in hand, I would peruse the crops, assign tasks and take notes. Occasionally, I would encounter a sneakily planted pot seed, and “weeding” took on a whole different meaning. But we had fun, and sometimes I granted permission for a scraggly marijuana plant to grow, if only to see our teacher, Mr Kinsella, blow his top.

Most of all, I loved watching the broccoli plants grow. They would tower over the rest of the rows of vegetables, stalks sweet and tender. I loved the simplicity of their survival: plant, water, flourish. How could something so easy be so delicious? I hope that you’ll find this frittata as effortless and rewarding.

Broccoli, Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Frittata

Serves 4

2 cups of broccoli florets

8 eggs (or 4 whole eggs and 6 egg whites)

1 tablespoon butter

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

salt and pepper

Heat broiler. Fill a small sauce pan with water and a few pinches of salt, then bring to a boil. Prepare a bowl with ice and water. Put the broccoli in the boiling water and blanch until vivid green, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath until chilled. Drain well.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk until whites and yolks are well combined. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Heat a 10-inch nonstick, stovetop-to-oven (one without a plastic handle that may melt in the broiler) skillet over medium heat, and melt the butter in the pan. Add the shallots and thyme and cook them until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes and heat through, about a minute, then add eggs. Distribute the vegetable mixture evenly through the egg mix, then let eggs set, about 1 minute. Using a flexible silicone spatula, lift the edges of the set eggs, allowing the uncooked eggs to run beneath them, and cook for another minute. Sprinkle the goat cheese evenly on top of the eggs.

Place the skillet under the broiler and continue to cook eggs until they are set, fluffy, golden, and the cheese has melted, about 3 minutes. Remove the frittata from the oven, cool slightly and cut into wedges for serving.