Frittata of Yellow Potatoes and Asparagus

1 1/4 lbs. small Yukon gold or Dutch yellow potatoes
1 lb. green asparagus
2 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill weed
8 large eggs

Cut the potatoes in half and slice them 1/3" thick. Steam the potatoes, lightly salted, for ten minutes. Break off the tough ends of the asparagus and slice the stalks on a slant into pieces one inch long. Reserve the tips seperately.

Heat 1 1/2 Tbs. of the oil in a large non-stick skillet, and sauté the onions in it for 5-7 minutes. Add the asparagus stalks and sauté for another minute. Add the steamed potatoes, stir gently, and keep cooking, covered, for another 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with a bit of salt, the lemon zest, and the dill weed. Add the vegetables to the eggs and stir gently.

Heat the remaining oil in a 12" non-stick skillet and pour in the egg and vegetable mixture. Flatten it with a spatula and make sure the potatoes and asparagus pieces are evenly distributed. Arrange the reserved asparagus tips randomly over the top.

Cover the skillet and cook on very low heat for about fifteen minutes, or until the eggs are set on top. Slide the frittata out onto a lid or a plate and invert it back into the pan. Cook another one or two minutes only, just enough to make the top golden. Invert the frittata onto a serving platter.

Serve the frittata hot or at room temperature, cut in wedges.

Serves 6-8.

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 evelopes dry yeast (1/2 oz.)
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 - 3 1/2 cups white flour
6 Tbs. olive oil
2 - 3 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup slivered Kalamata olives
cornmeal for the pans
optional: coarse salt

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the sugar and leave it for ten to fifteen minutes, until it starts to foam. Stir in the salt, a bit of the flour, four tablespoons of the olive oil, the rosemary and the olives. Then start adding in the remaining flour, one scoop at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon.

Turn the dough out on a well-floured board, sprinkle more flour on top of it, and knead it gently for seven to eight minutes, working in as much more flour as you need to keep it from sticking. When the dough is smooth and elastic, form it into a ball and put it into a large, oiled bowl, turning it once to coat it. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave it in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes to an hour, until it has approximately doubled in volume.

Punch the dough down and divide it in two. Form each half into a smooth ball, then roll out the ball into an oval about 12 x 15 inches and transfer it to a baking sheet that you have sprinkled with cornmeal.

You can leave your flatbreads, or foccacias, plain, you can dimple them with your fingertips, or cut shallow criss-cross slashes in the tops with a sharp knife. If your baking sheets are large, you can make several short crosswise cuts right through the loaves and then gently pull them apart to make slight gaps where you have cut. Brush the loaves lightly with the remaining olive oil and, if you like, sprinkle them with coarse salt. Cover them with kitchen towels, and let rise again for about twenty minutes, until they begin to look puffed and soft.

Bake the flatbreads at 425° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are golden on top and sound hollow when the bottom is tapped. Serve them warm if you can - they are fabulous when they're fresh out of the oven. They can be cut in squares to serve, but I like to lay a whole foccacia directly on the tablecoth and let everyone tear pieces off.

Makes two loaves.