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A Cake for the Mayor

Since this shelter-in-place began in March, I have been frantic about getting tested. I knew it might not do much good, but without there being more testing there is no way of knowing how many people are sick.

But a couple of weeks ago, Groton paired with PhysiciansOne Urgent Care to test 200 people who would, online, answer questions and give their insurance numbers, a credit card, and their social security number. I did it, even though I was nervous about it. After I was accepted. I called our mayor, Patrice Granatosky, and asked if I’d done the right thing. She called me back a few minutes and said the company was a good one and was sure everything was fine.

I did get tested in my car at the high school at 9 a.m. on Sunday. It was just the nasal swab, not the finger stick that would tell me if I had had the virus, but something is better than nothing. There were no lines, it took no more than 30 seconds, and I will get the results in a few days.

But here is the great thing about living in this city. I told Patrice I had gloves (when I cut hot peppers I wear disposable gloves, so whenever I have a doctor’s visit, I nab a few to take home), but I had ordered masks two weeks before and that my California daughter was sending me one, but I didn’t have a single one to use. Half an hour later, Patrice called me from my condo’s parking lot; she had found a mask her neighbor made. Who has a mayor who would go out of her way to do that, I ask. I gave her a banana cake with candied ginger, hazelnuts, and chocolate chips.

Let’s face it, that’s all I can really do: bake and cook. I found this recipe in an advertisement for Kohl’s. I am looking for lots of food that contain vegetables and protein. I had lots of eggs, grape tomatoes (love ’em), potatoes, and asparagus. I think it will feed four, but I ate it in two days.

Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.

Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Frittata

Ingredients

1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound asparagus spears, cooked

2 shallots, finely chopped (I used Vidalia onion)

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cut, cooked*

10 eggs

4 ounces shredded Parmesan, Romano, or Gruyère

Preheat oven to 425. Toss tomatoes with oil and salt. Spread onto a sheet pan and roast until blistered, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350.

Reserve 1 spear of asparagus. Chop remaining into ½-inch pieces. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add shallots and a little salt. Cook until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Add chopped asparagus and potatoes.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a little salt and pepper. Pour into skillet. Stir until eggs thicken. Top with tomatoes and reserved tomatoes and reserved asparagus spear. Bake in oven 14 to 16 minutes. Top with cheese and cut into wedges.

*I might use frozen hash browns, instead, and cook them with the shallots.