Cheesy Asparagus Sheet Pan Pashtida

The catch-all term for a variety of egg-bound casseroles, the word pashtida carries with it over a thousand years of Jewish history. In her book International Savory Pies, Israeli cookbook writer and food historian Ruth Sirkis traces it all the way back to the Talmud. Later, an agglomeration of terms—the Italian pasticcio, Latin pasticia, and the French and Dutch pastate—were molded into the modern Hebrew word—not that it was so easily welcomed into the Hebrew language. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who codified the modern Hebrew language, disliked pashtidot and refused to put the word in the first Hebrew dictionary. I make this crustless version of the pashtida, filled with asparagus and both sharp kashkaval—a hard cheese with flavors similar to a sharp white Cheddar—and mellow goat cheese, in a shallow, American-style sheet pan. It cooks quickly and evenly. When I’m having friends over, I leave the tray out at room temperature with a knife and let people cut exactly how much they want.

Makes 15 pieces

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing

1 jumbo or 2 medium onions, diced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

16 large eggs

¼ cup heavy cream or half-and-half

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 cups (8 ounces) grated kashkaval or sharp white Cheddar cheese

¾ pound asparagus (longer, thinner stalks are preferable), tough ends snapped off and discarded

1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Grease a 12 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with butter and set aside.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions are lightly golden but not charred in any spots, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the onions from the heat, cool them slightly, then sprinkle the onions evenly over the prepared baking sheet to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Arrange two racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 300°F.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and cream with the thyme and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Scatter 1¾ cups of the kashkaval evenly over the onions, then pour the egg mixture over the cheese, tilting the baking sheet back and forth a bit to evenly distribute the mixture. Arrange the asparagus evenly on top of the mixture however you want to (I like to do them alternating the direction of the tips). Dot with the goat cheese, sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup kashkaval, and bake until the pashtida is set in most parts, but may have a small wet spot or two, 21 to 23 minutes. Turn on the broiler, move the sheet pan to the top third of the oven, and broil until the top is slightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Cut into equal-sized pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.