Tuscan Kale Frittata

The variety of greens at farmers' markets and in some stores is very impressive this season. Among them, particularly kale is the one that comes in many leaf shapes and colors I did not know before.

Given all the healthy properties of kale I have been trying to incorporate it into may family's daily diet for a long time. But it is not easy to find a really good way of preparing kale so it does not change color too much or become too dry.

Each week when I buy kale at my market I listen to people exchanging recipes while digging in kale bunches. So far I heard about kale soup or kale served with spaghetti in tomato sauce. But a combination of kale and cooked tomatoes is not my favorite. So inspired by the Italian cuisine where kale is very popular I decided to make a simple kale frittata, without too many additional ingredients. I bought for that a bunch of Tuscan kale (also known as dinosaur kale) which has large uncurled leaves and silver frost on them.

I did not fry kale as I do sometimes but cooked it in water. Then I mixed it with fried onion, garlic, eggs, and cheese and I baked it in an oven. My frittata came out quite moist and had a very well-defined taste of kale unadulterated by the taste of other ingredients, which only provided a delicate context to it. Last Sunday, I served a leftover slice of this frittata to my friend to try. She enjoyed it a lot and asked for the recipe which I am posting today.

Kale Frittata

Ingredients:
1 large bunch of kale leaves, preferably Tuscan (i.e,. dinosaur) type,
1 medium onion chopped,
3 garlic cloves, sliced,
4 medium eggs,
1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese,
1 cup Fontina or any well melting cheese, grated,
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
2 tbsp bread crumbs,
1 tbsp butter,
salt and pepper.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease a 9-inch baking dish with butter and dust with breadcrumbs so the bottom and the wall are covered.
3. Boil water in a large pot. Add whole kale leaves and bring it to boil. Let it boil on a small heat for about 3 minutes. Drain. When cold chop roughly.
4. In a medium frying pan, heat the oil. Add chopped onion and fry until transparent. Add sliced garlic and fry for another minute. Turn off the heat off and add kale. Mix all the ingredients.

5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with ricotta. Add grated Fontina and kale. Mix well. Transfer to a baking dish and bake about for about 30 minutes, until top is set and slightly gold.
6. Serve immediately with tomato salad and baguette.