Kale Frittata, Fancy Flipping Optional

Kale Frittata with Quinoa-Flax Bread

Sometimes it's nice to have breakfast foods for dinner.  It doesn’t matter if the dishes are savory or sweet; the feeling of casual comfort is the same.  The dark side of enjoying hearty breakfast foods at any time of day is all the baggage that comes with them in the form of longstanding dietary guidelines warning us against excessive consumption of cholesterol and sweets.  That takes care of eggs, pancakes, waffles, maple syrup, bacon, sausage, biscuits, ham, butter, grits, preserves, scones, doughnuts, hash browns, etc.—pretty much the entire Cracker Barrel menu.

Consumption in moderate amounts seems to be our problem in the U.S., not the foods themselves.  In a brief news report published on the NY Times "Well" blog this week, the “Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee” revisits the restrictions previously recommended regarding eggs and shrimp, stating that the data regarding cholesterol do not support limiting intake.  So now there’s no need to feel guilty about eating eggs once in a while.  However, the report does include a stern mandate regarding our outrageous sugar intake.  Here’s the link if you'd like to read more: 
Nutrition Panel Calls for Less Sugar and Eases Cholesterol and Fat Restrictions

People generally seem to be firmly pro or con when it comes to eating eggs.  I can’t think of anyone who has a take-it-or-leave-it attitude on the subject.  I grew up in a house divided; my father refused to eat eggs of any kind and my mother really loved them.  Michel’s egg recollections are closely tied to his mother’s limited culinary skills (noted in a previous post), including her uncanny ability to ruin a boiled egg.  He told me about their Easter family tradition that allowed each person to consume as many eggs as he or she wanted, cooked any way he or she would like—hard-boiled, soft-boiled, or fried.  So, young Michel quickly realized that he needed to cook his own eggs to his liking; by the age of eight he knew how to heat butter in a skillet and how to flip a fried egg perfectly.  He would proudly place his yummy fried egg on a slice of bread and eat it with a knife and fork. 

It’s this nascent egg-flipping skill that Michel recently employed to make his kale frittata recipe. He didn’t set out to make a frittata when putting together the ingredients for this dish.  We labeled it as such only after careful deliberation and some Google searching at the dinner table.  It was one of those winter evenings when you don’t feel like going out and you cook what you have on hand.  In this case it was eggs, kale, onion, and parsley.  

Based on what I’ve read about the dish, this impromptu approach typifies everything a frittata is supposed to be. There’s even an Italian expression to describe it: “hai fatto una frittata,” which loosely translates to, “You've made quite a mess.” That could easily apply to lots of situations but it aptly distinguishes the frittata from its uptight cousin, the omelet.  

Frittata comes from the root word meaning “fry” and all ingredients are cooked together.  The omelet is more high maintenance because the filling is added after the eggs have spent some time cooking—no mingling around. 

Now for the flipping part.  Some people cook a frittata on one side only; some people even cook it in the oven.  Some people use a couple of plates to flip it back into the skillet on the uncooked side.  For a very pretty price, Williams-Sonoma will sell you a special set of pans for cooking and flipping a frittata.  

They will even show you how to use it in a (rather boring) video tutorial.  It reminded me of the “Delicious Dish” SNL skit that parodied a public radio call-in cooking show.  Remember Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer hosting the likes of Betty White and Alec Baldwin?  You can find some old videos online if you're in the mood for a laugh. 

Michel does not buy into the idea that you need expensive tools and granite counter tops to make delicious food.  Even the plate-on-the-side frittata flipping method is tantamount to cheating for him.  He used his favorite skillet that he bought at a restaurant supply store years ago and devised a way to flip his frittata using a fish spatula and a regular spatula.  I’m not sure everyone would experience the same outcome using the two-spatula flipping system, but Michel is never one to back away from a challenge.  One of his former violin students describes him as “unflinching” and that’s exactly right.  (Hi, Carlos!)  It’s that same lifelong determination he showed as a young boy who just wanted a decently cooked egg.  

So good luck with your frittata flipping, regardless of your approach.  Your dish will taste delicious no matter what you do. 

To serve two people you will need:

4 eggs

3 stems of kale with leaves stripped and finely chopped

½ onion, cut into very thin slices

a fistful of curly parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried tarragon

 few grinds of black pepper

Heat olive oil in 10” skillet (“hot enough to have a real sizzle going” when you add the onion)

Add onion slices and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until onions are wilted.

Meanwhile, break eggs into bowl or other container then scramble with a whisk.

When the onion slices have wilted, add herbs, kale, and parsley.

Spread kale, herbs, parsley, and onion around in the skillet then pour scrambled eggs over the mixture.

Cover and reduce heat to low for about 10 minutes, give or take.  You are waiting for the eggs to become brown around the edges.

When the eggs have set and the mixture is brown on the sides, use a spatula to pry the eggs loose from the pan “so that it really moves”—no sticking anywhere.  

With a second spatula—preferably a fish spatula—on top and the other spatula underneath, turn the frittata and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side.

Remove from heat to serving plate, cut into four wedges and add salt/pepper to taste.  Eat. 

We devoured the kale frittata along with warm Whole Foods flax-quinoa bread and a kale salad embellished with pomegranate seeds, craisins, and sunflower seeds.