Frittata with kale and onions

I'm back!  My vacation was splendid and much needed, but it's really good to be home.  I've had my fill of restaurant food and I'm ready to get back to my regular diet.  Luckily, I was able to offset the heavy food with lots of walking around outlet malls and the San Diego Zoo!

Amy gave us a dozen eggs last week (her mom has chickens), so we enjoyed a lovely frittata using some of our CSA items (leeks, green onions, chives, and kale).  I've only made frittatas a handful of times, always following a specific recipe to the letter.  A few weeks ago, however, I made one with Amy and we didn't follow a recipe at all, we just added things we both had on hand and it turned out great!  So for this one I used the same basic method and got a good result this time as well!

To go with the frittata, I roasted some carnival acorn squash from the CSA.  After removing the seeds and peeling it, I cut it into approximately 1/2 inch pieces and tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a couple tablespoons of fresh thyme and oregano.  I roasted them (on a baking sheet lined with foil) at 350 F for about 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until they were nice and tender and starting to brown.  I did this while I was getting everything ready for the frittata.  When they were done, I sprinkled them with parsley and loosely wrapped the foil around them, leaving a couple open places for steam to escape.  That kept them relatively warm while I prepared the frittata (I'm not cool enough to have everything ready at the same time).

Frittata with Kale and Onions
Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons butter
2 small leeks, washed and sliced
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup chives, sliced
4-5 cups kale, chopped or torn into bite-size pieces (don't use the thick stems)
10 eggs, lightly beaten
3-4 tablespoons of milk (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Melt the butter in a large oven proof, nonstick skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add the leeks and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the green onions.  A couple of minutes later, add the chives (the more tender green onions and chives don't need to cook as long as the leeks).  Add the kale and cover with a lid.  The greens will steam and reduce down after a few minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the milk into the eggs if using, and season with salt and pepper.  When the onions and kale are nice and tender, spread them out in an even layer in the pan and then pour the eggs over them.  Lower the heat a bit - you want the egg to cook slowly, if the heat is too high the egg will burn on the bottom.  Let this cook for about 5-10 minutes.  The egg should start to set (the top will still be a little runny).

You can peek at the bottom by using a spatula to gently lift the egg away from the bottom of the pan.  The bottom should be totally set and starting to brown slightly.  When it gets to that point, sprinkle the cheese over the top and put the whole pan into the oven.  Let it cook for 15-20 minutes or so (I honestly don't remember how long ours took exactly, I just kept checking on it every now and then until it looked ready).  The cheese will be bubbling away on top and the egg should look set.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle with parsley if using, let cool for a few minutes, then slice into wedges and serve.