It is essentially an open-faced omelette, and omelettes are cooked differently around the world. In Italian cuisine where cooking an omelette begins on the stovetop and finishes in the oven, it’s a frittata. That might be an over-simplification of what a frittata really is in Italian cooking but, in the English-speaking world, that would be the best way to make this dish understandable.
If you’re not a fan of kale, know that almost any leafy vegetable with low moisture content can be substituted. If using a vegetable with high moisture content (cabbage or spinach, for instance), you will need to cook it on the stovetop longer to allow the water to evaporate. Otherwise, the frittata will be soggy.
As for the salami, you can substitute chopped sausages (Spanish-style chorizo will be especially good), salty ham or bacon. You’ll have to precook the bacon though if that’s what you want to use.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan divided
- ¼ cup shredded sharp Cheddar
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil not extra virgin
- 1 medium onion peeled and chopped
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup chopped salami
- 4 cups thinly sliced kale leaves only
Instructions
- Preheat the oven (top heat only) to 400F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half of the Parmesan and all of the Cheddar with a generous pinch of salt and a regular pinch of pepper. Set aside.
- In a frying pan that can go into the oven (no plastic parts!), heat the olive oil.
- Saute the onion until softened.
- Add the salami and garlic, and continue sauteeing until the reddish oil of the salami has mixed into the onion and garlic bits.
- Throw in the kale, sprinkle in a bit of salt and pepper (how much depends on how salty and spicy your salami is) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is quite dry.
- Pour in the egg and cheese mixture and stir well.
- Allow the eggs to partially cook (edges firm but center still jiggly).
- Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top of the torta and transfer to the preheated oven.
- Let the torta finish cooking in the oven until the top is lightly browned and crisp, about 15 minutes.
- Take the cheesy kale torta out of the oven, slice into wedges and serve while hot.
