There’s been a steady stream of turnips in the share boxes lately, Hakurei turnips are a mild variety that work well in salads, stir-fries, and even eggs. The Hakurei turnips are pleasant and mild. They are also surprisingly versatile and pair well here with hearty kale and fresh local eggs. I picked up some really nice organic eggs at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. I have noticed that all over central New York and other places too, it is fairly easy to find local eggs if you look. Check your local coop or natural food store, it really is worth it. These eggs were a lovely oval shape and the yolks were a rich deep yellow, almost orange. I often turn to frittata for Sunday brunch or a quick weeknight dinner. The base of this recipe (8 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, salt + pepper) can be used with any variety of sauteed veggies, cheese, and fresh herbs.
This dish comes together fairly quickly by cooking down a base of onions and turnips to draw out moisture and then browning them. I started with 2 tablespoons of butter. (you could use less) Cast iron skillets work great for frittata, if you don’t have one use a stainless steel saute pan that can go from stovetop to oven.
On to the greens. Wash the leaves thoroughly then remove stems and shred. To do this I always roll up the leaves into a bundle and slice as thin as I can. Greens are very hearty, and to work in something like a frittata or quiche they need to be sliced thin and sauteed first. Once the veggies are prepped the eggs are beaten with milk, salt + pepper. This frittata is layered with the cheese on top and finished in the oven. Perfect by itself or with a simple salad.
Kale and Turnip Frittata
2 large turnips shredded
1/2 bunch of greens like kale, mustard greens, or arugula sliced into shreds
8 fresh local eggs
1/4 cup whole milk, cream, or 1/2 & 1/2
1/2 cup (large handful) shredded white cheddar or other mild cheese
2 minced cloves garlic
1/2 minced onion
2-3 tablespoons butter
Prepare the turnips. Preheat the oven to 425. Start by shredding two turnips with a box grater or food processor with a shredding blade. These turnips have a lot of moisture so the first step is cooking them down. I started with 2 tablespoons of butter. (you could use less) Melt the butter over medium heat. Add half a minced onion, the shredded turnips, about a 1/2 tsp sea salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix evenly then use a spatula to flatten, cook for two minutes, turn over, and flatten again. Repeat this 2-3 times until there is a lot of water surrounding the turnips. Carefully pour the water off. Flatten the mixture one last time and cook until it starts to brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Prepare the greens. Wash leaves thoroughly. Remove stems, roll into a tight bundle, and slice finely into shreds. In the same pan the turnips were in add a dash of olive oil or butter and briefly saute` the garlic over medium heat, then add the kale. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cover 3-5 minutes until the kale starts to break down. Remove from pan.
While the kale is cooking. Beat the 8 eggs in a stand mixer or by hand with the 1/4 cup of milk. Add a sprinkle of salt + pepper (this flavors the whole dish and table-side salting should not be necessary)
Cook the frittata. Add a smidge more butter to the pan (about 1/2 tablespoon), melt over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring briefly, until beginning to set, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Spoon the turnip mixture evenly over the eggs. Top with kale, then the cheese. Bake at 425 degrees until egg is set, about 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, cut into wedges and serve.
