Hey Frittata, I'm gonna beet you up!

You heard me. Frittata, it's about time you got a shakedown. For too long you've been relying on spring vegetables and goat cheese and roasted red peppers. Why not embrace the dark, (calcium)-rich, magenta side of life? You've been satisfying yuppie taste buds for so long with your creamy, overly sweet and fluffy flavors. Get with the bitterness, man. Let it out.

And you, beet greens. Stop diving into the compost bin before your south-of-the-border counterparts can leave their (hand-staining) mark. Stick around and live up to the reputation of your admirable cousin, chard. (Don't try to pick a fight with the Swiss one, though). Live a little. Mix it up, outside the context of garden juice.

This frittata is not nearly as sassy as I wish it were but it's definitely delicious, and you'll now have something to do with all those beet greens. Since I know you all roast your own beets. Cuz, you know, how can you recreate that ubiquitous goat cheese (there it is again!), beet, spinach and candied walnut salad at home?

Beet Greens, Ricotta and Parmesan Frittata

Beet greens from a bunch of 3-4 beets, fat stems discarded, washed and drying while you prep the other ingredients
1 shallot or 1/4 of a red onion, very thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
olive oil
3/4 - 1 cup fresh ricotta
4 eggs, or up to 6 if you really love eggs
1/4 cup milk or soy milk or cream if you want to go down that road
1/2 cup or more freshly grated Parmesan

Grab a few washed beet greens, roll them up like a cigar and julienne cut from end to end. You are essentially shredding the greens in a very easy way. (Anyone who has been to Brazil, this is how you do couve). Repeat until they are all shredded. Heat some olive oil in a pan and let the shallot warm in the oil. When it starts to sizzle, soften and brown, add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the beet greens, sprinkle with salt and give them a stir.

While the greens are softening up, beat the eggs with the milk in a bowl until pretty frothy and well mixed. Stir the greens after breaking every few eggs. When the greens are cooked but not completely killed (i.e., not like southern collards), turn off the heat and stir in the ricotta. Let the greens cool a bit, then combine with the eggs and pour into a small greased baking dish. Small = 8"x8" at max. If you want a bigger frittata, just double everything, or use a lot more eggs for a much eggier and less vegetablely frittata.

Sprinkle the entire top with grated Parmesan. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes and lower the heat to 350 and bake for about 45. The frittata is done when the top is puffy and browned and a knife inserted comes out relatively clean (not liquid-covered). The frittata will collapse but is delicious warm, cold or reheated.