King kale gratin

I tried this for the first time last night and started a whole new love affair with kale: I used curly (Riverford organic kale is quite honestly the best I’ve ever tasted) but you can use any kale you like. The great revelation for me was the crispy topping created by the alchemy of kale and cheese – absolutely delicious. If your family are not Brussels sprouts lovers, this would make an delicious, quick and easy addition to the Christmas table. Some pre-cooked lardons tossed in with the layers would add an extra festive touch. And adding an egg to the cream would elevate the whole dish to a meal in itself. Anyway, I digress…

Ingredients

• Lots of Kale
• Lots of cream
• Plenty of cheese

Method

After washing the Kale I shook it dry and piled it high (the poetry is free!!) in an ovenproof dish. Then I poured cream over the top of this – approx 1 cup of cream to 1 head of kale – and seasoned it with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. I liberally covered the top with 3mm slices of mature cheddar (though I’m sure lots of different cheeses would work well – I’m thinking Emmental, Stilton, Wensleydale) and put it in the oven on 180′ to bubble and bake for 20 minutes. I served it with grilled salmon and we loved it! It’s a flexible recipe so serving sizes vary depending on what else you’re eating with it. However much you make, I doubt there’ll be much left over – and it takes only a couple of minutes to prepare. —- This recipe is so hot off the press, it was published yesterday by food52.com and attributed to ReneeErickson – both worth checking out. I was so excited that I didn’t remember to take a photo so I’ve taken the images from the Food 52 site too.