Cavolo Nero Gratin
If I’m going to convince you to buy anything for your kitchen I hope it’s a gratin dish. It’s an amazing investment that will make you a more versatile cook, as you can “gratin” just about anything. Just pour some oil and/or cream over leftover vegetables, meat, or fish; top with bread crumbs and grated cheese; bake it in the oven; and voilà!, it’s a gratin. This one in particular takes kale and a can of beans and makes a near-certain crowd-pleaser for any group. The hero is most likely the crème fraîche, but the gratin dish helps, too (I promise, it’s worth it).
Ingredients
Serves 2 to 4 as a main, 4 to 6 as a side
- Butter for coating
- Salt
- 2 bunches cavolo nero Lacinato or Tuscan kale, tough stems discarded
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup crème fraîche
- 2 ounces Gruyère cheese finely grated
- 1 tablespoon untoasted dried bread crumbs
Instructions
It helps to know: This recipe requires an 8 by 12-inch gratin dish.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Coat your gratin dish with butter.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat.
- Once boiling, add a pinch of salt.
- Dunk the kale in the boiling water for 2 minutes to blanch.
- Drain and cool on a cutting board.
- Shake out any excess water and coarsely chop into bite-size pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the kale, beans, garlic, black pepper, and a pinch each of cayenne and salt until combined.
- Spread the mixture across the bottom of the gratin dish.
- Scoop the crème fraîche into even dollops on top of the kale.
- Top with the Gruyère, then sprinkle on the bread crumbs.
- Bake until the kale is soft and the Gruyère is brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the dish from your oven and let the gratin rest for 10 minutes before serving.