Kale, Mushroom and Onion Gratin

This is a great dish for people who think that they hate greens--it is probably not the way you should eat them everyday, but this is delicious and no one will turn their nose up at it.  Our local Costco has baby kale, and it is so tender and delicious, it makes for delicious greens. 

• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano Regianno
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. kale
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cups milk or cream
• 1 large garlic clove, smashed
• freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
• 1 cups grated gruyere or Swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Rub a 2-quart shallow gratin dish with the butter.

Fill a large Dutch oven or soup pot three-quarters full with water and 2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Add the kale to the boiling water and start timing immediately. Taste a leaf after 4 minutes. It should not be tough or rubbery. If it is, cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Drain the kale in a colander in the sink, and run cool water over it just until it is cool enough to handle. Press down on the kale to remove as much water as possible. Transfer the kale to a mixing bowl by the handful, squeezing each handful again to remove some additional water.

Saute onions and mushrooms.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream and the smashed garlic to a boil, watching it carefully. As soon as it boils (don’t let it boil over), turn the heat down, and simmer the cream for 5 minutes. (It will reduce by about ¼). Take the cream off the heat and season it with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Remove the garlic (or not!).

Add the mushrooms and onions, and the Gruyere or Swiss cheese to the mixing bowl of kale. Loosely toss everything together. Pore cream in and mix, add Parmesan and put in gratin dish. Cover the gratin with the breadcrumbs or matza meal (it is Passover, after all) or panko, spreading it as evenly as possible. Bake the gratin until the crumbs are well browned and the cream has bubbled below the top of the gratin, 20 to 25 minutes.