Sunday, October 13, 2013

Kale Gratin

SRC October 2013


My assigned blog for this month's Secret Recipe Club was Grandma Loy's Kitchen. It proved to be a treasure chest of tempting recipes, greeting readers with this message: "Hi and welcome to my kitchen. Have a cup of tea or coffee or a glass of milk and some cookies. There are always cookies." Oh my, yes, there were cookies, and many other sweet things. I found recipes fo42 bar cookies and brownies, 9 cakes, 10 candies, 47 cookies, 28 desserts and 16 holiday cookie mix listings. I'm not overly fond of sweets, but Loy's Waffle cookies did sound interesting, unusual but interesting. The Bacon Cheese Dogs and BLT Salad with Kale and Leeks grabbed my attention too; mmmmmmm, bacon. But the Serbian Cabbage was a standout choice to match the current cool weather. 

I took a few liberties with the original recipe, substituting kale for head cabbage and using fresh dairy instead of canned. Kale Gratin sounds fancy but it is still just baked cabbage. Baked cabbage, yes, but this delicious gratin was more versatile than that. It began as a satisfying side dish at dinner. It worked well for breakfast, topped with a runny poached egg. Then I absolutely fell in love with a scoop of Kale Gratin served on top of garlic-rubbed crostini as an appetizer. How's that for versatile?





RL was less enthusiastic about any of the versions, but he doesn't love kale anything, and rarely eats eggs at breakfast. His main complaint comment was that baked Parmesan made the whole boat smell funky. (Yes, but only briefly.) One more caution: too much Parmesan is not a good thing when it bakes into a hard shell, so don't overdo the cheese. This recipe is really all about the kale.



Kale Gratin 
1 medium bunch kale
2 green onions, sliced in thin rounds
1 cup heavy cream (or substitute coconut milk) 
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of white pepper
Dash of hot sauce to taste (optional)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan
melted butter to drizzle over the top (optional)
  1. Wash and chop 1 bunch of kale into bite-sized pieces, discarding the stems. Blanch briefly in boiling water OR microwave for 1 minute with a few tablespoons of water, covered with plastic wrap. Drain thoroughly.
  2. Scatter the kale evenly in a baking dish. Distribute the onion bits over the top.
  3. Mix together the cream, nutmeg, white pepper and hot sauce. Pour over the kale.
  4. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and Parmesan. 
  5. Drizzle melted butter over the top. (optional step)
  6. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven until the top begins to brown.

Here is the original recipe for
 Grandma Loy's Serbian Cabbage

1 medium-head cabbage (about 3 lbs.) finely shredded
1 can (13 oz.) evaporated milk (regular, 2 %, or fat-free)
2/3 to 1 c. dry bread crumbs (enough to evenly cover top of casserole)
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

Place cabbage in shallow 4-quart casserole.  (I use a 9x13-inch glass baking dish.)  Pour milk over; sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Evenly pour melted butter or margarine over the top.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover; bake 30 minutes more or until crumbs are lightly browned and cabbage is tender.  Makes 6-8 servings.


22 comments:

  1. I have some kale in the fridge at the moment so this would be a great way to use it. My other half is also not keen on kale but he might like it with the cheese and the breadcrumbs.

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    1. LOL. My other half discouraged me from sharing this recipe just because it had kale, but I enjoyed it and ate the whole thing (over several meals and several days).

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  2. This recipe calls my name. I always wonder what else I could do with kale. This sounds super delicious and something my family would eat.

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  3. Sounds delish and it would be the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving!

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    1. I agree - a bit of colorful for a frequently beige and white meal.

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  4. I always have some kale in my fridge (and in my garden) this sounds like a great use of it.

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    Replies
    1. I've never grown kale, but it's always in my fridge too.

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  5. We have so much Kale in our garden right now, this will be a great recipe to try, it looks delicious. Great choice for the SRC, have a fun day!
    Miz Helen

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  6. I love kale. I'll have to try next time I get some.

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  7. What a great way to make something healthy something delicious! Love this recipe!

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    Replies
    1. The kale IS healthy, but the whole cream maybe not so much.

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  8. The egg on top is like icing on the cake.

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  9. Nice alternative for kale. Thanks for sharing

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  10. What a great way to make kale! It looks good to me. I'd eat it for breakfast!

    (I missed the deadline to add my post to the party and have sent email to April to try and fix that, but here's my post)
    http://www.jennys-cookbook.blogspot.ca/2013/10/pumpkin-pie-smoothie-secret-recipe-club.html

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer. Your smoothie sounds scrumptious.

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  11. I would love this dish for any meal! Your cabbage dish looks wonderful, too and easy!

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    1. Thanks, Lynne. Now I'm ready to try a kale version of your grilled spinach pizzette.

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  12. This looks amazing in all the ways you made it, but I especially loved it as an appetizer and in the skillet with the egg on top.

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