Swiss Chard and Kale Gratin Recipe

Author: Pamela, adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 pounds Swiss chard (about 15 stalks)
1 pound curly kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch-wide strips, about 13 ounces without the stems
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3 cups rustic white bread cubes (about ¾ inch cubes), I used sourdough
5 Tablespoons unrefined extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese*
¾ teaspoon sea salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream or coconut milk (OR ½ cup vegan cream cheese + ½ cup unflavored plant milk) OR flour/butter/milk**
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch cayenne pepper
Handful of shredded gruyere or fontina (optional)

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
Stem chard, cut stems into 2-inch pieces and set aside. Slice leaves into 1-inch-wide strips.
Steam the greens: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large pot (I used a 7 qt Staub) over high heat. Add kale, cover, and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook until kale is wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Add chard leaves, cover, and continue to cook until chard is wilted, about 4 minutes longer, stirring halfway through cooking. Drain greens in a colander and let it sit in the sink while you proceed with the rest of the recipe. Do not wash the pot.
Pulse garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add bread and 3 tablespoons oil and pulse a couple times until the largest crumbs are smaller than ¼ inch (most will be much smaller). Add Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and pulse to combine. Transfer to a medium bowl. Do not wash out the food processor.
Add onion and chard stems to the food processor and process until finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Warm remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in the pot you used earlier to cook the greens. Add onion, chard stems, thyme, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onion and chard stems are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Using a spatula, press gently on greens in colander to remove excess moisture. Transfer greens to pot with onion mixture. Remove from heat. Add cream, nutmeg and cayenne and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Transfer mixture to a gratin dish or something similar to an 11 x 7. Sprinkle the top with gruyere. Spread bread-crumb mixture evenly over the filling. Bake in the upper-middle of the oven until topping is golden brown and filling bubbles around edges, 20 to 25 minutes.

Notes

TO MAKE AHEAD: Filling and bread-crumb topping can be refrigerated in separate airtight containers for up to 24 hours. Increase baking time by 5 to 10 minutes.

*My Homemade Vegan “Parmesan”
Makes about 1 cup
If you don’t want to make your own, my favorite is Violife.

½ cup slivered almonds*, about 3 ounces or ½ cup hemp seeds
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast, or to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon onion powder (optional)

In a spice grinder or small food processor, add all the ingredients and process until very
finely grated, like the consistency of grated parmesan. Taste for seasoning and store in
an airtight container at room temp or in the refrigerator.

Notes: * or 1 cup blanched almond flour and toss with remaining ingredients in a bowl.

**Instead of heavy cream:
2 ½ Tablespoons unsalted butter or plant butter
2 T all-purpose flour or GF flour blend
1 ½ cups milk or unflavored plant milk
Heat the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. In a separate pan, heat the milk until just about to boil, and then add it to the butter mixture, a little at a time, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring to a boil and cook 30 seconds longer.

Recipe by Pamela Salzman at https://pamelasalzman.com/swiss-chard-and-kale-gratin-recipe/