Gratin Italian sausage and kale

I love teasing people about kale. It's the new kid on the block and folks are still discovering it and getting that shiny new convert look when you tell them it's survival food (ie. people eat it when there's nothing left to eat). The truth is that 1) I like kale just fine and 2) it is not new food. It's been around for a long, long time because it's so hardy and reliable. Cook it right, and it's a sweet treat. But it does have a very strong flavor and not everyone is a fan, so if you want to serve kale to a finnicky table, match it with equally strong flavors. This dish is a cheesy saucy gooey warming dish with a lovely crunchy topping.

Some olive oil

1 lb fresh mild or hot Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled

⅓ cup dry white wine

2 bunches (about 1 pound) kale, stemmed and torn into large pieces

½ cup (4oz/114gr) + 3 Tbsps (1.5oz/42gr) butter, melted

⅓ cup flour

2 cups milk

8oz fresh goat cheese or feta

3oz freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 Tbsp minced fresh herbs (such as a combination of parsley, oregano and basil)

1. Heat the oven to 350°F degrees.
2. In a large stainless steel sauté pan, heat the oil and cook the sausage, breaking it up. Cook until browned (usually when the moisture has evaporated). Remove any excess fat.
3. Add the wine scraping up the fond. Continue to cook until the wine reduces and is mostly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. 
4. Decrease the heat and stir in the kale, one handful at a time. Mix in the kale and cook until it begins to wilt and turn a bright green. Don't worry about overcooking the kale; it is impossible, unless you burn it! Remove from heat and set the pan aside.
5. Meanwhile, dump the bread crumbs in a medium sized bowl.
6. Melt all the butter in a saucepan. When melted, put 3 Tbsps of it into the breadcrumb bowl.
7. Into the remaining butter, whisk in the flour; continue wisking until starting to brown. Add the milk, whisking constantly, until it thickens into a sauce.
8. Add the crumbled goat cheese to the roux and continue to whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
9. Pour the sauce into the sausage and kale and let sit 5 minutes to allow any more fond to lift. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to scrape up the fond and mix the sauce evenly in the sausage and kale.
10. Spoon the mixture into a shallow, 2 quart gratin dish.
11. To the breadcrumb and butter, add parmesan and minced fresh herbs. Mix thoroughly, then evenly distribute over the kale and sausage to form the topping.
12. Bake the gratin until the topping is golden-brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes (briefly broil at this point if not browned enough).
13. Cool slightly before serving with crusty bread if eating as a main dish.

Chicken Omelette for Two

Dorothy Hartley, in her book Food in England, calls an omelette a 'friendly dish', easy to make quickly for unexpected guests. I like this very much, and I think of it a lot. While the following recipe is a large omelette meant to feed to healthy appetites, it can easily extend to three people for a light lunch. I like to make it in a stainless steel pan (now that I've learned how to cook eggs in one without sticking).

1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
5 eggs
A pinch of salt
A pinch of pepper
1 tsp minced fresh herb such as tarragon, thyme
OPTIONAL
- a small handful of chives, minced
- ¼ cup minced fresh lovage (or ¼ tsp celery seed)
10 oz cubed cooked chicken
4 oz gruyere cheese, grated OR 4 oz chèvre cheese OR any cheese you like, really

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a 10" oven-proof fry pan or omelette pan, and let it heat up for 5 minutes at medium-low (in a stainless steel pan, this will prevent sticking).
2. Whisk the eggs with the addition of the salt and pepper until they are frothy.
3. Pour the eggs into the hot pan; you may want to increase the heat to medium. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the liquid egg. As the egg cooks, lift the edges and tilt the pan to let uncooked egg get underneath.
4. With the oven rack in the middle, turn on the broiler to heat up (or use a salamander if you're so lucky to have one).
5. When the egg has half cooked, spread the chicken evenly over it. While the egg is still a little under-cooked on the surface, (not just slithery but actually jiggly), spread the cheese and slip the pan into the oven to broil
6. When the egg is set and the edges puff up a little, take it out of the oven and carefully fold the omelette, plate and serve as you will.

Tomato Chèvre Omelette

As Dorothy Hartley says, an omelette is a friendly dish. I've tried, every so often over the years, to make the perfect folded omelette only to have it split along the side when I'd try. I'm not sure where or how, but I made the connection between omelettes and antique cooking salamanders, which are a device heated over the fire and placed over the dish to finish cooking from above, which in modern North American ovens is called the broiler. And voila, the recipe below describes how to make the perfect omelette, where the bottom isn't overcooked and the top is just cooked enough to allow for perfect folding.

1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
6 eggs
A generous pinch of salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
⅓ cup (2.7oz/76gr) chèvre cheese
5 large cherry tomatoes (100g) in thick slices (approximately 4 slices)
1 Tbsp minced fresh Oregano
½ cup (1 to 2oz or about 30-50g) grated Gruyère cheese

1. Melt butter with oil in a 10" oven-proof fry pan or omelet pan.
2. Whisk eggs with salt and pepper until frothy.
3. Pour eggs into hot pan and start cooking at medium heat. Lift the egg and tilt the pan to let uncooked egg get underneath.
4. With the oven rack at the mid-way setting, start the grill (or use a salamander if you're so lucky to have one).
5. Crumble to chèvre across the surface of the omelette, then do the same with the tomato.
6. Sprinkle the oregano over all of this, followed by an evenly distributed layer of Gruyère.
7. With the egg still uncooked on the surface, (not just slithery but actually jiggly), slip the pan into the oven and broil.
8. When the egg is set and the edges puff up a little, take it out of the oven and carefully fold the omelette (I do this by first cutting the segments and then folding - more manageable size).

Leeky Goat Quiche - Chèvre and Leek Quiche

One of my standard quiche recipes, I made this as a side-dish to my parent's catered 50th wedding anniversary, and was quite chuffed when it became the focus of the meal. I love it when people ask me for the recipe!

1 blind-baked pie crust, completely cooled

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) melted butter

2 to 3 scallions (45 to 60g)

1 (6oz/170gr) leek

3 eggs

1 cup crème fraîche
pinch nutmeg

4 to 5 oz chèvre cheese

½ tsp salt

1⁄4 tsp pepper
Optional: 1 Tbsp tarragon

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F and blind-bake the pie crust. Allow it to cool completely before using to allow the crust to set.
2. While crust is baking, fry leek in butter until soft. Add the scallions and cook with the leeks for another 2 to 3 minutes, to wilt. Set aside.
3. Whisk together egg, crème fraiche, nutmeg, salt and pepper (and tarragon, if using).
4. Spread cheese in bottom of pie shell. Sprinkle fried leeks on top.
5. Pour egg mix into shell; sprinkle fried scallions on top.
6. Turn down the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard is just set.
7. To keep the quiche warm, cover it with aluminum foil and bake it in a preheated oven at 200-250F.

Poached Chicken Breast With Goat Cheese

This is a wonderfully easy recipe from Chavignol, France. The recipe recommends Herbes de Provence, but other herb blends work just as well. This is a recipe for 2 people, but it can easily be multiplied. Enjoy!

2 chicken breasts, skinned and boned

2 medium tomatoes

1 zucchini

16 oz. goat cheese

herbes de provence

olive oil

salt

pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450F.
2. Cut the chichen breasts cross-wise so that each breast becomes 2 sheets of meat. I guess that would be cutting the meat lengthwise.
3. Wash and cut the zucchini and tomatoes and slice into thin rounds.
4. Cut two pieces of aluminum foil big enough to fold over and seal each breast. Place one half breast on each piece of foil. On top of this, layer the zucchini, tomatoes and cheese (which has been equally distributed between the two servings). Once the filling is all used, place the remaining half of chicken breast on top, sprinkle with the Herbes de Provence, drizzle with olive oil, then salt and pepper.
5. Seal the aluminum foil completely, place side-by-side in a glass baking dish and cook about 40 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through (internal temperature of 165F) and the zucchini still have a bit of crunch to it.

Marinated Chèvre

My sister Marie-Thérèse introduced me to chèvre from a goat farm near her house that was marinated in olive oil. They are yummy herby cheesy goodness! My plan is to make a new batch every month to always have some on hand. I'm guessing the olive oil preserves the cheese and keeps it from going bad... I hope!

3 oz soft chèvre cheese

2 bay leaves

2 tsps. black peppercorns

3 or more sprigs of fresh herbs

2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

Zest from 1 lemon

olive oil to cover

1. Prepare your herbs and spices to add as you put in chèvre balls.
2. Put in a bay leaf on the bottom and the sprigs of thym along the edges of a sterilized jar.
3. To make the cheese balls, use the teaspoon size from your measuring spoons, scoop up chèvre and shape into a ball in your hands. Pop into the jar. After every layer of balls, add a few spices and cover with olive oil. Continue until you reach the top of the jar, make sure the olive oil reaches the top of any food mater.
4. Be sure there are no air bubbles, which could cause spoilage. You can slip a knife down the sides of the jar to help move the culprits.
5. Seal and refrigerate. Let it marinate for a minimum of 12 hours.
6. This will keep for about a month.

A Summery Salad - Cucumber, Tomato, Avocado Salad

This salad is simple and delicious but requires a lot of fine dicing. It's a great opportunity to develop dicing skills, but if in a rush, not a good recipe for a quick meal.
Please note that the veggies are best when diced into small cubes. It causes that same feeling of plenty that pasta does to me.

1/4 English cucumber, peeled and diced

1 to 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 small red onion, diced
1 bunch fresh mint leaves, finely chopped en chiffonade
A few spoonfuls of olive oil
A dash of red wine vinegar
A squirt of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Boston or Cos lettuce leaves
OPTIONAL Chèvre cheese or feta cheese

1. Dice the avocado first and toss with a squeeze of lemon to prevent browning.
2. Dice remaining vegetables and toss with the chopped mint.
3. Season to taste at the last minute with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve the salad in individual servings in a single lettuce leaf “boat.”
4. OPTIONAL: This is also good with goat cheese or feta cheese scattered on top.