Kale and Red Cabbage Gratin

I took this recipe from a greens and red cabbage recipe I came across in the NY Times Health section.  I like the idea of gratins and this came out even better than expected!  I forget how sweet red cabbage can become, nothing like the stink of boiled green cabbage (which does have its place).  I have been undersalting my food recently, to a fault, and managed to get the seasonings really right on this time.  The eggs and cheese make the dish feel much more decadent than it really is while getting plenty of servings of veggies.  Enjoy!

KALE AND RED CABBAGE GRATIN

1 pound kale stemmed and cleaned
1 pound red cabbage, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 large garlic cloves minced
salt and pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese (2oz)
**1/2 cup cooked rice

**I used an arborio which I wouldn't normally use in this manner, but the recipe recommended it.  To cook, I used 1/2 cup arborio and about 3/4 cup water.  Bring to a boil and the lower to a simmer for about 10 minutes

Preheat oven to 375.  Butter a 2 qt. gratin dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a bowl of water with ice water.

Once water is boiling add a couple healthy pinches of salt and the kale.  Blanch for about 2 minutes, until tender and bright.  Transfer to ice water, drain and squeeze out excess water.  Chop and set aside

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium/medhigh heat.  Add onion and cook until soft about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Stir in cabbage and some salt, cook until cabbage is tender, about another 10 minues.  Stir in the chopped kale and season further with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the vegetables from the heat and continue stirring to cool before adding to the egg mixture.

In another bowl beat the eggs and stir in the parsley, rice and cheese.  Add a Tbsp or two of the vegetable mixture to the egg mixture and stir.  Adding the vegetables in small doses will prevent the eggs from scrambling.  Continue doing so until all of the vegetables are incorporated.

Pour the entire mixture into your gratin dish and cook for about 40-45 minutes.