Kale & Italian Sausage Strata

From the blog For Love of the Table

1 large bunch kale (Red Russian, Siberian or Tuscan), stems stripped away (you should have about 150 g./1/3 lb. trimmed leaves) and leaves rinsed in several changed of water

1 T. olive oil, plus more as needed

1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage (or 2 links, casings removed)

1 yellow onion (about 5 oz.), finely diced (1 c.)

1 t. minced rosemary

1/2 lb. day-old bread, crust intact, cut into 1-inch cubes (5 c.)

1 c. (4 oz.) coarsely grated Gruyère (or other well-flavored melting cheese)

1/3 c. (1 oz.) grated Parmesan

8 eggs

2 1/2 c. milk

3/4 c. heavy cream

1 t. kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart shallow and wide casserole or baking dish and set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the kale and cook until just tender—about 6 to 7 minutes. Lift the kale out of the pot and spread on a baking sheet to cool. When cool enough to handle, gently squeeze out the excess water. Chop very coarsely and set aside.

While the kale cooks, place a tablespoon of olive oil in a cold, wide sauté pan. Crumble in the sausage and set the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through—about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift out the sausage and transfer to a plate.

Return the pan to medium heat. Add the onion and rosemary along with a good pinch of salt. Sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and beginning to caramelize a bit on the edges—about 10 to 15 minutes. If the pan appears to be dry at any time while the onion cooks (because the sausage was very lean) add a drizzle of oil. When the onion is ready, add the kale and toss/stir to coat in the onions. Let the mixture sizzle and cook for a minute or two to allow the flavors to blend. Set aside to cool.

Place the bread, sausage, kale-onion mix, the Parmesan and all but a small handful of Gruyère in a large bowl. Toss so that everything is evenly distributed. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

Crack the eggs into the same bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the milk, cream, 1 t. of salt and several grindings of pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and mix ins. Jiggle the dish a bit to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Press down on any bread that isn’t coated in custard. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. (Or, transfer to the fridge and chill overnight…let sit at room temperature for an hour or two before baking.)

Remove the plastic wrap and once again, lightly press down on the bread (using a spatula or fork) to make sure everything is submerged or coated in the custard. Scatter the reserved cheese over all. Cover the pan with a buttered and tented piece of foil and transfer to a 350° oven.

Bake covered for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the strata is bubbling around the edges and the custard is set in the center (the tip of a paring knife inserted in the center will come out clean and an instant read thermometer will read between 160° and 180°)—another 15 minutes or so. If the strata is not browned to your liking, run under the broiler for a minute or two (watch carefully so it won’t burn).

Let the strata rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

Notes/Variations:

Substitute 1 1/4 c. diced ham for the sausage.
Substitute milk for some or all of the heavy cream.
This recipe is a template for any strata. For every 5 cups of bread you will need about 5 cups of custard (eggs and dairy combined) and 2 1/2 c. total mix ins (this recipe has 1 1/4 cup each cooked kale & cooked sausage).

http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2018/11/kale-strata-with-italian-sausage.html

As published on forloveofthetable.com