Swiss Chard, Lentil & Bay Gratin

This gratin is a great spring/autumn warming recipe for a supper. Really easy to prepare, this recipe has roots in Italy with a few twists of our own. Eat with some Crusty bread and steamed tender-stem broccoli stems on the side for a wonderful vegetarian treat. A nice Oaky Chardonnay works wonders with this, or an earthy Albariño.

Ingredients:

400g Swiss Chard (Stalks & Leaves)

250ml Vegetable Stock

400g Tinned Tomatoes

400g Green Puy Lentils (Drained)

6 Bay Leaves

250ml Double Cream 

3 cloves of Garlic

Rapeseed Oil

Whole Nutmeg (finely grated - 1/2 teaspoon)

50g Grated Mature Cheddar

Method:

Put the stock, tomatoes and bay leaves in a large saucepan,  and bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15mins, until it's reduced by a third. Then take it off the heat, pour in the cream & lentils, using a fine grater add a good 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and cover to keep warm.

Remove the stalks from the Swiss Chard stems and cut into 1cm chunks, add a good glug of rapeseed oil to a shallow ovenproof pan and add the garlic and sauté the mixture for 5 mins till soft. Now shred the remaining Swiss Chard leaves into 1cm wide ribbons and add them to the pan, stir for a few mins, then take off the heat.

Now pour the creamy lentil mixture over the swiss chard and mix everything well. 

Sprinkle over your grated cheese and bake in a hot oven for 25 mins until the top is golden and bubbling.

Enjoy!

(Tip; if you have some stale crusty bread hiding in your bread bin, tear it up into chunks and dot it in the mixture before stirring it up to go into the oven)