let’s eat: mushrooms and greens with toast

Pardon the general yellowness of the Instagram photo here, but I did want to share an excellent (and simple) dinner we had last week. I love mushrooms, in fact, they are one of my favorite foods. So does F. M likes them okay, and E doesn’t touch them. Still, even without consensus on those little fun-guys, it doesn’t stop me from continually trying to win everyone else over. And it almost always guarantees that I get all the leftovers.

It’s no secret that I really love Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen – I follow her now on Instagram, which I find even more convenient than checking in on her blog. She posts a photo of her latest recipe there, and when they sound good I usually tag M in the photo and wait for his response back to me. We’re typically on the same page about food, especially when presented in a cute square photo mid-morning.

Almost every week I try something she suggests. Last week was her Mushrooms and Greens with Toast. She’s spot on with her rave reviews – it’s buttery and delicious and cheesy and crunchy, and full of enough nutritious goodness to almost forgive the amount of fontina in the thing. The whole thing cooks in your cast iron skillet, and then comes to the table in the same pan, which makes seconds (and thirds) that much easier. M divided the leftovers into two dishes, which was the only reason I didn’t polish off the rest of it in one sitting.

I made it as is, used the extra vinegar as suggested, garlic instead of shallots, lancinato kale, red pepper flakes since I had them, and fontina – all of it that the little one didn’t sneak first. This dish feels a little like sneaking comfort food into the wrong season, but last week was a bit of a sodden, chilly mess, and it fit right in. Plus, it’s everything that’s in abundance at the market or in your garden right now. It’s so good, you won’t mind eating it in your bathing suit, I swear.