Brassicaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! This paté brings the sexy back to your brassica. Yes, they smell funny when you cook them. Yes, they’re good for you. Yes, when overcooked they’re stodgy and horrible. But brassica can be really delightful – bright, green, flavorful, juicy! That’s how we find them in this delicious and simple paté. My sister-in-law, Christy, was over for dinner the night I made these. She doesn’t like kale or broccoli (I know, I’m a very considerate hostess!) but she asked for two helpings of this! We ate this on thinly sliced toasted whole grain bread with a bowl of soup, and it made an easy, satisfying meal. It would make an elegant appetizer, as well, or snack for a party.

Here’s Beirut’s brassy Gulag Orkestar to listen to while you boil your brassica.

5 or 6 large kale leaves, spines removed, leaves coarsely chopped (about 1 cup cooked)
1 head of broccoli florets, roughly chopped
1 cup mozzarella, diced into tiny cubes or grated
1 egg
1/2 cup ricotta
1 plump clove of garlic, toasted or roasted for 10 minutes till soft
1 t. basil
1 t. rosemary leaves
1/2 t. thyme
salt/pepper

Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Drop the kale in, stir and cook for about 5 minutes, till soft and bright green. Add the broccoli, and cook for about 5 minutes more, till it’s also soft and bright green. Drain and let cool for a minute or two. Then squeeze out the excess water. Put the veg in the blender, and process it for a minute or two. You don’t want it to be all puréed, just finely chopped. A mix of textures is nice, so some pieces are puréed, but some are left chunkier. Transfer to a bowl and stir in all of the other ingredients.

Butter and flour a small casserole dish. Spread the broccoli kale mixture evenly in the dish.

Preheat the oven to 400. Cook the pate for about 1/2 hour, till it’s a little puffy and has nice toasty brown patches on top.

Serve on thinly sliced toasted baguettes or whole grained bread.