Cheesy baked rice cakes & kale

June 27, 2024

   

I bookmarked a lot of recipes in Tenderheart when I received it for my birthday last year but when I saw the photo of this one, I actually guffawed. Crisp-edged kale in cast iron under a blanket of golden-brown melted cheese? Yes. With rice cakes as the accompanying carb? That's a cool idea I would never have had. It seemed like a cosy winter dish so I saved it up until now. We've been experiencing colder days than I think I've ever been through in our 18 years in Melbourne, so it's definitely the right time.

Beneath that cheesy top layer there's a lot of stock and a couple of collapsed tomatoes - I was surprised at how soupy it all turned out! That moisture is important for cooking the rice cakes, but I'd be tempted to reduce it a little next time. I reckon using canned (instead of insipid winter) tomatoes might make for a thicker, richer sauce too. As I typed up the recipe, I noticed an instruction that I didn't on the day of cooking, which is to rinse the rice cakes to prevent them from sticking to each other - I'll definitely give that a go next time.

The use of gochugaru matches the rice cakes and adds some extra warmth without burn. Whether this dish turns out soupy or saucy, it's a whole lot of comfort. 

   

Cheesy baked rice cakes & kale

(slightly adapted from a recipe in Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon gochugaru

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1 L vegetable stock

900g rice cake sticks, rinsed in water to separate

leaves from a bunch of kale, roughly chopped

170g tasty cheddar, grated

200g mozzarella, torn

If you've got a big dish that can transfer from the stove to the oven, use it! I don't, so I started with a large saucepan. Set it over medium heat, add the olive oil and then the garlic. When it's fragrant, add the gochugaru, tomatoes, salt, sugar and stock, stirring to combine. Cover the mixture with a lid and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 200°C.

Remove the lid from the saucepan and stir, squishing the tomatoes against the sides or even getting a masher in there. Add the rice cakes and kale, stirring until the leaves wilt. Stir in half of the cheddar and mozzarella. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese and then bake until melted and golden, 15-20 minutes.