Swiss Chard and Red Pepper Gratin

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Start by cooking the rice.

While the rice is cooking, chop the stems off the Swiss chard and set aside. Rinse the chard, dry it, and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Slice the stems into small slices, and set them aside. Chop the onions and the red peppers both into a pretty uniform small dice, and mince the garlic.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the onions and cook for about two or three minutes, or until they are soft and golden. Add the Swiss chard stems and cook for another two or three minutes, then stir in the red peppers. Add the thyme and paprika, and cook until the peppers are just beginning to soften. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set the mixture aside in a large mixing bowl.

Heat another tablespoon or so of oil in the same skillet and add about half the chard. Cook until it begins to wilt, then stir in half the garlic. Continue to cook until it’s almost completely wilted, then add it to the mixing bowl with the red pepper mixture. Cook the rest of the chard and garlic the same way, and add it, too, to the mixing bowl.

Now stir the rice and most of the cheese into the red pepper and chard mixture, and mix very well. Beat the eggs and the milk or water together until they are smooth, then slowly stir the eggs into the red pepper and chard. The red pepper and chard should be cooled off a little so the eggs don’t start to cook too fast.

Lightly oil a smallish casserole dish (approximately an 8 x 11 inch dish), and pour the egg mixture into the dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. Take the dish out and sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs, then return to the oven and cook for another 20 to 25 minutes. Let the dish cool for about 10 minutes before serving.