Kitchen

[Zhills]

                   

Panade of Leeks, Greens, and Gruyere (or Cantal) (serves 6-8)

(virtually unchanged from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert)

• 3 large leeks, white and light green parts only, trimmed, washed well and sliced into thin slices
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 8 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• one 1-lb loaf of good chewy bread with a relatively soft crust (I generally use sourdough), gone stale
• 1 1/2 lb mixed leafy greens (like chard, spinach, sorrel, arugula, watercress…), washed, deribbed, and chopped
• juice of half a lemon (plus more to taste)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• grated nutmeg
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 pound high-quality Gruyere or Cantal cheese

1. In a large (7 or 8 qt., preferably) pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Slowly stew the leeks, onion, and garlic, for 10 minutes.  Keep the pot covered as they cook, to keep in the moisture, but remove it to stir several times during the cooking period.  Add a tsp. of salt, stir, and cook for 5 more minutes.  In the meantime, preheat your oven to 250F.
2. As the leeks stew, cut your bread into 1-inch cubes.  Spread the cubes in a single layer on a well-oiled baking sheet, drizzle the bread with a touch more olive oil, and then bake them in the oven until they are crunchy and turning golden, about 45 minutes.  Set aside to cool until you’re ready to use them.
3. As the bread cubes are baking, add the greens to the pot with the leeks.  If your pot is not quite large enough, you may have to add the greens in a couple batches since they will make extra space as they cook down.  Give all the greens a good stir once they’re all in there, then cover the pot, and cook over low heat for 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat a bit and boil off any excess liquid.  Allow to cool slightly, then add the lemon juice, pepper, nutmeg, and salt to taste.  (Up to this point the recipe can be made in advance.  Cool, cover, and refrigerate, then bring to room temp. before continuing.)
4. About 2 1/2 hours before serving, oil a deep, heavy, 3-quart casserole, and heat the milk to a simmer.  Place one-third of the bread cubes in the dish, top with half of the greens, then repeat, ending with a layer of bread cubes.  Pat the top layer down lightly to even it out.  Slowly pour the warm milk down the insides of the casserole walls and over the top of the panade to moisten all the ingredients.  Grate the cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the panade.  Cover the casserole with a sheet of foil, or a cover if it has one.
5. Bake in a 250F oven for 1 3/4 hours.  Raise the oven temperature to 400F, uncover the dish, and bake for 20 more minutes.  Take the panade out of the oven and allow it to relax for about 10 minutes before serving.  Leftover panade reheats pretty well, but if you wish, you can also shape it into patties and fry it up for panade cakes the next day.  Serve with another salad and some more red wine (you did have red wine with it the first night, right?), and you have yourself yet another feast of leftover bread.

Is this what you are looking for?  Here's a link.

https://fiveandspice.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/panade-of-leeks-greens-and-gruyere/

[loriqvc]

I didn't see the presentation, but there are hundreds of recipes posted on Le Creuset's website: lecreuset.com/recipes

Good luck!