This is an unusual way to cook greens – a sort of cabbage and stale bread gratin known as a panade. This version is inspired by a recipe from San Francisco’s Zuni Café. It uses very humble ingredients to produce a rich and warming result.
Serves 6
6–8 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium or 3 large onions, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small green cabbage (600–700g), core and tough stems removed
300g slightly stale, robust bread, such as sourdough
500ml hot vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat half the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and stir. Once they are sizzling, turn the heat right down and cover the pan. Cook gently, stirring from time to time, for about 30 minutes until the onions are very soft and golden, removing the lid for the last 10 minutes or so. Add the garlic and some salt and pepper halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180oC/Gas 4. Shred the cabbage into 1cm strips. Cook in a steamer for about 4 minutes, or in a pan of boiling water until tender but not soft. Drain really well.
Cut the bread into 2cm cubes and put into a large bowl. Add the remaining olive oil and some salt and pepper and toss well so the bread cubes are coated with the oil and seasoning.
Spread a third of the soft onions over the base of a large, fairly shallow oven dish, about 25cm in diameter, then scatter over one-third of the bread cubes. Spoon half the cabbage evenly over the top. Repeat these layers, then finish with the rest of the onions and bread. Make sure your stock is piping hot, then pour it over the dish, allowing it to soak into the bread cubes.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Let the dish settle for 10–15 minutes, then serve.
PLUS ONE Adding cheese makes this dish richer and more sumptuous. Use about 175g grated mature Cheddar or Gruyère, scattering it over the layers of bread as you build up the dish.
SWAPS Both kale and Swiss chard leaves are ideal alternatives to the cabbage (use the white chard stems for another dish).