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Onion, Leek, and Cabbage Panade
20 minutes prep
3 hour active cooking
3 hour + 20 minutes total
Makes 6 - 8 servings
Panade is French peasant food.
The simplest version, dry bread slowly cooked with water and salt, sometimes an egg stirred in at the end, squeezed one last meal from a stale loaf of bread. Some think that adding caramelized onions and cheese led to the iconic French onion soup.
The resemblance to traditional bread stuffing (or dressing, depending on your regional preference) makes panade perfect for a holiday feast. But as legendary cook and author Richard Olney noted, an onion panade makes a hearty winter meal. “A young dry white wine, a slightly chilled Beaujolais or an icy beer are all appropriate accompaniments,” he wrote in the New York Times almost 50 years ago, “Add a salad. Put a bowl of apples on the table. It is as simple as that.”
Ingredients
For the shopping list
medium onions, halved and sliced
leeks, halved lengthwise and sliced
head green cabbage, chopped
thyme
dried bread cubes
From our shop
$27 - Tuscany - Italy
$9 - Gossen Island - Norway
$8 - Artes - Spain
Equipment
From the kitchen
Dutch Oven or Deep Casserole Pan
Large Mixing Bowl
Skillet
Parchment Paper
Tin Foil
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
I like to increase the vegetable to bread ratio...
so I caramelize leeks and onions, then add some green cabbage. The French prefer Gruyere in their panade, but I used the milder Ferndale caciotta, a local cow’s milk cheese, along with Parmigiano Reggiano.
~ Jim Dixon, founder Wellspent and Real Good Food
Step 1
Set your oven to 325F.
Cook the onions and leeks in 1/2 cup of olive oil over low heat for at least 45 minutes (longer is better), stirring occasionally, until the onions are darkly caramelized. If they begin to scorch, add a few spoonfuls of water and keep cooking.
Step 2
Combine the onion-leek mix, chopped cabbage, dried bread, 2 tablespoons of thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt, and grated cheeses in a large bowl. Mix well
Step 3
Transfer to a deep casserole pan or Dutch oven spread evenly.
Step 4
Carefully pour the broth into the pan until it’s just below the surface of the top layer. Use more broth or water if needed.
Step 5
Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the panade, then cover loosely with foil (or place the lid on the Dutch oven). Bake for 2 hours, then remove from the oven to check. The edges should be lightly browned, and the panade should be soft and moist.
Step 6
Remove the foil and parchment paper, turn up the oven to 375F, and cook until the top is nicely browned, about 20 minutes.
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