Mushroom and Spinach Panade
I hadn’t planned on cooking a real dinner last night, so I was surprised that I was able to make an absolutely delicious mushroom and spinach panade from the The Zuni Cookbook by Judy Rodgers with basic food that I had lying around, like old bread, onions, and stock. A panade translates to a “big bread thing,” which further translates into “a fluffy, gratineed casserole.”
I still can’t believe how utterly luxuriant and delicious this meal is. It’s the casserole dish that I’ve always looked for — of simple vegetables, bread, and a little cheese, not laden down with cream and eggs and pounds of cheese. Not only did it have the richest, most earthy aroma, but the texture of the finished dish blew me away. The bread inside turned downright silky, almost creamy (I had been wrong to be afraid that the high amount of liquid used would make the bread mushy and watery). The bread on top, of course, was drier and crispier, and a perfect contrast. And the stock thickened into a true sauce, and the onions, mushrooms, and spinach were smooth and comforting. It was almost a stew, almost a bread souffle, almost a vegetable dish. Rodgers says that they serve it in lieu of soup, pasta, or risotto, or as a side dish to meat. Any way it’s served, be prepared to be blown away.
Speaking of “any way,” I changed around with the recipe a bit. Her base recipe is for a chard and onion panade with Fontina, but I used spinach and centivalli cheese from Switzerland instead, added mushrooms, and sprinkled crumbled bacon and chopped chives as garnish at the end. I also used sourdough bread, because that’s what I had. As I said, I had no plans to even make this, so I just happened to have all this basic stuff. Plans might have been nice, though, because keep in mind that it takes about 2 hrs just to bake and more time to prep. The good news is that for leftovers, all you have to do is put a slice into a hot skillet, press it into a patty, and saute it for 3 minutes on each side. Its creaminess is alive and kicking again. And… it’s also good cold, right out of the dish. I think it’s also eminently customizable, so I will experiment with increasing the ratio of vegetables even more and varying which I use.
Special thanks to one of my fellow career discovery groups at CIA who baked the terrific sourdough that had found refuge in my freezer all this time.
Mushroom and Spinach Panade - adapted from The Zuni Cookbook by Judy Rodgers - for about 5 servings as a main course, 6 to 8 as a side dish:
- 1.5 lbs chopped yellow onions
- olive oil for caramelizing onions and sauteeing vegetables
- 6 garlic cloves, slivered
- salt
- 12 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 12 oz baby spinach leaves
- 10 oz day old chewy bread, such as sourdough or peasant bread, cut into rough 1″ cubes (8-10 cups)
- about 3 cups chicken stock, preferably room temp
- about 6 oz centivalli cheese, or fontina or swiss gruyere, grated
- 1 slice bacon per servings planned
- chives, chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
Over med-high heat, drizzle some olive oil, and when heated, add onions. Cook until slightly golden on the bottom, stirring every couple of minutes, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and a few pinches of salt. Reduce heat to low, and stew, stirring occasionally, until onions are pale amber and tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Taste for salt.
Preheat oven to 325.
Meanwhile, in a non stick 10″ saute pan on med-high heat, drizzle in olive oil. Add mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until wet and cooked through. Remove from heat, and pour mushrooms and any juices into a bowl. Using the same saute pan, saute spinach, working in batches if necessary [I did 2 batches]. Turn with tongs until wilted, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, and combine cooked spinach with mushrooms.
In a medium stainless steel bowl, toss and massage bread cubes with desired amount of olive oil, 1/4 c stock, and a few pinches of salt, to taste.
When onions are done cooking, layer about 3/4 of them onto the bottom of a heavy , rectangular casserole dish [Rodgers uses a deep souffle dish that I don’t own; I think mine bakes faster]. Top with about 3/4 of bread. Top with 3/4 mushrooms and spinach mixture. Sprinkle 3/4 of cheese. Loosely spread the rest of all the ingredients on top.
Add chicken stock until about 3/4 inch below top of panade [Rodgers uses simmering stock; I used room temp]. Cover top with parchment paper, then very loosely wrap the top and sides with foil, dull side out. Place a separate sheet of foil directly under the panade or on the rack below to catch drips [mine did not drip, but it’s a good precaution].
Bake until panade is piping hot and bubbly, and pale golden in the center of the top and slightly darker on the edges. It will rise a little, lifting the foil with it. About 1 hr 15 mins.
While panade is baking, pan-fry bacon, and crumble when cool enough. Store in the fridge until ready to use [the hot panade will warm it up easily].
Uncover the panade, raise the temp to 375, and leave until golden brown on top, about 10-20 minutes. Check moisture inside panade. If it seems dry, add a few tablespoons simmering chicken stock and bake 10 minutes longer [mine had no such dilemma].
Present the panade full-blown and sprinkled with bacon and chives, then allow it to settle for a minute before serving directly from the baking dish.
To Turn Leftover Panade into Panfried Panade:
Warm 1 tbs olive oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Slide in a scoop or wedge of cold panade and press gently to make an amorphous 1/2 inch thick patty. Fry gently to make a golden crust, about 3 minutes each side. Don’t worry if it wrinkles, crumbles, or cracks; just smash it back together. Serve piping hot with a salad of bitter greens, a poached egg and sausage and bacon — or with nothing but freshly cracked black pepper and a glass of red wine.
