spinach cake

By sanmo_babe

Ingredients

• 2 medium leeks (you could use two onions, or a bunch of scallions or green garlic instead)
• 2 tablespoons (30g) butter, salted or unsalted
• salt and freshly-ground pepper
• 2-pounds (3/4kg) fresh spinach, well-washed and stemmed
• big pinch of chile or cayenne pepper
• whole nutmeg
• 2 cups (500ml) whole milk
• 6 large eggs
• Parmesan cheese

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

1. Remove the green part of the leeks, slice each lengthwise, rotate them a quarter turn, then slice them lengthwise again, keeping the end intact. Swish the leeks in a bowl of water until they're grit free, and towel-dry. Cut into small pieces.

2. Melt the butter in a deep pan and sauté the leeks with a little salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until they're translucent. While they're cooking, cut the spinach into ribbons.

3. Once the leeks are cooked, begin adding the spinach in batches, putting on the lid until the spinach has cooked down, then you can add more. Add salt and pepper as you go, and include a scraping of nutmeg and chile powder during the final batch.

4. When all the spinach is just barely wilted, turn it out into a large bowl (along with any juices) and let cool. Stirring it a few times will speed it up.

5. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C.) Liberally butter a 9- or 10-inch (23-25cm) deep round baking dish. I used a 2 qt (2l) baking rectangular baking dish.

6. Working in batches, puree the spinach mixture with the milk and eggs until almost smooth. (At this point, if you want to add some cooked bacon or chopped proscuitto, you can.)

David recommends adding more salt and pepper here, which is a good idea: you want the mixture pretty well-seasoned.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Grate a wispy layer of Parmesan over the top and bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife poked into the center comes out clean.

Serving: Let cool to room temperature, then serve.