Tomato-Onion Panade

A summertime special at Zuni's in the Bay Area

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs sweet yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil (divided)
• 6 large garlic cloves, slivered
• Sea salt
• 1 lb stale bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick (Tuscan-style or baguettes)
• 20 basil leaves
• 1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
• 2 cups chicken broth

In a bowl, toss the sliced onions with 1/4 cup olive oil. Transfer the onions to a large, heavy saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until they just begin to color (7-10 minutes). Add the garlic and season with salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 250°.

Brush the bread slices on both sides with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Line the bottom of a 2 quart ceramic or glass casserole with a layer of bread. Spread one-fourth of the onions over the bread, followed by 5 of the basil leaves and one-fourth of the tomato slices. Sprinkle with 2 TBS of grated cheese. Continue layering, ending with tomato slices and cheese.

Carefully pour 2 cups of chicken broth around the edges of the bread, allowing the mixture to absorb the broth as you pour. Cover loosely with foil and bake for one hour. Increase the oven temperature to 375°. Continue baking, uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the panade is golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. If the panade seems dry, drizzle with a little more chicken broth and bake additional 10 minutes.

The panade can be preapared 6 hours ahead up to the point of baking. We didn't seem to have a dish that allowed us to layer as described. We did two layers of bread and two layers of the remaining ingredients and it turned out fine.