Chef Graziella
Cannelloni Ricotta e Spinaci
Hand-rolled pasta sheets wrapped around a filling of ricotta and spinach, covered in besciamella and baked until golden. This is the Sunday cooking of Emilia-Romagna, made without shortcuts.
Culinary Explorer
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Porri Gratinati
Created by
Piedmontese leeks braised until silken, then gratinéed with fontina and breadcrumbs until the top shatters and the interior yields. A side dish that could make you forget the main course.
Side Dishes
Italian, Piedmontese
Weeknight
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
55 min cook•1 hr 20 min total
Yield6 servings
The leek is an underappreciated vegetable, especially in America, where it seems to exist only for soup. In Piedmont, leeks are treated with the respect they deserve. Braised slowly in butter until they become silky and sweet, then blanketed with the local fontina and crisped under heat, they transform into something that makes people forget there is meat on the table.
This is not a complicated dish. It asks only that you give the leeks time to braise properly and that you use real fontina, not the rubbery Danish imitation that bears no resemblance to the genuine article from Valle d'Aosta. The cheese should be semi-soft, slightly pungent, with a straw-colored interior. If your fontina bounces when you drop it, you have the wrong cheese.
What you keep out matters here. No cream. No béchamel. The leeks provide their own moisture; the fontina melts into rivers that pool around them. The breadcrumb crust exists only to shatter against your fork and provide contrast. Simple does not mean easy, but this dish rewards precision with flavor that no elaborate preparation could match.
Gratins entered Piedmontese cooking through French influence, the Savoy dynasty having ruled both regions for centuries. But where French gratins rely on cream and flour, Piedmontese versions trust their remarkable fontina to do the work. The marriage of alpine cheese and sweet braised leeks became a fixture of home cooking in Turin and the surrounding valleys.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
leeks
Quantity
2 pounds (about 6 medium)
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons
chicken or vegetable broth
Quantity
1/2 cup
fine sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
Italian fontina cheese
Quantity
6 ounces
rind removed, cut into thin slices
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
1/3 cup
freshly grated
coarse fresh breadcrumbs
Quantity
1/2 cup
unsalted butter for topping
Quantity
2 tablespoons
cut into small pieces
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| leeks | 2 pounds (about 6 medium) |
| unsalted butter | 4 tablespoons |
| chicken or vegetable broth | 1/2 cup |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| Italian fontina cheeserind removed, cut into thin slices | 6 ounces |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 1/3 cup |
| coarse fresh breadcrumbs | 1/2 cup |
| unsalted butter for toppingcut into small pieces | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide skillet or sauté pan with lid, 12 inches
- •Gratin dish or shallow baking dish, approximately 9 by 13 inches
- •Large basin for washing leeks
Instructions
- 1
Clean the leeks thoroughly
Trim the root ends and the dark green tops from the leeks, leaving the white and pale green parts. Cut each leek in half lengthwise. Submerge in a large basin of cold water, separating the layers gently to release the sand trapped within. Leeks grow in sandy soil and harbor grit between every layer. Lift them out, drain, and repeat with fresh water until no sand remains at the bottom of the basin. Pat completely dry.
Never rush the cleaning. Sand in a finished gratin is unforgivable and unfixable. Wash until the water runs clear, then wash once more. - 2
Braise the leeks
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a wide skillet or sauté pan that can hold the leeks in a single layer. Arrange the leeks cut-side down in the pan. Cook over medium heat until the bottoms turn golden, about 5 minutes. Turn them cut-side up, add the broth, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and reduce heat to low. Braise until the leeks are completely tender when pierced with a knife, 25 to 30 minutes. The knife should meet no resistance whatsoever.
- 3
Prepare the baking dish
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a gratin dish or shallow baking dish that holds the leeks comfortably in a single layer. Transfer the braised leeks to the dish, arranging them cut-side up. Pour any remaining pan juices over them.
- 4
Layer the cheeses
Distribute the fontina slices evenly over the leeks, tucking pieces into the crevices between the layers. Sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano over everything. The fontina will melt into the leeks; the Parmigiano will brown.
- 5
Add the breadcrumb topping
Scatter the breadcrumbs over the cheese in an even layer. Dot with the small pieces of butter. The butter will melt into the crumbs and help them turn golden and crisp.
- 6
Bake until bubbling
Bake until the gratin is bubbling vigorously around the edges and the breadcrumb topping is deep golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes. If the top browns before the cheese bubbles, cover loosely with foil for the remaining time. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. This brief rest allows the cheese to set slightly, making the dish easier to portion.
Chef Tips
- •True Italian fontina from Valle d'Aosta has a reddish-brown rind and a straw-colored interior. Danish or Swedish fontina is a different cheese entirely, bland and rubbery. If you cannot find proper fontina, young Taleggio or even Gruyère makes a more honest substitute than the imitation.
- •The leeks must be completely tender before gratinéeing. An undercooked leek has an unpleasant fibrous quality that no amount of cheese can redeem. Test with a knife. It should slide through with no resistance.
- •Make your own breadcrumbs from day-old bread, torn and pulsed briefly in a food processor. The coarse, irregular texture creates a better crust than the dusty powder sold in canisters.
Advance Preparation
- •The leeks can be braised up to one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before assembling and baking.
- •The fully assembled gratin can wait, unbaked, for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Add 5 minutes to the baking time if starting cold.
- •Leftovers reheat adequately in a 350-degree oven, loosely covered, though the crust will soften. Some would say this is still worth eating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 130g)
Calories
310 calories
Total Fat
23 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
7 g
Cholesterol
68 mg
Sodium
630 mg
Total Carbohydrates
17 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
12 g
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