Lonnie Taylor
County Reporter
They’re baaaaack. I mean zucchini, of course, in sizes from fingerling to baseball bats. And even though I get zucchini all year long at the grocery store, the summer harvest seems to deserve more than just a toss in a pan for side dish status. A vegetable gratin is perfect. It’s really a matter of dragging out stuff you probably already have in the kitchen: some cheese, some breadcrumbs, some herbs, some milk. Milk? Yes, milk. If you moisten the topping with milk instead of oil, it’s less greasy and crunchier because the sugar in the milk caramelizes along with the cheese. The secret is to brown the zucchini first in a pan for extra flavor.
Ingredients:
1 lb medium zucchini
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled, smashed
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1-pound ripe red tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup soft bread crumbs; whirl up slices of white bread in the processor or blender.
1 cup shredded Gruyere, Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil, optional
about 1/2 cup milk (preferably whole milk or 2 %)
Preheat oven to 375°
Trim ends off zucchini, cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons. In a wide frying pan, warm olive oil over medium-high heat and add the garlic clove. Roll the garlic around in the oil until it starts to sizzle, then remove. Add the zucchini and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste; stir to coat, then shake pan to spread zucchini out in a layer. Let cook until zucchini start to brown on the bottoms, about 6 minutes, then turn them over and add a pinch of red pepper flake; stir for about a minute more. Spread the zucchini over the bottom of a 2-quart medium size baking dish, drizzle all the oil from the frying pan into the dish. Arrange tomatoes over the zucchini. In a bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, cheese and basil (if using) with a fork. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grindings of pepper. Drizzle in the milk, stirring with the fork until blended; if it seems too dry, add a tablespoon or two more milk. Spread mixture over vegetables, then bake until golden brown and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
