Zucchini Gratin with Gruyere

It's zucchini time again, whether it comes from your garden, the farm stand, or the grocery store.  This is a Provencal-style gratin where the veggies are bound with rice and a small amount of eggs and the flavor is boosted by herbs, Gruyere and parmesan.  Pine nuts are sprinkled on the top for some crunch, but if you don't have pint nuts you could use some slivered almonds or even some panko bread crumbs moistened with olive oil.

I thought about adding some corn but ultimately decided against it because I wanted the zucchini to be the star (but you certainly could).  To make it even more summery (and because you're probably growing herbs in your garden as well), make the herb sauce to go with it.  Add some crusty grilled bread and you have the perfect summer vegetarian meal.  Or, sneak in a little cubed ham and the meal becomes a little more substantial while still remaining vegetable-centric.

And my favorite part?  The last line of the recipe: "The gratin is good hot, warm, or room temperature."  Perfect warm for dinner, and cold for lunch the next day.

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Zucchini Gratin with Gruyere

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup chopped)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Fresno chile, diced

1 pound zucchini, cut lengthwise into quarters and then crosswise into ½ inch pieces

1 small red bell pepper, chopped into ½ inch pieces

 Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 large or extra-large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

 Freshly ground pepper

½ cup milk

1 cup cooked Arborio or Carnaroli rice (1/3 cup raw)

1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

½ cup (tightly packed) grated Gruyère cheese

¼ cup (tightly packed) freshly grated Parmesan

1 cup cooked cubed ham, optional

2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

Green herb sauce, for serving, optional (see recipe below)

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes, and add the garlic, Fresno chile, summer squash, red bell pepper, and about 3/4 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the squash is translucent and the red pepper tender, about 10 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.   Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375d.

Oil a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, salt, pepper, and milk. Stir in the rice, thyme, basil, the sautéed squash, the cheeses and optional ham. Scrape into the baking dish.  Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned on the top and edges. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes before serving, or allow to cool. The gratin is good hot, warm, or room temperature.

Green Herb Sauce

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro, basil, or a combination

¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

¼ cup finely minced shallot

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a small food processor until well combined.

Tomato Crumble

Last Year's Post: Smoky Peanut Mole with Pork Tenderloin
Two Years Ago:  Chicken Pasta Salad with Fresh Herbs and Corn
More Tomato Recipes: The Best Salsa Ever, Gazpacho, Tomato Olive Melts, Roasted Tomatoes

The very idea of a tomato crumble is intriguing, don't you think?  Most of us are familiar with fruit crumbles that are mixed with sugar and topped with a sweet streusel before baking.  In this version, ripe tomatoes are tossed with herbs and topped with a savory breadcrumb-parmesan-pine nut mixture before baking.  I made a trip to my local farmer's market this week and found beautiful tomatoes and herbs so I immediately thought of this recipe.

I first tasted it when The Lawyer's sister Marne made it for a family gathering.  It really caught my attention because baking intensifies the tomatoes' flavor and melds it with the herbs so it literally explodes with flavor.  It makes a lot so it's great for family gatherings or pot luck dinners but I would also encourage you to make it any night as a side dish to go with grilled steak, chicken, lamb, or even halibut or swordfish.  I served it with seared tuna and fresh corn on the cob and it was a total feast just for the two of us. It would also make a great vegetarian dish with the addition of a little tofu and served over rice or couscous. Leftovers?  Excellent!  Here are just a few of the many ways you can use them.

• Toss with hot cooked pasta for dinner, or cooked and cooled pasta for a salad.  Add any other leftovers or cheese of choice.
• Use as a filling for an omelet.
• Use as a topping for toasted french bread slices along with some black olives to make bruschetta.
• Make a tart or quiche using the tomatoes as a main ingredient.
• Pizza!
• Layer on french bread with sliced zucchini and other favorite vegetables; top with a slice of mozzarella and broil until browned for an open-face veggie melt.
• Re-warm gently and use as a chunky topping for meat.
• Make a contemporary twist on a BLT by using the baked tomatoes in place of fresh and arugula in place of lettuce along with bacon, then grill on a griddle or panini press until warm and crisp.
• Top baked potatoes with the tomatoes and a little sour cream for stuffed baked potatoes.
• Add to a breakfast sandwich with eggs and cheese on an English Muffin.

You get the idea.  Leftovers are like gold in this case.

The crumble is very easy to make.  You start by coring the tomatoes and cutting them in half, then gently squeezing them and poking out the seeds with your fingers.  I also removed the lighter-colored, more dense pieces connected to the seeds.  Here's a visual to show you what I removed.

Then you cut the tomatoes into chunks and let them drain 20 minutes in a colander to remove some of their water.

They'll still release water when they bake, which is no big deal - just use a slotted spoon to serve the tomatoes if you don't want as much liquid.  But I would definitely save the liquid with your leftovers, so you can use it depending on the next dish you make.

While the tomatoes drain you prepare the breadcrumb-parmesan-pine nut and butter topping.  Although the recipe calls for fresh breadcrumbs, I think using panko crumbs would work equally well and might even be a little crunchier.  After the tomatoes drain you simply place them in the baking dish, sprinkle in the herbs and toss them around, then top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake.  It's a great and different way to use some of the fresh tomatoes from your garden or the farmers market at this time of the year.

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Tomato Crumble
Serves 6 to 8

Olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 lb. summer tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus sprigs for garnish (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus sprigs for garnish (optional)

1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, made from day-old peasant white bread, including the crust
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 cup pine nuts
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a shallow 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

Stem tomatoes, then halve horizontally. Squeeze halves lightly to extract juice, then scoop out seeds. Cut into 1-inch chunks and drain chunks in a colander for 20 minutes. (The amount of liquid that drains from the tomatoes will vary depending on the variety of tomato.)

Spread the tomato chunks in the baking dish. Add the basil, rosemary, salt and several grinds of black pepper, and toss.

Mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts in a large bowl. Add the butter and mix well with your hands until mixture is crumbly. Spread the mixture on top of the tomatoes.

Bake the tomato crumble until the topping is crisp and slightly browned and juices are bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven. Do not worry if there is liquid in the pan; you can spoon it out or leave as is. (The crumble can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Cool and leave at room temperature. Reheat in a preheated 350-degree oven until warm, about 15 minutes or longer.)

Garnish the center of the crumble with fresh basil and rosemary sprigs (optional).

Orzo and Radicchio Salad

Last Year's Post: Pan Bagnat

This is a different kind of salad in the best sense of the word.  First of all, orzo and radicchio are not the most common ingredients in the world.  (The check-out guy at the grocery store actually picked up the head of radicchio and asked me, "what is this little dude"?)  Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that acts as the neutral binder for all the other big flavors in this salad - slightly bitter and crunchy radicchio and arugula, salty feta, toasty pine nuts, sweet tomatoes, and spicy radishes.  A tart lemon dressing is the finishing fresh touch.

The salad is hearty enough to be a meal on its own if you're looking for a vegetarian entrée (The Lawyer actually mentioned that and I agree).  Or, its bold flavors stand up very well to any kind of grilled meat - burgers, chicken, steak or ribs are a perfect match.  Plus, the salad is served at room temperature so it's ideal for picnics or any other summer gathering and can easily be doubled for larger gatherings.  As I'm writing this I'm thinking of my friend Karrine, who entertains almost every weekend all summer at her lake home.   Hi Karrine - try it out and let me know what you think!  It has lots of delicious veggies so it's very healthy also.

So, about radicchio - you'll find it near the cabbages in the produce aisle. As I mentioned, it's crunchy and slightly bitter, which I really like.  If you want to mellow the bitterness a little and add some smoky flavor at the same time, you can grill the radicchio prior to chopping it for the salad.  It's really easy - just cut the radicchio into wedges (through the core so the leaves stay attached), brush with a little olive oil, and grill on the cut sides until grill marks appear.

Before grilling, brushed with olive oil

After grilling

You don't want to grill it to death, you just want grill marks and a very slight amount of wilting - just a minute or two per cut side.  Or, don't grill it at all and just chop it for the salad - it's up to you.

About the greens in the salad - they're not THE main component as in a lettuce salad, but they're one of the three main components including radicchio and orzo. You can use either arugula or spinach.  I actually found a bag of mixed baby spinach and arugula at the store that worked perfectly.

With all the bold flavors this is definitely a big boy/big girl salad.  If you have munchkins they probably won't like it unless they have pretty sophisticated palates.  Of course, I've seen kids at sushi restaurants chowing down on raw fish, so what do I know?  Make it even if they won't like it. I mean, really.  Parents shouldn't have to be relegated to a steady diet of mac and cheese and hot dogs just because they have kids.  Give them some jello or something while you eat your nice salad.  I'm just sayin'.

printable recipe

Orzo and Radicchio Salad
Serves 6

 Note:  the salad can be made 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.  Leftovers may be chilled, but for entertaining purposes the salad is best when fresh and not refrigerated.

 8 ounces orzo

¼ cup fresh lemon juice plus 1 lemon cut into 6 wedges
¼ cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
½ small head radicchio
1/3 cup roasted tomatoes (or ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes), chopped
4-5 radishes, thin sliced
4 cups baby arugula or spinach, coarsely chopped
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

 Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook orzo according to directions; drain well.  While the orzo is cooking, whisk together the ¼ cup lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the hot orzo to the dressing and toss.  Let orzo come to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

 The radicchio may be cored and coarsely chopped fresh, or it may be grilled prior to coring and chopping.  If you choose to grill the radicchio, cut the half head into two pieces through the core and lightly brush with olive oil on both cut sides.  Grill over medium heat for a minute or two on each of the cut sides, just long enough to wilt slightly and produce grill marks.  Core and chop.

 When the orzo has cooled to room temperature, add all the remaining ingredients except the feta cheese and toss well.  Add the feta and toss gently to combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings. 

 Serve at room temperature with lemon wedges to squeeze over the salad.

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken with Roasted Squash

My mother often made roast squash when I was a kid.  She cut and cleaned an acorn squash, then roasted it until tender.  She would scoop out the flesh after it cooled, and re-heat it in a frying pan with butter, salt and pepper.  That simple method is still probably my favorite today. Since it's fall and there are so many beautiful squash varieties to choose from I wanted to feature her recipe in a post.  Roast squash is rich, smooth and ever-so-slightly sweet so it pairs perfectly with spicy flavors.  In particular, it pairs perfectly with the spicy chili powder, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in the Moroccan-Spiced Chicken.

The spice blend for the chicken is fabulous.  Be sure to cook enough chicken to have some left over for a second meal of either a Moroccan Couscous Salad or a quesadilla (see below).  You'll have a little spice mix left over from the first meal that you can use in the second meal also.

The squash takes an hour to cook so start with that first, then you can mix the spice blend while it roasts.  I found a really pretty red-orange squash at the market.

The flesh inside was just as vibrant as the outside.

Clean out the strings and seeds and get the squash in the oven so you can start mixing your spice blend.  The recipe calls for hot chili powder but I only had regular so I added a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

After the spices are mixed, you add a little olive oil to make a paste and smear it on the chicken.  Note that the chicken now needs to go into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  (I somehow missed that until after the squash was done so it delayed dinner by about an hour.)

If you want to serve this dinner on a week night, roast the squash in advance and put the chicken breasts smeared with spice mix in the refrigerator overnight.  Then all you'll need to do is re-heat the squash and cook the chicken breasts, which only takes 4 minutes per side.  Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes!

You can't tell from the pictures, but these were giant chicken breasts.  The two of us shared one for dinner with our squash and had one left for another great meal.  Suggestions for meal number two are a Moroccan Couscous Salad or a quesadilla.  For the Moroccan Couscous Salad, cook some couscous and add a little of your leftover spice blend, plus some dried currants or raisins, sauteed zucchini, toasted pine nuts, parsley and a little lemon juice.  Cube up your leftover chicken and toss everything together.

If you'd rather have a quesadilla, thinly slice the leftover chicken and put it in flour tortillas with mexican shredded cheese, mild diced green chiles, a little lime juice, a little more spice blend and some cilantro.  Saute in butter until both sides are golden, then serve with guacamole and sour cream.

All three meals are easy, healthy and delicious.  Even if you think you don't like squash, try the roasted squash recipe.  As my mom always said, "it might be your favorite new thing".

click here for a printable recipe

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken and Roasted Squash

Serves 4

For the squash:

1 hard-shell squash such as acorn, buttercup, etc.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper

 For the spice mix:

Grated zest of one orange
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon hot chili powder (or 1 teaspoon regular chili powder and ¼ teaspoon cayenne)
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

For the chicken:

3 tablespoons plus two teaspoons Moroccan spice mix
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 small or 2-3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)
1 tablespoon canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350d.  Line a baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Cut the squash in half horizontally and scoop out the strings and seeds with a spoon.  Brush the cut sides with olive oil and place the squash halves cut side down on the baking pan.  Bake for 60 minutes or until the squash is tender and pierces easily with a fork.  Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, make the spice blend by mixing all spice mix ingredients together thoroughly.  Make a paste by mixing the measured amount of spice blend with the olive oil, then smear it on both sides of the chicken breasts.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When cooled, scoop the squash flesh out of the shell and into a bowl, then mash with a potato masher until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter.  Add the squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until fully heated.

Heat the canola oil in a second frying pan over medium heat.  Saute the chicken breasts until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Slice the chicken and serve with the hot squash.

Make Ahead: roast the squash and scoop the flesh into a bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.  Prepare the spice mix and smear the paste on the chicken, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Proceed with the rest of the recipe the following evening.