Mamas Absurd Vegetable Gratin Food

END OF SUMMER VEGETABLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the shallots, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon thyme in a baking dish. Bake, stirring halfway through, until lightly caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Line 2 baking sheets with cooling racks. Divide the eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini between the 2 sheets. Season the vegetables with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Firmly press the vegetables with a kitchen towel to remove excess water. Lift the racks from the baking sheets and brush off any excess water and salt. Transfer the vegetables onto the sheet trays. Add the tomatoes to one of the sheet trays. Toss each type of vegetable with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
• Make one stack of vegetables on a baking sheet. Start with 1 tomato slice, top it with 1 to 2 slices of zucchini, depending on the size, 1 to 2 slices of yellow squash, and then top with 1 slice of eggplant. (The zucchini and yellow squash slices should fill the same amount of space as the tomato and eggplant; if they are smaller slices, use two.) Place the stack on its side in the baking dish, on top of the caramelized shallots. Repeat making stacks and adding them into the baking dish in a spiral, working from the outside inward. If there are extra vegetables, add them to the center of the dish at the end. Sprinkle with the fontina and Parmesan. Bake until the vegetables are tender and the cheese is melted and golden brown, 35 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes.
• Garnish with the basil and serve with crusty bread.

ROOT VEGETABLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Place the sliced vegetables in a large bowl, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the thyme, and toss together.
• Arrange the vegetables in the gratin dish. Add the milk, season with more salt and pepper if you wish, and place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake 45 minutes; every 15 minutes, press the vegetables down into the milk with the back of your spoon.
• Add the cheese, and stir in carefully to incorporate. Return to the oven, and bake another 30 to 45 minutes, stirring or pressing the vegetables down with the back of your spoon every 10 minutes until the gratin is nicely browned and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and serve, or allow to settle and serve warm. (You can make this several hours ahead of serving, and reheat in a medium oven.)

PROVENCAL VEGETABLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 7 by 11-inch baking dish with olive oil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until completely softened and cooked but not browned. Stir in the basil and thyme. Spread on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Toss the sliced vegetables with the remaining olive oil and salt, and pepper. With the long side of the baking dish facing you, alternate the sliced vegetables in compact upright rows on top of the onion mixture.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the vegetables are softened, about 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Continue baking until cheese begins to brown, about 20 minutes or so. Serve hot or at room temperature.
• Copyright (c) 2004 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

VEGETABLE GRATIN 3 WAYS RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Make the béchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 3 minutes, or until fragrant.
• Add the flour and whisk into the butter. Cook for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• While whisking, pour in the milk and heavy cream. Season with the salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Remove the leaves and stem from the head of the cauliflower and chop into roughly ½-inch (1-cm) florets. Set aside.
• Trim the Brussels sprouts, then thinly slice. Add the sprouts to a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish and push to one side, filling about a third of the dish.
• Add the corn to the center third of the baking dish. Add the cauliflower florets to the remaining third of the baking dish.
• Pour the béchamel sauce evenly over the vegetables.
• Top the Brussels sprouts with the Gruyère cheese and bacon bits.
• Top the corn with the cheddar cheese.
• Top the cauliflower with the Parmesan cheese.
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the vegetables.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the top is golden brown.
• Serve warm.
• Enjoy!

VEGETABLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly cover the eggplant and squash slices with the salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse the slices under cold running water and pat them dry.
• Put the carrots, onion and garlic in a large skillet with a heavy bottom. Dissolve the tomato paste in the white wine and pour it over the carrots. Stir to combine.
• Arrange the eggplant, tomato, yellow pepper, fennel, squash and red pepper, in that order, in alternating rows on top of the carrot mixture. The sliced vegetables should be loosely packed. Sprinkle the thyme over the gratin and season with the black pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil, cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes.
• Garnish with the parsley.

MUSHROOMS A LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• Cut a cross on the base of the tomatoes, immerse them in boiling water for 20-30 seconds, then plunge them into cold water; drain and peel the skin away from the cross and, discarding the juice the and seeds (see notes below), finely chop the tomatoes.
• Place the tomatoes, oil, wine, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and basil to a non-aluminium pan, add about 1 cup of water and bring to the boil; then cover and simmer for 10 minutes; then uncover the pan, add the mushrooms and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Lift out the mushroom with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a serving dish.
• Boil the cooking liquid rapidly until about 1 cup remains, remove the bay leaf, add the lemon juice and season with salt, pepper and sugar, to taste.
• Pour the liquid over the mushrooms, and leave the mushrooms to cool.
• Serve the mushrooms cold, sprinkled with the chopped parsley and the walnuts.
• Notes: Rather than wasting such juices or vegetable peelings, I add them to my container of ingredients for when I next make my Vegetable Stock Recipe #135453.