Summer Courgette Tomato Gratin Food

BAKED COURGETTE & TOMATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Sprinkle the courgettes with a pinch of sea salt flakes and lay them on a plate with another plate on top. Put a weight or tin on top to help push out the liquid.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook over a medium heat, stirring, for 5 mins until thickened. Tear in the basil, if using, and season.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and oil a roasting dish. Combine the flours in a bowl. Pour away the water from the courgette. Dip the courgette slices into the egg, then into the flour, and arrange in a layer over the bottom of the dish. Top with a few slices of mozzarella, followed by a layer of the tomato sauce, and repeat with another layer of courgette, mozzarella and sauce. Toss the cheese and breadcrumbs together, then scatter over the top.
• Drizzle with a little more olive oil, and bake for 40-45 mins until golden and bubbling. Serve with a herby red onion salad and some bread to mop it up, if you like. Can be frozen for up to two months.

SUMMER COURGETTE & TOMATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 6 mins, then drain well.
• Mix the garlic with the oil and some seasoning. Strip the herb leaves from their stalks, then add to the oil. Drizzle a little of the oil over the base and sides of a 1.5-litre ovenproof dish. Layer half the potatoes, tomatoes and courgettes in the dish, drizzling with garlic and herb oil as you go. Mix the two cheeses and sprinkle half over the veg.
• Repeat the layers of veg and oil, drizzle over the remaining oil, then sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 40-45 mins until the veg is tender and the top golden and crisp.

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.

SUMMER VEGETABLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Make the base layer: In a large, heavy ovenproof skillet or enameled cast-iron pan (10 to 12 inches across), combine onions and olive oil and heat to a sizzle, stirring to separate. Add bell peppers, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook, stirring, over low heat until peppers are very soft and onions are browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and remove garlic, leaving remaining mixture in the pan.
• Meanwhile, make the topping (if using): Core tomatoes and slice them 1/4 inch thick. Lay on paper towels to drain for 10 minutes. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add tomatoes and cook very slowly, turning once or twice, until liquid has bubbled away and flesh is cooked through, about 8 minutes. (Do not overcook, or tomatoes will fall apart.) Turn off heat and let slices cool in skillet; they will continue to dry out. Tear baguette into pieces and pulse in a food processor to make coarse, fluffy, pea-size crumbs. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the cheese and pulse to combine.
• Assemble the gratin: Heat oven to 425 degrees. (If your oven has a convection feature, use it, reducing baking temperature to 400 degrees.) In a large bowl, combine oil, zucchini and squash, and toss well until lightly and evenly coated. Add basil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and toss again.
• On top of the base layer in pan, arrange squash and zucchini slices around the inner rim of the pan, standing on their edges in roughly alternating colors. Pat down into the pan so slices overlap and lie down, like shingles or fallen dominoes. Repeat to make another circle inside the first, and again if necessary, until pan is filled. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Brush oil over the top of the gratin and transfer to oven. Bake 30 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees (425 degrees for convection), or heat the broiler.
• If not using topping, brush surface again with oil. If using topping, arrange tomato slices in one layer on top of the par-baked gratin. Spread bread-cheese mixture over tomatoes and press down gently.
• Bake or broil until vegetables are browned around the edges or crust is crisp and golden. Let cool slightly and serve hot or at warm room temperature. Garnish each serving with herbs.

SUMMER VEGETABLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degree. Brush 13- by 9-inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon oil; set aside.
• Toss zucchini and squash slices with 1 teaspon salt in large bowl; transfer to colander set over bowl. Let stand until zuccchini and squash release at least 3 tablespoons of liquid, about 45 minutes. Arrange slices on triple layer paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels and firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible.
• Meanwhile, place tomato slices in single layer on double layer paper towels and sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 30 minutes. Place second doube layer paper towels on top of tomatoes and press firmly to dry.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and dark golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.
• Combine garlic, 2 teaspoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper and thyme in small bowl. In large bowl, toss zucchini and squash in half of oil mixture, then arrange in greased baking dish. Arrange caramelized onions in even layer over squash. Slightly overlap tomato slices in single layer on top of onions, Spoon remaining garlic-oil mixture evenly over tomatoes. Bake until vegetables are tender and tomatoes are starting to brown on edges, 40-45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, process bread in food processor or belender until finely ground (about 10 seconds). You should have about 1 cup crumbs. Combine bread crumbs, remaining teaspoon oil, parmesan and shallots in medium bowl. Remove baking dish from oven and increase heat to 450 degrees. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly on top of tomatoes. Bake until bubbling and cheese is lightly browned, 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and let sit at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.