As any gardener knows, a few healthy zucchini plants can outpace a family's ability to consume the harvest. "That's lock-your-car-door season in Maine," Annie says. "If you don't, you may find your car stuffed with huge zucchinis, courtesy of a 'friend.'" This gratin is one of the many delicious things Annie has learned to make with abundant summer vegetables. If she has eggplant on hand, as she did when I was on the boat, she'll layer some slices in there, too.
***
Recipe: Zucchini Gratin
Total Time: 1 hour
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
-
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
-
1 pound zucchini (about 3), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
-
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
-
1 large garlic clove, minced
-
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
-
3 sage leaves, thinly sliced crosswise
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400° and set a rack to the middle position. Grease the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with oil, then layer the zucchini in four overlapping rows. Drizzle each row with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic, goat cheese, and sage, then spread this evenly over the zucchini. Bake until the zucchini is cooked all the way though and the cheese begins to brown, 40 to 50 minutes.
