What do you do when you have 7 billion pounds of zucchini and you've already made chocolate zucchini cake (twice) and several kinds of zucchini pasta (okay, really just one kind over and over again. But it's good). Zack and I were watching the Barefoot Contessa and she had a special French themed episode. It totally inspired me to break out my Barefoot in Paris cookbook and make this zucchini gratin. It's creamy, it's summery and it rocks hard core.
Ina's Zucchini Gratin - slightly adapted by me
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large) - I used cippolini onions that I had in my fridge, so I just used those.
2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned (I totally browned mine. Whoops.)
(Also I used not a saute pan and later, it was harder to get all the zucchini cooked evenly. Don't be like me. Although it all turned out fine, so maybe it doesn't matter). Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce.
Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.
Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.
Doesn't it look awesome? It tasted great. There's something amazing about taking something really healthy like green vegetables and making them super decadent and delicious. You should try it!
