Last week was really feeling like fall, and boy was I into it. But then this week we somehow rotated back into summer, and my bedroom air conditioner is back to work and it’s very confusing to figure out what to wear and it’s much too hot to turn on the oven.

But I would turn on the oven for this. I missed Julia Child’s birthday back in August, but when I saw it all over Instagram I thought of this dish. When I read the recipe, it seemed like it was going to taste good, because it’s filled with dairy products. But I wasn’t SURE it was going to be good because it’s also filled with zucchini, a vegetable I generally feel very lukewarm about. It’s watery like a cucumber, but not refreshing. What’s the point? But I think what Julia was trying to teach me here was that if you grate literally anything into a pond of milk, cheese and rice it will taste quite good.

I read a lot of food blogs and Instagram accounts and I listen to a lot of food podcasts, and parents are always talking about how you have to get vegetables inside your children, and that sometimes smothering those vegetables in cheese is what you have to do to achieve that objective. This gratin reminds me of that. Why, as adults, are we expected to eat our vegetables in the form of sauteed kale and steamed string beans? I now would like all my vegetables shredded into an unrecognizable, only vaguely green form, and baked with rice and cheese, please. And make sure the cheese is browned and crispy on top.

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Gratin of Zucchini, Rice and Onions with Cheese

Category: Side Dish

Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. zucchini
  • 1/2 cup plain, raw, untreated white rice
  • 1 cup minced onions
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large cloves garlic, mashed or finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • About 2 1/2 cups hot liquid: zucchini juices plus milk, heated in a pan
  • About 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese (save 2 tablespoons for later)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Butter, for buttering your pan
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. First prep the zucchini. Shave the stem and tip off each zucchini, scrub the vegetable thoroughly but hot harshly with a brush under cold running water to remove any clinging sand or dirt. If the zucchini are large, halve or quarter them. If seeds are large and at all tough, and surrounding flesh is coarse rather than moist and crisp, cut out and discard the cores. Rub the squash against the coarse side of a grater and place grated flesh in a colander set over a bowl. For each 1 pound (2 cups) of grated squash, toss with 1 teaspoon of salt, mixing thoroughly. Let the squash drain 3 or 4 minutes, or until you are ready to proceed. Just before cooking, squeeze a handful dry and taste. If by any chance the squash is too salty, rinse in a large bowl of cold water, taste again; rinse and drain again if necessary. Then squeeze gently by handfuls, letting juices run back into the bowl and reserve those juices. Dry on paper towels. Zucchini will not be fluffy; it is still dampish, but the excess liquid is out.
  2. While the zucchini is draining, drop the rice into boiling salted water, bring rapidly to a boil and boil exactly 5 minutes; drain and set aside.
  3. In an 11-inch frying pan, cook the onions slowly in the oil for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender and translucent. Raise the heat slightly and stir several times until very lightly browned. Then stir in the grated and dried zucchini and the garlic. Toss and turn for 5 to 6 minutes until the zucchini is almost tender.
  4. Sprinkle in the flour, stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Gradually stir in the hot liquid, being sure the flour is well blended and smooth. Return over moderately high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring. Remove from the heat again, stir in the blanched rice and all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Taste for seasoning.
  5. Turn into a heavily buttered 6- to 8-cup flameproof baking dish about 1 1/2 inches deep. Scatter the remaining cheese on top and dribble the olive oil over the cheese.
  6. About half an hour before serving, bring to a simmer on top of the stove, then set in the upper third of a preheated 425-degree oven until the gratin is bubbling and the top has browned nicely. The rice should absorb all the liquid.

Notes

https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2019/09/26/gratin-of-zucchini-rice-and-onions-with-cheese/