Sweet Corn & Zucchini Gratin with Tons of Fresh Basil

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Sweet Corn and Zucchini Gratin With Fresh Basil

This gratin epitomizes the tastes of summer. The veggies are light, sweet, and crunchy while the cheese and egg give it some richness and heft, and the basil ties all the flavors together in one delicious package. Plus, it's a great way to use up some zucchini!

Close up, sweet corn by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

This recipe comes from the NYTimes.com's excellent Recipe for Health series. I've adapted Martha Rose Shulman's recipe slightly, substituting fresh basil for the cumin and pumping up the amount of cheese it calls for a little bit. You can find the original recipe here if you're curious.

If you want to make this even heartier, try adding some fresh bread crumbs or cooked rice to provide some additional substance.

Sweet Corn and Zucchini Gratin With Fresh Basil

-- print recipe --Sweet Corn and Zucchini Gratin With Fresh Basil
Serves 6

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
* 1 large garlic clove, minced
* 3/4 pound zucchini, thinly sliced or diced
* Kernels from 2 ears sweet corn (about 2 cups)
* 3 large free-range, organic eggs
* 1/2 cup organic milk
* 1 large handful of fresh basil, washed, dried and coarsely chopped
* 1 small handful of fresh parsley, washed, dried and coarsely chopped
* 3/4 cup sharp cheddar or gruyere cheese, shredded
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Set aside the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add the red pepper and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers are tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and the zucchini, stir together and add another generous pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini is just beginning to look bright green and some of the slices are translucent. Stir in the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Stir together for a minute or two, and remove from the heat. Scrape into a large bowl.

2. Place the remaining corn kernels in a blender jar, and add the eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into the bowl with the vegetables. Add the basil, parsley and the cheese, and stir everything together. Scrape into the gratin dish.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the gratin is firm to the touch. Serve hot or warm.

Some other recipes you might like:
Like this recipe? Click here to browse through more Eatwell Recipes.

The Eatwell Project: a year of seasonal recipes -- logo by Eve Fox

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

1 comment:

Kirsten Lindquist said...

WOW!This sounds so amazing! And I've got it all in the fridge so this is my next meal. Thanks for the inspiration!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Sweet Corn & Zucchini Gratin with Tons of Fresh Basil

Sweet Corn and Zucchini Gratin With Fresh Basil

This gratin epitomizes the tastes of summer. The veggies are light, sweet, and crunchy while the cheese and egg give it some richness and heft, and the basil ties all the flavors together in one delicious package. Plus, it's a great way to use up some zucchini!

Close up, sweet corn by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog

This recipe comes from the NYTimes.com's excellent Recipe for Health series. I've adapted Martha Rose Shulman's recipe slightly, substituting fresh basil for the cumin and pumping up the amount of cheese it calls for a little bit. You can find the original recipe here if you're curious.

If you want to make this even heartier, try adding some fresh bread crumbs or cooked rice to provide some additional substance.

Sweet Corn and Zucchini Gratin With Fresh Basil

-- print recipe --Sweet Corn and Zucchini Gratin With Fresh Basil
Serves 6

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
* 1 large garlic clove, minced
* 3/4 pound zucchini, thinly sliced or diced
* Kernels from 2 ears sweet corn (about 2 cups)
* 3 large free-range, organic eggs
* 1/2 cup organic milk
* 1 large handful of fresh basil, washed, dried and coarsely chopped
* 1 small handful of fresh parsley, washed, dried and coarsely chopped
* 3/4 cup sharp cheddar or gruyere cheese, shredded
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Set aside the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add the red pepper and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers are tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and the zucchini, stir together and add another generous pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini is just beginning to look bright green and some of the slices are translucent. Stir in the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Stir together for a minute or two, and remove from the heat. Scrape into a large bowl.

2. Place the remaining corn kernels in a blender jar, and add the eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into the bowl with the vegetables. Add the basil, parsley and the cheese, and stir everything together. Scrape into the gratin dish.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the gratin is firm to the touch. Serve hot or warm.

Some other recipes you might like:
Like this recipe? Click here to browse through more Eatwell Recipes.

The Eatwell Project: a year of seasonal recipes -- logo by Eve Fox

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

1 comment:

Kirsten Lindquist said...

WOW!This sounds so amazing! And I've got it all in the fridge so this is my next meal. Thanks for the inspiration!