Young Zucchini Gratin

Last Friday, I visited my local farmers market for the first time this year. Field tomatoes are not there yet because the spring was very cold but many greens are already available--different kinds of beets, a variety of kale, radish and young zucchinis. I left the market with bags full of spring greens and a couple of pounds of different zucchinis to make my favorite dishes and to experiment with the new ones.

Late spring zucchinis are still rather small and probably the tastiest. The menu of dishes that can be made with them is endless. Many simplest ones, like zucchinis just sauteed in olive oil and herbs, are among the best.

Yesterday, I tried a zucchini gratin recipe. Gratin dishes usually make the vegetables well cooked. This recipe however cooks zucchinis only to the point where they are still tender. Also, gratin dishes, contrary to popular believes, are delicate and not very rich in calories. Just look at all the slim Italians or French who make many dishes based on this Béchamel sauce.

This particular combination of young zucchinis and Béchamel sauce with a moderate addition of goat cheese seems perfect and can be served for lunch or dinner.

Young Zucchini Gratin
(serves four)

Ingredients:
2 lb of small, baby green and yellow zucchinis, sliced in 1/2-inch slices,
2 small shallots, chopped,
a small bunch of fresh preferably lemon thyme--leaves only,
1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese,
4 tbsp butter,
2 tbsp all purpose flour,
1 and 1/2 cup reduced fat milk,
4 tbsp breadcrumbs,
2 tbsp olive oil,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Heat the olive oil and fry shallots in it for about 3 minutes. Add sliced zucchinis and fry them for about 3 minutes, tossing them frequently.

3. Transfer zucchinis to a medium oven-proof dish. Sprinkle them with thyme leaves, and crumbled goat cheese.

4. To make a Béchamel sauce, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a medium pot. Add the flour and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Take off the heat and add milk. Using a whisker incorporate milk until the sauce is smooth and no clumps remain. Return the sauce to the heat and bring to boil stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Spread the hot Béchamel on top of the zucchinis. Sprinkle the dish with the remaining butter and breadcrumbs.
6. Bake the zucchinis for about 25-30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles and breadcrumbs become gold.

Serve hot alone or with a baguette.

Parsnip and Potato Gratin--Variation on an Old Theme

Many people confuse parsnip with parsley root. Although quite similar in their look, they are different in taste and aroma. But the most distinguishing difference between them is that parsley leaves (flat leaved parsley, also called Italian parsley) are very good and are used widely as a herb in many cuisines, while parsnip leaves are toxic and cause a similar to poison ivy reaction. For that reason, parsley root is often sold with leaves, but parsnip never.

Being Polish I am very familiar with parsley root, which we use in soups and salads for its strong aroma, but much less with parsnip. However, I have been happy to learn recently that this unassuming and easily available tuber, especially in the fall, is also very healthy. It is very reach in vitamins, most of all vitamin C, antioxidants, vitamin B complex group, folic acid, and vitamin K.

Among many parsnip recipes I found in different culinary sources there was one idea that sounded interesting--parsnip and potato gratin. Adding parsnip makes this well-known and easy potato dish slightly sweet and more aromatic. I made it last week and served it with green salad as a main dinner dish.

Parsnip and Potato Gratin

Ingredients:
1 lb potatoes,
1/2 lb parsnip,
1 medium onion,
2 garlic cloves,
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère or Cheddar cheese,
one cup table cream or half and half,
1/2 stick of butter,
salt, freshly ground pepper,
a pinch of nutmeg.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2.Peel off potatoes, parsnip, and onion. Slice them thinly.

2.Grease a shallow oven-proof dish with butter.
3. Put half of the potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Cover with sliced parsnip and onion. Put on top small pieces of butter and half of the cheese.

4. Cover with the rest of potatoes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese on top.
5. Heat the cream until hot and pour over the vegetables.
6. Bake for an hour until vegetable are soft and the cheese bubbling and gold.

Fennel and Goat Cheese Gratin--Finally a Succes!

There is a recipe in my folder, which I clipped out from an English magazine almost twenty years ago, and all these years I have meant to try it, but somehow I have never managed to.

It was presented by a well known chef and on the photograph it looked very appetizing. Finally, last week I got all the products and made it! And the dish turned out to be one of my biggest culinary disappointments. It was inedible. I will not go into details, but let me just say that the dish was bitter and dry--an absolute disaster. And I would not advise anyone to bake radicchio.

I was very frustrated, threw away the final product, and could only regret that I had not made a salad of it, as usual.

The next dish on my "finally made it" list came from another well known chef, Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow's favorite. It was fennel gratin, a popular Italian dish. Sounded delicious, but who knew how this would turn out. I was pretty apprehensive after my first try. I knew fennel and ate it many times, but somehow never made it myself. It has always tasted delicious, but I was afraid of it strong anise aroma, which could be overwhelming if fenel is used as the main ingredient.

Finally, the moment of trying came when at my Whole Foods store I saw beautiful, light green fresh fennel bulbs. I bought two and decided to make gratin of them. The preparation was quick and easy, and the dish came out wonderful. Fennel was delicate, the sauce creamy, and goat cheese on top gave it an extra twist. A perfect spring vegetarian dish, to be accompanied by a crispy salad.

Fennel and Goat Cheese Gratin
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
2 large fennel bulbs,
2 tbsp butter,
1 1/2 cup milk,
1/4 tsp salt,
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg,
ground pepper,
1/2 cup fontina cheese,
6 oz of fresh goat cheese, sliced.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Boil water with a spoon of salt in a medium pot.
3. Trim away stalks from the fennel leaving only the light parts and cut into slices.
4. Blanch fennel in boiling water for about 10 minutes, and drain when tender.
5. In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, mix, and cook for about 2 minutes.
6. Add milk whisking constantly. Cook stirring continuously for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
7. Season the sauce with salt, nutmeg, and pepper.
8. Place fennel in a 10 inch baking dish and cover with sauce.

9.Place slices of goat cheese on top and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbles.

Let it cool slightly, and serve with bread and salad.

Celery Root Gratin--Not Exotic but Still Unknown

On my recent visit to the Asian food market, while looking for the exotic jicama for the red cabbage and beets salad, I spotted many vegetables that I not only have never tried, but did not even know they existed. I took out a pen and wrote down all the unusual names later to find recipes for them. The list is surprisingly long--eddo, malanga, nagaimo, jokote, battata--just to name some. As those vegetables became available in an exotic food store, I will try to find good recipes for them and popularize those that I will like best.

But, in the meantime, I decided to write again about the celery root, a vegetable that can be found in all popular supermarkets, but in the United States is still considered as exotic as all the vegetables I have just named. And although I see every day people buying celery sticks, I have never spotted anyone reaching for the celery root.

Celery root is a necessary ingredient in almost all Polish soups and many salads. We share this love with the French who make many interesting dishes from that aromatic tuber, and even marinate it in vinegar.

The other day when I had a French friend over, she reminded me of celery gratin--a dish that I have heard a lot about, but never tried. I love everything that is gratinéed in a creamy and cheesy sauce, and served with a glass of red wine, the French way, so I right away assumed that it could be one of my favorite dishes. This essentially vegetarian dish is quite hearty, which makes it perfect for this cold season. It is quite similar to although a little sweeter than potato gratin. At first, I served it with baby potatoes, but later I tried it with a baguette and liked it more that way.

A green salad--especially a peppery arugula salad--will be a nice complement to it as its sharp taste will contrast with the sweetness of the celery root.

Celery Root Gratin

Ingredients:
1 large celery root about 2 lbs,
1 1/3 cup milk,
1 egg yolk,
1/2 cup creme fresh, or heavy whipping cream,
1 cup Gruyère, Fontina, or Cheddar cheese, grated,
3 tbsp butter,
salt and white pepper.

Preparation:
1. Peel off the celery root, cut in quarters and slice into 1/4 inch slices.
2. Put them in a pot, add milk and butter, and cook slowly for about 20 minutes (be careful as milk has a tendency to spill if it is boiling too rapidly).
3. Preheat oven to 425 F.
4. Butter an oven-proof dish and arrange gently the slices of the cooked celery root at the bottom of it.
5. In a bowl mix together cream, egg yolk, 2/3 cup of cheese, and milk from cooking the celery root.
6. Pour the mixture over the celery root slices and cover on top with the remaining cheese.
7. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until the cheese melts and forms a gold crust.

This is an excellent stand-alone vegetarian dish, or can be served as accompaniment to white meats.