Zucchini and Yellow Tomato Gratin

This is not strictly a Mediterranean recipe.

But I cheated.

May has been so busy, that I have been making quick, tried and tested recipes for that office day meal, such as a variation of the Cauliflower, Kale and Chickpea Curry pot,  Spicy Lentil and Chard Greens in Coconut Milk, Greek Chickpea-Mango Pasta Salad and more.

I picked up some organic yellow tomatoes from Whole Foods with a plan to try some refreshing new recipe. My Mediterranean cookbook didn’t have anything related, but pressed for time, I revamped my Zucchini Gratin recipe to use them. This one is a cross between the Summer Squash Gratin and the Eggplant Tomato Gratin.

Ingredients:

1-2 Zucchini thinly sliced into circles
1-2 Yellow Squash (Optional)
3-4 yellow tomatoes thinly sliced
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Bread Crumbs
Olive oil
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
a few red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a baking dish, lay out a layer of zucchini. Sprinkle some olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper. Sprinkle some cheese, alternate with sliced tomato and squash seasoning as needed with oil, salt and pepper and cheese. Finally sprinkle some bread crumbs, cheese and red pepper flakes. Season as per personal preference.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or as needed. Can broil for an additional 1-2 minutes . Serve warm.

The fresh yellow tomatoes give a nice tart flavor to the gratin.

Eggplant and Tomato Gratin

Mediterranean in May

I am always looking for new recipes that use Eggplant and hence I think I gravitated to recipes with Eggplant in the cookbook Vegetarian Times Cooks Mediterranean. This is an easy  recipe that can serve as a side or main dish.

Ingredients:

1 Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (or I used sliced Jack cheese)
1 garlic clove
a few basil leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat the broiler.

Lay out eggplant slices on a baking sheet. Whisk together olive oil, garlic, vinegar and salt and pepper. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the oil and vinegar mixture. Broil for 6 minutes on each side.

Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Transfer the sliced eggplant to a baking pan.  Lay tomato slices, alternating cheese slices on top of eggplant slices. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Garnish with fresh basil and serve warm.

I made a panini sandwich for lunch with left overs, the next day with olive bread, spinach and a sundried tomato and pepper sandwich spread, and that was yummy too!

Roasted Curried Cauliflower Gratin

Roasted. Curried. Cauliflower Gratin. Don’t know about you, but I am already hooked.

I recently posted a Curried Cauliflower Gratin recipe. It was delicious! I still had another half of my Cauliflower and was wondering if I wanted to make Roasted Potato and Cauliflower, when I came across this Roasted Cauliflower Gratin recipe. As always, I improvised.

Ingredients:

1/2 large head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup Parmigiano Cheese
1-2 tsp curry powder
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly toss cauliflower florets with olive oil, salt, curry powder and fresh ground pepper. Layout on a baking sheet and roast in oven on lower rack  for 20 minutes till lightly brown. Switch to broil, transfer to top rack and broil for 7-10 minutes until nicely browned.

[Roasted Cauliflower Gratin] Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post;

Transfer florets to casserole dish. Add cream, chopped garlic, salt, fresh ground pepper and cheese. Stir and return to broiler for 5-7 minutes.

Serve warm!

Curried Cauliflower Gratin

I love one-pot meals. And in the past have tried the Summer Squash Gratin and the Cabbage Casserole very successfully.

I had a large head of cauliflower and wanted to try something new. I scoured the web for an appealing recipe, but in vain. In the end, I improvised and made this dish. Actually, I ended up making this two ways using two different recipes. Here is the first one.

Ingredients:
1/2 large head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
1 red or orange bell pepper, sliced
10-12 cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup pickled sliced jalapeno peppers
1 cup bread crumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
1-2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp olive oil
a few red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place a large pan on the stove on medium low flame. Add oil, cauliflower, salt and curry powder. Fry lightly for 6-7 minutes. Add milk and continue to cook for another 5-6 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl mix bread crumbs and cheese. Season with some salt and nutmeg.

Transfer the cauliflower, along with the milk to an oven safe casserole dish. Add sliced tomatoes and pickled peppers. Top with bread crumbs mix. Can sprinkle some red pepper flakes.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

Summer Squash Gratin

Here’s another one from the 21 Day Tummy Diet…

Ingredients:
2 yellow squash sliced
2 zucchini sliced
3/4 cup 1% milk
1/3 cup almond flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp oat bran
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add sliced squash and salt and fry lightly for 6-7 minutes. Add milk and continue cooking until the milk almost halves about 3 minutes.Transfer to a baking pan.

In a separate bowl mix together almond flour, oat bran and cheese. Top the squash with the mix. Sprinkle some fresh ground pepper and bake for 15 minutes or the crust slightly browns.

Enjoy warm!