Zucchini Casserole Recipe

Really easy and very good: Zucchini (Called a courgette in Britain and France) is also known as Italian squash though it seems to grow darn near everywhere. In Britain when (and anyone who has grown zucchini at home knows that this happens) zucchini grow to mammoth proportions it is called a Marrow. There are many jokes about people trying to grow a prize Marrow for the locate Church Fete or Gala. Unfortunately as they grow they tend to lose flavor becoming extremely bland (Though this is to the British taste, or lack of it). They are usually stuffed with well stuff, breadcrumbs onions, sage, old boots, and silver polish. If those are not the exact ingredients it is fairly reminiscent of the taste.

It is the ultimate goal of every British cook to remove any redeeming qualities any foodstuff may have. Take minced collops for example (Please, take them far, far away.) nothing too untoward collops, from the French word “Escalope” starts out as a fairly innocuous mixture of onions, minced (Ground) steak and Worcestershire sauce, it is then violated in a most brutal and violent manner with the addition of suet (raw beef fat) and oatmeal, sometimes walnut ketchup is added as well (Walnut Ketchup? Ah, hmmm yes it is quite as horrid as it sounds), then cooked until a uniform gray-yellow color has been achieved. This is the standard color of all British food except custard. Which by way of being bright yellow is seen as rather lascivious, unseemly, disgustingly overt and naughty. There are certain people who take one look at a custard trifle and need to have a lie down to get over their excitement. Note a trifle usually has a red jelly (Jello to Americans) base which just enhances the visual whoreness of the dish. A vile unscrupulous demimonde of a dish.

The Italians don’t have these strange almost Freudian issues. The food of Italy is vibrant and colorful, occasionally smooth creamy and sensual. It is a cuisine full of languid luscious sauces that linger over bite tender pastas, succulent smoky meats and crisp vivacious vegetables. In keeping with this colorful display here is a recipe for an Italian American zucchini casserole that makes an excellent side dish to a roast, or on its own as a main vegetarian course, with sides of creamy risotto or pasta and large slabs of garlic bread (See post August 6, 2009 Garlic Bread and Windy Sheep).

Ingredients:

2 Pounds of zucchini sliced
4 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 Cups of tomato based pasta sauce, your own or store-bought
1 Cup of mozzarella cheese shredded
1/2 Cup of shredded Parmesan
1 Tablespoon basil or Italian seasoning

How you do this? I tell you now:

Combine the cheeses in a bowl. Heat half the oil in a skillet and toss in the zucchini cook for 5 minutes until they have released their succulent juices but have not yet browned (you can also steam the zucchini but wring (Drain) them out in a tea towel.). Drain the zucchini. Grease a medium casserole or four individual gratin dishes with the remaining olive oil. Layer some of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the casserole or gratin dishes; lay the zucchini over this in an overlapping pattern, top with more sauce and a healthy layer of the cheese mixture, sprinkle with the basil or Italian seasoning repeat ending with a layer of cheese and a sprinkling of the seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until zucchini is soft when pierced with a knife, and cheese is bubbly.

Serve with a white or red Chianti, either should be fairly young. A sauvignon blanc would also suffice.