Summer Vegetable Gratin: Recipe from Pembroke Farmers Market President, Meghan Watts

I love this recipe because it uses so many fresh, in-season vegetables, making it taste like

summer on a plate! Don’t be intimidated by making your own tomato sauce for this recipe: it

cooks up in about 10-15 minutes, and there is no peeling of tomato skin required.

This gratin-style dish works well as a vegetable side, or as a main dish served over a grain or with pasta. You can get all your fresh vegetables from Cushing Farm and Oakdale Farm this weekend!

Ingredients:

For the tomato sauce:

• 3 large tomatoes, skin on, chopped

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the remainder of the dish:1 large zucchini, thinly sliced, salted and blotted to absorb some moisture

• 1 globe eggplant, thinly sliced into half-moons, salted and blotted to absorb some moisture

• Approximately 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• Approximately 1/4 up plain breadcrumbs seasoned with garlic powder and salt to taste (Italian breadcrumbs will work, too)

  
  

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

• To make the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium high in a large sauté pan, then add the

• onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent and fragrant.

• Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn

• Add the chopped tomato and tomato paste, then cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until most of the moisture from the tomato has cooked off. Remove from the heat and set aside.

• In a casserole dish (about 2.5 quarts,) spread some of the tomato sauce on the bottom in a thin layer. Then top with one layer of sliced eggplant and zucchini, alternating between the vegetables as you place them.

• Spread another layer of tomato sauce over the zucchini and eggplant, then top with about half the parmesan

• Add a second layer of zucchini and eggplant, then top with the rest of the tomato sauce and the rest of the parmesan cheese and the breadcrumbs

• Cover with aluminum foil, then bake for approximately 40 minutes.

• Remove the foil and broil for about 5 minutes until the cheese and breadcrumbs are golden brown.

There will be some liquid at the bottom of the dish from the vegetables, which is okay! Try this dish served over an absorbent grain such as rice, couscous, quinoa, farro, etc. Enjoy!