Sunday Best Part Two

I love Ina Garten. I love her cooking style, I love that she uses real food and makes things from scratch. She loves cooking for people and it makes me want to cook for people too! This is a lovely side dish that I served with a roasted pork tenderloin. The Gruyere cheese is mild but very flavorful and accompanies the zucchini beautifully. It is so good, try it today!


Zucchini GratinRecipe courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)
2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick (4 zucchini)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (I use panko bread crumbs)
3/4 cup grated Gruyere

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large (12 inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned (*Do not caramelize the onions. I accidentally did, and while it still tasted great, it made the whole dish take on a slightly tan color. Not as pretty as I think it could have been). Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8x10 baking dish.

Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.