by amanda
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1 teaspoon fresh marjoram or oregano leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried) Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley Ask a question about this ingredient
3/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 small clove garlic Ask a question about this ingredient
1 anchovy Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon capers, drained (rinsed if salt-packed) Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 lemon, for juicing Ask a question about this ingredient
Freshly ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
2 pounds summer squash Ask a question about this ingredient
1 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs Ask a question about this ingredient
3 tablespoons unsalted butter Ask a question about this ingredient
3/4 cups sliced shallot Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon minced garlic Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon thyme leaves Ask a question about this ingredient
1 New Mexico chile or jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese Ask a question about this ingredient
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
Make the salsa verde. Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor, I won't tell anyone), pound the herbs to a paste. You may have to do this in batches. Work in some of the olive oil, and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Pound the garlic and anchovy, and add them to the herbs.
Ask a question about this stepGently pound the capers until they're partially crushed, and add them to the herbs. Stir in the remaining oil, a pinch of black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste for balance and seasoning.
Ask a question about this stepMake the gratin. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Toss the slices in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and let sit 10 minutes.
Ask a question about this stepPlace the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat for 1 minutes. Swirl in the butter and cook for a few minutes, until it browns and smells nutty. Pour the brown butter over the breadcrumbs (being sure to scrape all the brown bits into the bowl with a rubber spatula). Wait a minute or so for the butter to cool, and toss well.
Ask a question about this stepDrain the squash and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Add the shallots, minced garlic, thyme, chile, 1/2 cup salsa verde, and some pepper. Toss to combine, and add the cheese and half the butter-coated breadcrumbs. Toss again, and taste for seasoning. (The raw garlic will taste strong at this point but will be delicious when cooked.)
Ask a question about this stepPlace the squash in a pretty 9-by-9-inch (or equivalent) gratin dish (I used a skillet). Scatter the remaining breadcrumbs over the top, and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the squash is tender and the top is crisp.
Ask a question about this stepDelicious! I served it with pan sauteed hog snapper and cucinettaNYC's Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad. Both were a big hit in my house. I had to make a couple of revisions... Wimped out on the anchovie; used mostly green zucchini as my yellow ones didn't look very good; my shallots were dry so I used thinly sliced white onion instead; wanted to use up what I had in the house so I used store bought and Panko bread crumbs. I will definitely make it again.
Glad all of your adaptations worked out well -- I think it's one of those recipes where you can really play around with the aromatics, etc. so long as you treat the squash/zucchini properly. Also, great menu!
I couldn't believe it but this was actually good. I made it for some vegetarians/picky eaters but even I enjoyed it. I did make one mistake - I put the juice of the entire half lemon into the salsa verde and that made it so sour. I had to compensate by adding a lot more oil.
I would warn users that the half lemon that's listed for juicing just means to have half a lemon around but you will likely need a lot less. Maybe 1 - 2 tsp.
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Made this after a trip out east to the farm stands, So easy excellent I will make again. Thank you for the recipe I am glad I had my Mother's cast iron skillet!!! Perfect
Made this after a trip out east to the farm stands, So easy excellent I will make again. Thank you for the recipe I am glad I had my Mother's cast iron skillet!!! Perfect
Yummm.....a new recipe to try (have loads of squash and zucchini in the garden)...thanks for sharing.... :o)
Made this tonight. Delicious! Cut back on the mint in the Salsa Verde as ours, freshly picked at the end of a sunny day, is so intense that anything more than a smidgen will overwhelm. Had both Italian and Greek oregano outside, so used some of each. The family received this with great enthusiasm. ;o)
i made this & it was tasty! The next time I make it, I am going to cut down on the oil. The squash alone adds enough moisture, that any additional oil made it more on the oily side of healthy.
I forgot to add in my comments, but I only used 1/2 cup and it was perfect.
I made this tonight with most of the ingredients coming straight from my garden. Instead of the salsa verde I used one of the last jars of my green tomato salsa from last fall. Everything else I followed. I loved it! My family gobbled it up including my almost 2 year old son. I will absolutly be keeping this recipe and passing it around to my friends on FB. Thanks for sharing!
I had such high hopes for this dish I couldn't wait to make it. It was a real let down given all the work it takes to make it. Followed the recipe to a 't' and the dish was just tasteless which is hard to believe given everything that goes in to it. Very disappointing as I am a huge fan of Suzanne Goin. Perhaps this is a dish that needs to sit for a while before serving for the flavors to come together. Will be trying leftovers today to see if this makes a difference.
Really great. Made this with some minor variations: leeks instead of shallots; salsa verde without anchovies and I didn't really measure anything. Just threw it all into the mini cuisinart and let 'er rip. Used a mix of olive oil and butter, and after dousing the homemade dried bread crumbs, used the pan to saute the leeks a bit. Cut some grape tomatoes int the bowl. Didn't have thyme so used torn basil instead. Comte cheese instead of gruyere. Fabulous. Thank you!
Fabulous. I bought squash just to try this since my plants are still small, have herbs from the garden -- parsley, oregano, and used chives and some basil instead of the mint - and made it for lunch today. It's one I want to be able to make regularly without a recipe since it's a bit of running back and forth to be sure I've got it right, but OMG!
I just made this last night with small variations: I used a red onion (fresh from the garden) in place of the shallots, fresh garlic (as opposed to dried) and left out the anchovy.
It was amazing. The salsa verde is the perfect touch that makes this dish so delicious.
Just made this for my husband and daughter. Huge success. I blogged about it, too: http://www.alexandracooks.com/2011/06/17/summer-squash-gratin/
Thanks so much for such a great recipe!
I didn't have the ingredients on had to make the salsa verde however, I did have some leftover chimichuri which worked wonderfully. The squash also came from our garden so it was a double delight.
This was great! I used cilantro instead of oregano in the salsa verde and omitted the anchovy to keep it vegetarian. So tasty, colorful and perfect for spring/summer.
Oooh, this is soooo good. Three cheers! I will definitely make this again. Delish!
This was a big hit at my house last night, even with a teenage boy! I cheated a bit since it was a hectic weeknight. I used jarred salsa verde, and I also skimped on the shallots. It was still delicious.
Hi Amanda, I'm planning to make this tonight but don't have enough shallots for this and the chicken I'm planning to cook with it (your sptachcocked-braised-roasted chicken) and I'm not going to have time to go to the store and get dinner ready I think! Can I use a red onion instead of the shallots in the gratin?
Just wanted to let you know - I made this last week, it was amazing. I did use a red onion - maybe shallots would be even better, but this was fantastic. Thanks!
Made this on Friday night for dinner with a salad. It was so good! My husband can't eat anchovies, so I threw in some oven roasted grape tomatoes for the umami, and did it as a tart. I blind baked the tart first for about 20 minutes and then added the squash mixture. Delish! And it was breakfast the next day and then just magically disappeared. This is my next go-to pot luck dish too!
Looks like my squash is ripe in the garden - eager to try this.
This looks great, but I don't love gruyere (or Swiss). Any thoughts on another complementary cheese?
I used this in a summertime cooking with minimum fuss class tonight with these variations: I filmed the bottom of the baking pan with olive oil, added no salsa verde to the vegetable mix, and tossed the Panko into the pan in which the butter had browned. When we served it, we placed a generous dollop of salsa verde on top. People went berserk over it. It was wonderful, perfect, and beautiful. Thank you so much.
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Making the salsa verde -- first mash up a bunch of herbs.
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Keep mashing!
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Give up when they're still not quite a paste, and start adding the rest of the salsa verde ingredients.
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Like mashed anchovy and garlic.
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And some capers.
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And some lemon juice.
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Oh, and some pepper, too. Not sure what's going on with my arm -- reminds me of Bjork's swan dress.
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Some of the other tasty gratin ingredients: grated Gruyere, thyme, shallots, chunk o' butter, pepper.
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Slicing the summer squash.
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Browning the butter for the breadcrumbs.
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Pouring the very hot -- and spattering -- browned butter into the breadcrumbs. They quieted down after.
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This is what the squash looks like after sitting with salt for a few minutes. It really works!
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Time to mix it all up.
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First the salsa verde goes in with the squash, shallots, chile, and thyme.
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Mixing, mixing!
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Mixing with the cheese and breadcrumbs in there, too.
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Scrape it into a dish or skillet.
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Press it down.
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Top with the remaining breadcrumbs and get it in the oven for a few minutes.
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And dinner is yours.
Hmmm...this is making my mouth water. I'm thinking of trying this, and incorporating homemade chicken sausage while roasting it in the oven. I'll give it a whirl and let you know how it turns out!