Sometimes I make recipes that are really delicious but really ugly and unphotogenic. Sometimes I decide not to blog those recipes. After all, 98% of the time the picture sells the food.
But this is the second time I’ve made this recipe, and it certainly won’t be the last. It’s definitely a keeper, so I had to share… ugly photo or not.
The first time I made this, I used zucchini and I ended up baking it at a new friend’s house. Sometimes, just sometimes, I don’t want to be the crazy person taking pictures of food in front of people we just met. So this delectable side went undocumented.
Now that I have summer squashes growing out my ears (thank you, garden!!), I’m looking for any and every way to use them. There aren’t a ton of pattypan squash recipes out there (and I have, by far, the most pattypans), but there are zillions of zucchini recipes out there and I’ve found that in most cases, the two are pretty interchangeable.
Pattypan Squash Gratin
(adapted from PBS)
- 3 large pattypan squash (or zucchini or yellow squash)
- 1 shallot, minced
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Grate the squash with a box grater. Line a bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place the squash inside. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over top and let sit 15 minutes. Wring the towel around the squash to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the shallot and sauté for four minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the squash and continue sautéing for another four minutes, until squash is soft. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a small casserole dish.
To make the sauce, melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Once melted and bubbly, add the flour and whisk constantly until mixture turns the color of peanut butter. Slowly stream in the milk, whisking while you pour. Continue whisking until no more clumps of roux remain. Season with salt and pepper and continue whisking over medium heat until sauce thickens, about five minutes.
Once thick, pour the sauce over the squash and transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.
Bake 20 minutes, until bubbly and the top is golden. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Jewish cuisine has something called a ‘kugel’. Oftentimes it’s translated as a pudding, but it’s more like a casserole and a crustless quiche rolled into one. And often, like your gratin, the photo can be rather uninspiring.
What you might want to do for a future photo, is make one batch in silicon muffin pans. This way, you get a rather photogenic-looking gratin that’s got a golden brown ‘crust’ all over.
Here’s a version I did a few years ago for a spinach-noodle ‘kugel’ (or kugelette LOL)
http://yeshasettler.blogspot.co.il/2010/02/spinach-noodle-kugel.html
I made this last night. I needed to let my squash drain longer but I was pressed for time. We devoured the whole pan! I will definitely make this again, however we all agreed adding French fried onions to the top would help give it crunch and better presentation! It almost tastes like green bean casserole in a way!