The longest part of the prep for this dish is cooking the onions for the base. Other than that, this dish comes together quickly. If you have soffritto in the freezer, it is a snap to put together, and it looks as if you fussed for quite a while. If you have different colored tomatoes and/or squashes the dish looks quite festive.
INGREDIENTS:
2 onions, peeled and diced fine, or 1 cup soffritto defrosted 2cloves garlic, peeled and minced 4-6 medium tomatoes, seeded, sliced ¼-inch thick 6-8 medium summer squash, sliced on a long diagonal 3/16th inch thin (or no thicker than the tomato slices) olive oil as needed salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of your choiceEquipment: A 2 or 2.5 quart or 9×7 inch gratin/casserole dish
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Film well with oil and sauté the onions until tender and colored a little. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Season with a little salt and pepper and a pinch of the herbs. If you have the soffritto, warm it up in the microwave or in a pan over low heat. (If you use soffrito, rub the inside of the cooking vessel hard with a peeled whole clove of garlic to leave garlic oil on the inside for flavor. Season the soffrito as above with the salt and pepper and the herbs.)
When the onions are done, add them to the cooking vessel and level out.
Now it is time to add the squash and tomatoes to the gratin. Place a narrow end closest to you. Starting at the end away from you, layer in squash slices so the colorful skin of is facing up. Do one row. It may be necessary to cut a piece of squash so you get a good fit. Next, do a row of tomato. The second row should overlap 3/4s of the first row. Continue, alternating squash for tomato until the vessel is filled with one layer.
Drizzle the squash with a little oil or use a brush, or a mister to do the whole surface of the gratin. Season with salt and pepper and scatter the herbs over all.
Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the gratin is golden and the squash is tender.
Remove form the oven and allow to cool and set up for 5-10 minutes so it doesn’t simply fall apart when you serve it.
Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.
Chef’s Notes:
If you wish, scatter some cheese such as parmesan or gruyere over the dish in the last ten minutes. You could also toss some bread-crumbs with a little oil and add them in the last ten minutes.
This gratin is good as part of a sandwich the next day. Try it with fresh mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinegar or some tapenade.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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