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Serves
2-4 as a side dish/2 as a main dish
Author Notes
This is a template for a zucchini and asparagus gratin. I've included my recipe for arugula pesto but you can use any pesto you've made or bought. I love variations. Here are a few: 1. Add pine nuts and slices of mozzarella.
2. Add fresh or frozen corn.
3. Add chopped fresh herbs like thyme, basil, oregano, or rosemary.
4. Make a sandwich with the cooked gratin. Spread both pieces of bread with pesto mayo (mix 1 part pesto + 1 part mayo). Layer pieces of zucchini and asparagus with hearts of romaine and chopped parsley.
5. Serve leftover gratin over pasta, couscous, or rice. Add more cheese and drizzle olive oil over the dish before serving. And you could even throw in some preserved lemons. —Phyllis Grant
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Ingredients
- Arugula Pesto
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1/2 cup
pine nuts
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2 cups
spinach leaves
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2 cups
arugula
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2
garlic cloves, grated or chopped
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1/2-3/4 cups
olive oil
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1/4 cup
gruyere, grated
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1/4 cup
mild and creamy goat cheese
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1/4 cup
parmesan, grated
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1/2
lemon, juiced
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Pinch
salt
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pepper to taste
- Assembling the Baby Zucchini, Asparagus, and Pesto Gratin
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1 tablespoon
olive oil (for greasing the dish)
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12-15
baby zucchini (or 5-8 large zucchini)
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20
asparagus tips (save the rest for asparagus soup)
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8 tablespoons
arugula pesto (see above)
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3/4 cup
bread crumbs
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Pinch
salt
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Pinch
pepper
Directions
- Arugula Pesto
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Toast the pine nuts in a pan or in the oven until they're lightly browned.
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Throw all ingredients (including the warm nuts) into the food processor. Blend until almost smooth (or if you prefer leave it a bit chunky).
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Taste for seasoning. You might need to add more salt. If it's really thick, thin it a bit with olive oil.
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Store in the fridge with a thin layer of olive oil on top to prevent browning. Or you can freeze it in an ice cube tray and then transfer cubes to a ziploc bag for 6 months.
- Assembling the Baby Zucchini, Asparagus, and Pesto Gratin
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Make the arugula pesto (or any other kind). Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease an 8x10 inch gratin dish with olive oil.
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Cut the stems off the zucchini. Cut each one in half lengthwise if they're small. If large, cut into fourths or eighths. Just make sure they're all about the same size.
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Place zucchini pieces and asparagus tips into the greased gratin dish.
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Scoop the pesto onto the vegetables. With your fingers, gently coat the zucchini and asparagus with the pesto.
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Mix bread crumbs with salt and pepper. Sprinkle mixture over the vegetables.
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Bake until zucchini and asparagus are just tender and the top of the gratin is crispy and brown. About 20-30 minutes. Test by inserting a knife. If there's any resistance, it's not done. Or just pull out a piece and taste it if you're not sure. Eat immediately. Or see intro for many variations.
Phyllis Grant is an IACP finalist for Personal Essays/Memoir Writing and a three-time
Saveur Food Blog Awards finalist for her blog,
Dash and Bella. Her essays and recipes have been published in a dozen anthologies and cookbooks including
Best Food Writing 2015 and
2016. Her work has been featured both in print and online for various outlets, including
Oprah, The New York Times, Food52, Saveur, The Huffington Post, Time Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, Tasting Table and
Salon. Her memoir with recipes,
Everything Is Out of Control, is coming out April 2020 from Farrar Straus & Giroux. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband and two children.
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