Building a Better Vegetable Gratin

[elleng]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/dining/vegetable-casserole.html?

[WhiteTara]

1. This looks great

[msanthrope]

2. Articles like this drive me crazy.....and let me tell you why.....

Certain foods can never be made to do "x" without intensive labor.

In this case, to make watery zucchini into a successful "gratin" you basically have to do backflips to prepare it. And you have to put the oven on. In summer.

Screw that. Chop an onion. Carmelize it with a bit of salt. While it is doing that, chop up some zucchini into fairly thick rounds. When the onion is done, put it in the bottom of a serving dish. In batches, brown the zucchini well, using salt and thyme to taste. Layer this in a serving dish, squeezing lemon over each layer. When you have all the zucchini browned, let the dish sit. If you cover it, it the zukes will get softer. Before serving, squeeze a bit more lemon on. If you really want something crunchy, use your saute pan to brown up some panko crumbs.

That's it. That's a summer gratin. No oven.

In the morning, if you have any leftovers, use it for omelette filling.