Abundance

We always have a lot of zucchini. A lot. I wish I could mention my garden here, flourishing with organically-grown zucchini that I regularly make into zucchini bread and drop off at my neighbors' homes. But, in reality, I just buy a lot of zucchini from Trader Joe's.

I find that I can shred it or put it in the the food processor and add it to many recipes to get a little extra veggie intake for the kiddies. One of whom declares, "I don't like veggies." Ugh.

Here is one of my favorite zucchini recipes from my lady, the Barefoot Contessa. I use significantly less butter (only a pat) and usually one onion and a few zucchini. I find that you can just take the essence of this recipe and use whatever you have at home to get really delicious results. Using the amounts listed must make an enormous amount of gratin. Be prepared or cut the recipe down significantly.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
• 1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)
• 2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup hot milk
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup grated Gruyere

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.

Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.