Tomato, Squash & Feta Gratin

Hello folks! Let me introduce you to my new favorite vegetable side dish....courtesy of the Costco Connection. I have SO many summer vegetable gratin recipes. And for some reason, I never made a one. Not today. Today was not the day that I would shirk away from a dreamy vegetarian, eye-popping recipe. This took about 15 minutes to assemble. The dish requires few ingredients and yes, it's worth turning on your oven for this one once the sun goes down.  This side dish is truly wonderful--a little cheese goes a long way and I'm mighty disappointed I didn't make two pans of this gratin. Serve it with a rice pilaf and grilled meat. I was thinking it would also go well with some roast chicken (or Worthington multigrain cutlets) and mashed potatoes.

The recipe below is the one featured in Connie Guttersen's book, The New Sonoma Cookbook. Dr. Guttersen is the creator of "The Sonoma Diet". Another cookbook that I own, that has yet to be dusted off. But now that I've tried this recipe, I can't wait to see what else she's got for me :))

And speaking of Sonoma...did I mention how in love with it I am? Below is a (tiny) picture my husband took from a trip back a few years ago while we were at the wonderful Chateau St. Jean winery--an exquistely beautiful and peaceful place (just couldn't get the picture to stretch with my blog format).

So, while we can't exactly go back to Sonoma for a while....I will enjoy its food. Hope you will too!

TOMATO, SQUASH, AND FETA GRATIN

Serves 4 as a side dish

• 6 oz zucchini sliced 1/4" on long bias
• 6 oz yellow squash sliced 1/'8' on long bias
• 2 scallions chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (I used reduced fat feta cheese)
• 12 oz tomatoes cut in half then sliced 1/4"thick crosswise (If you use Roma tomatoes, you don't need to cut again)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

 

Lightly oil 6" diameter corning ware or pyrex dish (Dr. Guttersen says saute pan works fine too).

 

Toss zucchini with salt & pepper. Toss yellow squash with salt & pepper. In a bowl mix scallions, garlic, oregano, & feta.

 

Lay zucchini slices in pan slightly overlapping like shingles. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Top with a layer of tomatoes slightly overlapping. Sprinkle on half of the scallion mix. Top with a layer of yellow squash & another of tomatoes sprinkling each with salt & pepper. Top with remaining scallion mix then drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 30 min at 400 degrees or until top is slightly browned. Allow to sit for 10 min then cut into wedges & serve. 4 servings.
 
Here's the part where I come clean: I didn't follow the recipe exactly because I was lazy. I didn't weigh the squash, tomatoes, etc....I can tell you that I used approximately 1.5 zucchinis, 2 yellow squash zucchinis, about 3 Roma tomatoes, 1 big clove of garlic, and 1 1/2 green onions. Then I mixed the olive oil with the garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. I alternated the vegetables in the pan, drizzled the oil-garlic-oregano on top and sprinkled it all with the green onions and feta. My way seemed much easier (maybe it's not). And it was simply amazing. I'm going to continue to eat my vegetables this way....