July's recipe
I don't know about you, but I'm flooded with so much "information" every day, my head spins. Worse, doesn't it seem as if what's coming at us just isn't as solid as it used to be?
Take recipes. I must get a hundred recipes a day in my email inbox alone. I try maybe about five a week, and of these, maybe one in fifty may be a keeper. This, even from sources I once found reliable.
Discouraged, I go back to the tried-and-true recipes I've been collecting for decades. Many are still my go-tos, but many don't work anymore: the ingredients lack the flavor they used to have or come in package sizes that no longer correspond with the needs of the recipe. Or, the ingredients are unhealthy, such as too much butter or sugar, or fail to add what we'd like to augment in our diets, such as fresh vegetables. Or the recipe calls for a bazillion messy, time-consuming steps. It's enough to pull your hair out, right?
I'd like to help. Every month I'll be pulling out a curated recipe that has survived the gauntlet of today's changing times and needs. For July, that's courgettes au four avec tomates (baked zucchini with tomatoes), a simple, tasty, healthy, gorgeous offering that's sure to impress even the non-veggie eaters in your family. And wait'll you see it on your plate, those green and red overlapping slices of yumminess.
Kara's Stellar Courgettes Au Four Avec Tomates
(Baked zucchini with tomatoes—a vegetable recipe for vegetable haters)
Okay, this photo doesn't do the dish (or me) justice but use your imagination: under the caramelized topping of onions and peppers are alternating slices of tomatoes and zucchini, gorgeous when served. I used a pewter platter that's been in my family for generations, but a similar sized dish that'll withstand a few minutes under the broiler will do just fine.
Ingredients
· 1 zucchini, about ½ lb.
· 2 medium-sized tomatoes, about ½ lb.
· 1 medium-sized green pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
· 1 c finely chopped onion
· Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
· ¼ c oil (use a little less if your like, but don't omit—needed for carmelization)
Directions
1. If you have two ovens, preheat one to 400 degrees, one to broil. If you have one oven, preheat the broiler.
2. Trim off the ends of the zucchini and core the tomatoes. Cut each into ten half-inch slices. Arrange them, edges slightly overlapping, alternating the zucchini with tomato.
3. Sprinkle with green pepper, onion, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with oil.
4. Broil about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the vegetables on top. Remove from broiler.
5. If you have two ovens, move the dish to the preheated 400 degree one; if not, turn off the broiler and preheat the oven. It may take a minute or two for the oven's heat to stabilize. Bake about 25 minutes, checking occasionally so that vegetables don't get too soft.
Serve hot. 4 servings.
Kara says: Even folks who don't care for vegetables love them cooked like this. Must be the caramelization and blend of flavors. So few ingredients, simple to make, and tasty.