Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin

Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin

  Ingredients

    Vegetables:

    1/2 cup olive oil
    1 large or 2 medium eggplants
    1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
    1 teaspoon salt
    2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound total
    3 or 4 ripe tomatoes, about 1 pound total
    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

    For bread-crumb topping:

    1/2 cup or so fresh bread crumbs, not too finely ground
    1/3 cup or so freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    For herbs de Provence substitute the following mixture:
    2 tsp each dried thyme
    1/2 tsp savory
    1/4 tsp dried rosemary and
    1/4 tsp mint
    1/8 tsp fennel seeds
    1/8 tsp dried sage

Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin

 Instructions

making ready the vegetables:

prepare the rack on the lower-middle level of the kitchen appliance and heat up to four hundred. Smear a baking sheet munificently with 1/3 cup of the oil. Trim off ends of eggplant and slice on the diagonal into ovals 1/2" thick. One at a time, lay the slices on the sheet, press to
coat gently with oil and switch them over. prepare the slices, oiled facet up, during a single layer and sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon every of salt and herbs First State Provence.
Bake for regarding quarter-hour till the eggplant slices area unit soft and somewhat shriveled; enable to chill in short. Leave the kitchen appliance on if you'll be baking the gratin directly. Meanwhile, trim the ends off the zucchini and cut lengthwise into slices no over 1/4" thick. Salt the zucchini and let it sit for regarding quarter-hour then wipe the salt off - otherwise your casserole will be too watery. Core the tomatoes and delve slices 1/4" thick. unfolded the slices and sprinkle them gently with 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.

collection the gratin:

Film baking dish well with one teaspoon oil and sprinkle a teaspoon of the dried herbs everywhere the lowest. Lay one or 2 eggplant slices, lengthwise, against a slender facet of the dish.
prepare an extended slice or 2 of zucchini in from of the eggplant, then place two or three tomato slices ahead of the zucchini. Repeat till the pan is jam-packed with alternating rows of eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. prepare every new row of slices that the colourful high edges of the previous row area unit still visible.

Topping and baking:

combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan and teaspoon of herbes First State Provence. Add a tablespoon of oil, then toss and rub it in together with your fingers to coat the crumbs however keep them loose.
Sprinkle the crumbs equally over the vegetables and drizzle remaining oil over all.
Place dish in center of kitchen appliance and bake for forty minutes till vegetables area unit soft, the juices area unit effervescent, and therefore the high may be a deep golden brown. If the crumbs want additional browning you'll stick them underneath the broiler for many moments.