I tried Julia Child’s famous zucchini casserole and it’s my new Summer Bay Court

At the beginning of this summer I tried Julia Child’s Brilliant Trick to make the best chicken salad. It was so easy, but it led to an incredible dish that I would keep returning. In my great experience with the chicken salad, I started looking for it RecipesPresent TipsAnd TricksSo I could channel more Julia Child Energy in the kitchen.

So when Allrecipes Senior Editor Courtney Kassel Julia announced famous Rice zucchini tianPresent Or to zucchini and rice gratin recipe, I knew that it would be something that I just had to make as quickly as possible. It comes from Julias “Master the art of French cooking: volume two“This is full of hundreds of incredible recipes, including a whole section for vegetables.

Zucchini is plentiful at this time of year, but I have gone through mine Favorite -Zucchini recipes fast. I wanted something light, vegetarian forward goods and something that would add a variety of summer food. The Casserage zucchini Complete fully into the invoice.

Julia Child’s zucchini and rice casserole

“The Tian is or was a flat, rectangular, forced baking fur with groves in the old days,” said Julia in her book. “Everything that is cooked in it becomes a tian, just like something like chicken in a casserole becomes a casserole from chicken. ”

While the French name of the recipe sounds intimidating, this dish is surprisingly modest. It is a simple combination of rice, zucchini and parmesan cheese.

However, the technology is a little more involved than that Traditional meal after week can demand. A few steps include grids, salts and pressing the zucchini as well as saving the juices, heating milk, compensating for rice and roasting onions and garlic.

At some point I had two pots, a pan and a Baking pan Everything in use. It is not quick dishes, but it is something special and it is delicious-so you save it for society, a special occasion or every day you want to show in the kitchen. It would fit fabulous Roast with chickenA Juicy pork elendor a Nice Herby Steak.

How to make Julia Child’s Zucchini Tian

First take your zucchini (approx. 2 to 2.5 pounds) and wash it and roughen it. Place the grated zucchini in a column over a bowl, throw it with salt and let the zucchini sit and release your juices, which are later used. As I had the grater out, I canceled that too Parmesan cheese Requires in this recipe – over 2/3 cup.

Next, the 1 cup of onion (it was about one and a half onions for me) and two big cloves of garlic. Fry this aroma with 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil until translucent and tender. So that you have a pot of water (or use broth or broth) for cooking. Add 1 cup of dried white rice and put a timer exactly for 5 minutes. Drain the rice and put it aside when the timer drives.

Take the grated zucchini and express the remaining juices into the bowl. Place the dried, grated zucchini on a baking sheet lined with a towel. Take the zucchini juice and put it in a measuring cup, my was about 1 cup. Add as much milk as you need to make 2.5 cups of liquid. (I used about 1.5 cups of milk.) Place this liquid in a saucepan and put it on a very light cooking so that you can never bring it to a boil.

If the onion and garlic are easy to go, add the grated zucchini and cook until Julia says for 5-6 minutes. Stir in about 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for a few minutes. Slowly add the heated liquid into the vegetable mixture. You don’t need a thickness BéchamelJust something with a little body.

Turn the heat to low and stir in the blanched rice and most of the parmesan cheese. Julia recommends using all of cheese to 2 tablespoons of cheese, but I left a little more for the top, a total of about 4 tablespoons. Try spices and adjust them as required.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, butter a 9×13 base form very generously and pour the bogus mixture into the dish. Drizzle top with the rest of the parmesan cheese and a little olive oil. Pack and bake in the oven until gold and bubble – mine took about 15 minutes. Let it sit and rest for at least 30 minutes before digging in.

Tips and adjustments for the best zucchini tian

This dish is simple, elegant and subtle – a great shop window of one of the most productive vegetables in summer. In its simplicity, there is the possibility to fully adapt this dish to make it a complete meal, to cook it to the taste and even to simplify the preparation. Here are a few things that I will try next time.

Make it into a stewic shell

While I put together the components of this court, it reminded me of this stew Chicken, rice and vegetable casserole I love and I think this recipe can also easily come together in a dish. Cook your vegetables with a deep, deep, 7 or 8-liter oven-sauté pan. Then add your rice and cook for a few more minutes. Add zucchini juice and milk and cook for cooking to cook the rice. You may need half a cup for a cup of more liquid because this version does not have Parboiled rice. If the rice is not completely cooked and there is still some liquid in the pan, stir a little cheese into the dish. Top with the remaining cheese and olive oil and go into the oven until they are golden and bubble – just like the original recipe.

Make it a full meal

Before you fry the onion and garlic, try to cook spicesed chicken, pork or even steak. After cooking, take it out and put it aside. Continue with the rest of the recipe, but fold the meat directly before going into the oven. You get your protein, vegetables, strength and dairy products directly in a casserole!

Use your favorite cheese

Parmesan cheese is delicious and lovely, but if it is not your favorite, there is no reason why you cannot switch it. Cheddar Would be a classic here, but a creamy BRIe, salty feta or nusfty Gouda would be a pleasure.

Add your favorite aromats, herbs and spices

When I made this dish, it only called for a fresh thyme. I had some on hand, so I added it when I cooked the vegetables. Another garlic and a few leeks would also be a great addition to this recipe. If I didn’t go into the thyme direction, I think that Dill or parsley would be a nice add-in. While the recipe did not ask for it, I found that a lot of cracked black pepper went a long way here.

I loved this elegant and simple side dish of TV queen Julia Kind. Add this to your repertoire to use the best of the few summer meals that we still have.