Happy Trails For Us: My Reluctant Blog

I have been wanting to try this recipe for some time now; this weekend we were going to a pot-luck supper following an afternoon concert at the library. Since I wasn't sure if we would be here (February baby watch) I offered to bring a vegetable dish, just in case we weren't in town, my thought being a side dish would either not be missed or easy to fill in by someone else.

This recipe is from the September/October 2008 issue of La Cucina Italiana, another magazine that just happens to come to my house these days.

Zucchini au Gratin with Grana Padano

2 white onions, about 10 ounces
extra virgin olive oil
4 zucchini, about 1 pound
4 slices pancetta, about 2 and 1/2 ounces
1 slice white bread
rosemary
1 and 1/2 ounces Grana Padano cheese

(I doubled the recipe for this occasion, and decided to crank up the oven to 375 since the dish was so full.)

Slice the onions. In a skillet, heat 3 Tblsp. of olive oil. Cook the onions until soft, then arrange them in an oven-proof dish. Cut off the ends of the zucchini, then slice them lengthwise. Place a slice of pancetta on top of each zucchini half. Layer the zucchini over the onions, overlapping slightly. In a food processor, mix the bread, a few sprigs of rosemary, and the Grana Padano. Sprinkle the zucchini with the bread mixture and olive oil. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, then serve warm. Serves 4.