Julia Child's Zucchini and Rice au Gratin

Originally she called it Tian de Courgettes au Riz featuring zucchini, rice, onions, garlic and parmesan cheese. Julia Child made the recipe with 2 lbs of zucchini but I cut the portions down to serve 1-2 people.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb zucchini

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 - 1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup + 2 tbsps zucchini juice and enough milk or 10% cream to reach that amount

3 tbsps parmesan

2 tbsps uncooked white or brown rice

1/2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

balsamic glaze to finish  

Spray oil a 726ml baking dish, 6" X 2" round, or any medium single-serving gratin dish. Set aside. Grate the zucchini on a box grater and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, mix together then place in a colander over a bowl for 20 minutes to collect the juices. Then squeeze out more juice from the zucchini into the bowl. Next rinse the zucchini in cold water and squeeze out the water but don't save it this time. Pat dry. Pour the zucchini juice into a measuring cup and top up with milk or cream so it measures 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsps. Warm this in the microwave. Heat olive oil in a skillet to medium and add the onion and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 3-4 minutes. Add flour and cook 1 minute then remove from heat and add 2 tbsps parmesan, stirring to combine. Add salt, pepper, rice and warmed zucchini juice/milk and stir together. Preheat oven to 425°F. Return pan to medium heat and bring to a simmer. Then pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. To check for doneness tilt the dish. If liquid runs return the dish to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes then loosen with a spatula and set on a plate. Drizzle balsamic glaze to serve.

Follow hotandcoldrunningmom on Pinterest. You can scan the pincode seen here with your phone if you're on a desktop. If you're on a phone just screenshot it, go to the Pinterest app, click camera. Then instead of taking a pic use the option to use one of your photos. Click on the screenshot you just took and go right to my Pinterest profile where you can follow me 🙂