I am already thinking about summer’s end and soon enough not having the abundance of fresh local produce that we do right now. I am really thankful for freezing and canning.
I have tried to use local produce to create the lovely tastes of summer regularly and share them when I can. This weekend I made a tomato/zucchini tian for a barbecue we went to and I think this dish truly captured summer at it’s finest. A tian is a prepared dish of layered ingredients.
The tomatoes were from a local farmer at The Byward Market, the zucchini and onions from Rochon’s at the Main Farmer’s Market and the rosemary from my own herb garden. Other items like olive oil, lemon and parmesan were purchased from locally owned grocers. This dish truly was a, “party in your mouth” (thanks Art), delicious!
Ingredients
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup of olive oil plus 4 tbsp
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
2 zucchini thinly sliced cut on an angle
5 tomatoes sliced a little more thickly than the zucchini
1 large onion diced
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/8 cup parmesan cheese
Directions
Turn the oven to 375 degrees and use two tbsp. of olive oil to coat a shallow baking dish (shape of your preference, oval is nice).
Make a marinade of lemon juice, 1/4 cup of olive oil, rosemary (leaves removed), black pepper and salt as desired. Place the sliced zucchini plus the marinade in a large bowl (making sure to give the squash a good wash in the marinade). Marinate for 20 minutes.
Place all of the sliced tomato on a plate and sprinkle with sea salt. Set aside for 20 minutes.
While both the tomatoes and zucchini are resting, cook the diced onion for about 15 minutes over medium heat in 1 tbsp of olive oil until soft. When cooked line the bottom of the casserole dish with the onion.
Drain both the zucchini and the tomatoes and layer them in the casserole dish in lines (see picture below).
Mix together the bread crumbs, parmesan and the last tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle over vegetables.
Cook for 60-75 minutes. Wait about 10-20 minutes before serving. The edges of the finished product will be quite dark.
What I learned; stack the veggies good and use a small to medium dish (unless you are going to add to the recipe), as you know tomatoes really shrink in the oven. I will make this again over the next few weeks.
Enjoy!
the lemon kitchen 