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Food And Nutrition

Zucchini Gratin With Cheddar Cheese

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3 months ago

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This zucchini gratin is a flavorful side dish casserole with extra richness from the cheddar cheese. A gratin is a baked dish with a creamy sauce and crunchy topping, and is always a nice way to make a fancy side dish out of everyday vegetables. If you or your neighbors have an abundance of garden-fresh summer squash or zucchini, this is an excellent way to use it.

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 pounds zucchini, sliced (about 6 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 pinch nutmeg, optional
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, crumbled, optional
  • 1 cup soft, fresh breadcrumbs

Methods

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring, until it is tender and translucent.

  4. Add the sliced zucchini to the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or just until tender. Remove the vegetables to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.

  5. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet and melt over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

  6. Gradually add the milk to the flour and butter roux and continue cooking until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the kosher salt, mustard powder, and black pepper, along with a dash of nutmeg, if desired. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings, as needed.

  7. There will be some excess liquid from the cooked zucchini, so use a slotted spoon to transfer the zucchini and onion back to the skillet. Stir the mixture gently to coat the zucchini with the sauce.

  8. Turn the zucchini and sauce mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the casserole along with the cooked crumbled bacon, if using.

  9. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and toss with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the zucchini casserole.

  10. Bake the gratin in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the topping is browned and the casserole is bubbling around the edges.

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Food And Nutrition

Classic Italian Sub Sandwich Recipe

Published

3 months ago

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June 16, 2023

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My one requirement for the perfect beach day? A delicious packed sandwich that doesn’t get soggy. After a lot of trial and error, I’ve learned exactly what that is: a classic Italian sub. Nothing beats the layers of cured meats, salty cheese, shredded lettuce, and thick tomatoes. And thanks to a few smart assembly tips, it stays fresh and crisp all day long. Plus, you can easily feed a few mouths with just one sandwich. Here’s how to make the absolute best one.

Ingredients

  • 1 large Italian sub roll
  • 1 tablespoon Italian vinaigrette
  • 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 pound sliced provolone cheese
  • 1/3 pound sliced rosemary ham
  • 1/4 pound sliced mortadella
  • 1/4 pound sliced hot soppressata
  • 3 tomato campari tomatoes, thickly sliced
  • 1/4 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 packed cup baby arugula
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped banana peppers
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for classic Italian sub

  2. Use a serrated knife to cut the Italian sub roll in half lengthwise.

    Cut Italian sub

  3. Place the sub roll in the middle of a sheet of wax or butcher paper and drizzle the inside of the bread with Italian vinaigrette and balsamic vinegar.

    Place the sub roll in middle of the sheet

  4. Next, add the provolone, ham, mortadella, soppressata, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, banana peppers, salt, and pepper.

    add provolone, ham, mortadella, soppressata, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, banana peppers, salt, and pepper

  5. Wrap the sandwich tightly in the butcher paper and slice the sandwich into 4 quarters.

    Wrap the sandwich in butcher paper and cut

  6. Enjoy now or wrap up tightly in more butcher’s paper until ready to eat.

Tips

  • Depending on how hungry you are, this thick flavorful sandwich can feed up to 2 or 4 people.
  • As this sandwich sits, the flavors begin to meld and make it more flavorful over time. If you’re waiting to eat it, be sure to wrap it tightly in butcher or wax paper so the ingredients stay intact and the sandwich doesn’t get soggy.
  • Don’t have these exact ingredients on hand? No worries. Any variation of Italian ingredients will do. Experiment with a mix of different lunch meats to see what you like best. Try to use different veggies and cheeses such as a nice pickle-y giardiniera with fresh mozzarella or roasted red peppers with asiago cheese.
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Food And Nutrition

Courgette gratin

Published

3 months ago

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June 16, 2023

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This simple courgette gratin makes a great side dish as it’s creamy and flavoursome without being too rich. Serve with a salad for a light supper.

Each serving provides 273 kcal, 10g protein, 5.5g carbohydrate (of which 4g sugars), 23g fat (of which 12g saturates), 2g fibre and 0.7g salt.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 800g/1lb 12oz courgettes, sliced into 5mm/¼in rounds
  • few sprigs thyme
  • few basil leaves
  • 100ml/3½fl oz crème fraîche
  • 50ml/2fl oz milk
  • 1 tsp plain flour
  • 75g/2½oz gruyère or similar cheese, grated
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6

  2. Put the olive oil in a large, lidded frying pan. Add the courgettes and herbs and season with salt and pepper.

  3. Cover and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring every so often, until the courgettes have softened slightly but are still al dente. The oil should have taken on a deep, rich green colour from the courgettes.

  4. Transfer to an oven dish. Whisk the crème fraîche, milk and flour together in a bowl and season with salt. Pour this mixture over the courgettes – it will not be enough to completely cover the courgettes, but this is fine – it will bubble up when cooking.

  5. Sprinkle over the cheese. Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes, or until brown and bubbling.

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Food And Nutrition

Preparing Super spring salad

Published

3 months ago

on

June 16, 2023

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This vegetarian salad is simply bursting with the fresh flavours of spring, the perfect meal for a sun soaked day.

Ingredients

For the spring salad

  • 12 Jersey Royal potatoes
  • 10 green asparagus spears, sliced on an angle
  • 150g/5½oz young broad beans, podded
  • 150g/5½oz peas, podded
  • 150g/5½oz fresh or frozen soy beans
  • 3 spring onions, sliced on an angle
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • 4 purple asparagus spears, sliced using a peeler
  • 1 lemon, juice only
  • 2 shallots, cut into rings
  • 15 mint leaves, 10 torn, 5 shredded
  • small bunch of chervil
  • handful watercress
  • punnet of pea shoots
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing

  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 5 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp walnut oil
  • 300ml/10½oz extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and blanch the potatoes, drain and carefully slice in half.

  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Drop in the green asparagus, broad beans, peas, soy beans and spring onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop them cooking but not to cool them.

  3. Spread on a tray with the potatoes. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

  4. Put the purple asparagus in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and salt to cure and soften.

  5. For the dressing, whisk together the mustard and vinegar in a bowl, slowly adding the oils. It should have a thick consistency, like a sauce. Season with a good amount of salt and black pepper.

  6. Mix all of the vegetables with the shallots, mint, chervil, watercress and pea shoots and pour over the dressing.

  7. Divide between four plates and dig in.

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