Zucchini Gratin (Tian de Courgettes)
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 90 min.
A tian is an earthenware dish used to bake vegetable gratins. Tian de Courgettes can best be translated as a zucchini gratin. It is a traditional dish of the Cuisine Nissarde, the cuisine of the Nice area, which is quite close to its neighbour to the east, the Liguria region of Italy. There are many variations of tians. My recipe here is a specialty of Menton, the picturesque town close to the Italian border. It's typical for the region, which used to be very poor, before tourism arrived.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg (2 lbs) zucchinis, cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes
- 60 gr (1/4 cup) short grain rice or use 180 gr (3/4 cup) leftover cooked rice
- 250 gr (1 cup) finely chopped onion
- 125 gr (1/2 cup) diced bacon
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- 250 ml (1 cup) whole milk
- 3 tbsp. crème fraïche or sour cream
- 5 tbsp (1/4 cup) grated gruyère cheese or raclette. If you can't obtain these try aged cheddar
- 125 gr (1/2 cup) fresh basil, finely chopped
- 250 gr (1 cup) fresh parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- a pinch of nutmeg
