Erica De Mane

Zucchini, by Harry Stooshinoff.

Recipe below: Zucchini Gratin with Marjoram, Wild Fennel, and Parsley

Here’s a nice thing to eat while recuperating from a bout of summertime Lyme disease, as I am now. It’s so easy to throw together you can even do it with a raging fever. Add a green salad, maybe one with a mustard dressing to play against the richness of the gratin, and you’ve got a full meal.

This year my herb garden is especially robust, and is probably where I picked up Lyme in the first place. At any rate, lately I’ve been thinking up combinations of three or more herbs, which can be tricky. I want them to blend well, with no hard edges, but I still need to taste the essence of each one. An herb union that for me without a doubt works is the time-honored French fines herbes blend of parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil. It marries two anisey tastes, one strong, one delicate, while the chives act more like a savory ingredient, and the parsley is just flat-out gorgeous, as in so many dishes.

Here I’ve chosen three classic Mediterranean herbs, relying on the idea that what grows together goes together. The flavor is strong but not hit-you-over-the-head herby, and I love the way the herbs open up in the setting of the custard that holds the whole thing together. I’m thinking this trio would also make a great pesto for pasta. I’m planning to try that as soon as dinner rolls around again.

Zucchini Gratin with Marjoram, Wild Fennel, and Parsley

For this gratin I used an 8-x-11-inch oval Le Creuset baking dish. Anything more or less that size will work well.

(Serves 4 as a main course or 5 or 6 as a side dish)

A little softened butter to grease your pan
3 large eggs
¾ cup milk
3 tablespoons crème fraiche
¾ cup grated fontina Val d’Aosta cheese
¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
½ teaspoon quatre épices
1 tablespoon  cognac
Salt
Black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
5 medium summer zucchini, not too thick, cut into coins
1 summer onion, thinly sliced
1 fresh garlic clove, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon thin honey
5 sprigs of marjoram, the leaves lightly chopped
A few wild fennel fronds, well chopped
6 or so large sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, the leaves chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and butter your gratin dish well (on the inside only).

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, crème fraiche, cheeses, quatre epices, and cognac. Season with salt and black pepper, and whisk well.

In a large sauté pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame. When it’s hot, add the zucchini and the onion, and sauté until golden and fragrant, about 6 or 7 minutes. Add the garlic in the last minute of cooking. Season with salt, black pepper, and the honey. Add all the herbs, mixing them in.

Pour the zucchini into the gratin dish, smoothing it out. Give the cheese mixture a few more whisks, and pour it over top.

Bake until golden at the edges and just firm in the center, about ½ hour.

Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.