Zucchini Tian (Tian de Courgettes)

We are having a wonderful summer in Holland this year and as a result of this my zucchini plants in the vegetable garden are producing more than we can eat or give away. So I am desperately looking for ways preparing meals containing zucchini. Last weekend I tried a recipe of the good old Elizabeth David, published in her book At Elizabeth David's Table - Her very best everyday recipes. We had a wonderful dinner! And I managed to diminish our constantly growing stock of zucchini.
I used different kinds of zucchini for it: round zucchini, yellow and green ones and a pattison. As usual I prepared (far) to much for two people and I am sure that the amounts I mention in the recipe below is more than enough for two...

Ingredients:
- 500 g (chopped) zucchini
- 500 g fresh tomatoes
- a tin of peeled tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- some fresh basil
- a bunch of parsley
- 5 large eggs
- a handful grated cheese
- salt and pepper
- butter and olive oil
- nutmeg

Method:
Clean the zucchini and remove the seeds. Slice them in pieces (about 1 cm thick). Put them in a baking pan or casserole with a thick bottom and add some salt. Put the pan or casserole on the simmering plate and let the zucchini loose some moist. Stir them with a spoon several times. After about 10 minutes add 30 g butter and a splash olive oil. Put a lid on and transfer to the cooking oven for about half an hour.
In the meantime you can prepare the tomatoes: clean them, remove the stem in the middle of them and cut into pieces. Cut the onion and fry it gently in a baking pan on the simmering plate, using some olive oil. Add the tomatoes before the onion is getting coloured, add enough pepper and salt and the crushed garlic.Stir occasionally and let the mixture simmer until most of the moist has gone. Then add the canned tomatoes and the chopped basil and let the mixture simmer until it becomes a (more or less) thick sauce.
Now the zucchini should be ready. Mix them with the tomato sauce, cover with a lid or a plate when using a casserole and transfer to the cooking oven.
Beat the eggs with the grated cheese, the chopped parsley and season heavily with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Take out the zucchini/tomato mixture, mix it with the beaten eggs and put the 'tian to be' in a casserole which has been well oiled and let it bake in the baking oven for about an hour. When the surface is getting brownish, the tian will be ready for serving.
You can also let it cool down and eat it cold!

Klik hier om dit recept in het Nederlands te lezen.