Summer always makes me think of my lovely mother, who left this earth some time ago…while she was here one of her passions was gardening and growing veggies in the summer. Tomatoes were her favorite and so I always think of her when I think of homegrown tomatoes. If you have not had one, try a tomato fresh from the garden at your local farmer’s market or health food store…it may not change your life, but it could change your palate…. you will never enjoy a tomato as much as when it is fresh picked.
As another summer wanes we are blessed with an abundance of zucchini and tomatoes. This summer I did not plant much of a garden because of the drought. Luckily a dear friend shared her generous crop with me and brought me two huge zucchini and two bags of various sized tomatoes.
I started thinking about how I could use the tomatoes and zucchini together and came up with a variation of eggplant Parmesan, substituting zucchini and creating a lighter version and making a quick sausage tomato sauce. You can easily leave out the meat for a vegetarian version. This combination is a winner for combining these two summer favorites….and a hit with my friends. Recipe follows:
Fresh Zucchini Tomato Parmesan
Ingredients for Layers:
2 large or 4 medium zucchini – chop half of the zucchini in thin slices and dice the other half.¾ - 1 cup good quality bread crumbs
2 eggs (each beaten separately, one for cheese and one for breaded zucchini)
Olive oil
Pinch oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper
8 ounces mozzarella, shredded
8 ounce container ricotta
½ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
Ingredients for Sauce:
32 ounce can crushed tomatoes
8-10 fresh tomatoes, diced (I prefer to leave peels on)
1/2 teaspoon each, oregano, basil, thyme – if using fresh herbs use a bit more diced finely
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium diced onion
2-3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 sweet Italian chicken sausages
2 hot Italian pork or chicken sausages
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, prepare a large rimmed baking sheet by brushing it with oil. Put bread crumbs in one shallow bowl or rimmed plate and add pinch of spices. Put 1 beaten egg in another shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in egg and then crumbs and place on baking sheet. Drizzle slices lightly with a little more olive oil. Put in oven and bake 15 minutes. Check and bake another 15-20 minutes until light golden and fork tender (poke with fork or point of knife).
Meanwhile prepare sauce – in a large (3 quart) saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Slice sausages lengthwise and remove meat from casings – crumble into pan and using wooden spoon, cook on medium heat till pink color is gone and meat is small crumbles. Add diced onion and garlic and cook till onions are softened and translucent. Add spices and tomato sauce. Bring just to boiling and turn down to low – add chopped tomatoes and cover – let simmer while the rest of the ingredients are being prepared.
Combine mozzarella and ricotta cheeses with one beaten egg in a bowl. Mix well.
When all ingredients are done you are ready to build your parmesan.
Using a 9 x 13 inch oblong rimmed baking dish layer ingredients in the following order:
Ladle sauce to cover the bottom of the pan,
Cover with slices of breaded zucchini,
spread some of the cheese mixture over the zucchini to cover it.
Ladle more sauce and layer with diced zucchini and any remaining slices of breaded zucchini,
spread with the remaining cheese.
Ladle sauce to cover the top and sprinkle with parmesan or romano cheese.
Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 30-45 minutes till bubbling.
Let sit about 10-15 minutes before serving.
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| A serving of the parmesan |
Enjoy with a green salad and a glass of your favorite Italian wine or beer if desired.
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| Mom |
Marla
