Monday, November 23, 2009

Squash gratin

In preparation for our big Thanksgiving trip, I'm in the process of cleaning out the fridge. Step one: use up all the summer squash I got in my last co-op produce box. I realize this is not a problem people are likely to have in other parts of the country (using up summer squash in November), but if you can get some, this would be a great Thanksgiving side dish.

I sliced the five squash I had into roughly 1/4-inch slices, then sliced up about three regular potatoes. The squash will cook faster than the potatoes, so I wanted the potato slices to be razor-thin--I used the side of my box grater for those. Next, I pulled out a bag of pesto I'd made a week or so ago, and added a little extra olive oil to it. I mixed the pesto with the squash and potato slices, and added about 1/3 cup of seasoned bread crumbs and a couple of big handfuls of grated parmesan cheese. I layered this in a casserole dish, added a layer of breadcrumbs on top, and baked at 400 for about 40 minutes. You can add more or less bread crumbs, as you desire.

Cost: Well, the squash and the basil for the pesto came in my last produce box...we'll say a couple of dollars for both of those. The cheese was bought in bulk, I already had the potatoes and the breadcrumbs...maybe a little over $2 total? Feeds at least four as a side dish, two or three as a main course.

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