Baked Rice Zucchini and Cheese Gratin inspired by Julia Child

Summer is the easy time of being with friends, eating room-temperature foods, and remembering to go out and gaze at the night sky together and see who knows how many more constellations! This is a super easy dinner of baked fish and baked rice with vegetables… and hear my story of how it came to be. This is my summer "Kitchen Porch." The pegboard copied from Julia Child's kitchen when I visited her in 1987. 

Baked Rice Zucchini and Cheese Gratin

Serves 6  

I learned this recipe straight from Julia Child’s cookbook. It has been adapted many times, but it is her technique for making baked rice with vegetables and cheese that I return to every season. 

When I was in graduate school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1987, I lived across the street from Julia Child on Irving Street. She lived at 103 and I lived at 104. I vaguely knew  who she was, but the sight of her and her husband caught my attention. Sitting at my desk and gazing out the window, I would catch their daily habit of walking to the neighborhood market. She often wore a manly trench coat and was noticably taller than her husband, and they were a warming and curious sight as they walked hand in hand carrying their totes or pushing their grocery cart to Savignor’s Market. They appeared so content in their routine. 

That December, I bought her Master the Art of French Cooking and knocked on her door to see if she would sign my books. She appeared very excited to see me and  invited me up a short flight of stairs into her kitchen, where she sat me at a centerpiece rectangular kitchen table which barely fit inside the parameters of the four walls. Pots, pans, sifters, strainers, and a very large knife collection hung on pegboards. Nestled ceramic bowls  and crocks filled with rolling pins and more gadgets were stacked on the counters.

She called her husband Paul to meet me as though I were an important guest, and  maneuvered around her kitchen with ease as I took in all her kitchen tools. She had more tools than I knew possible. 

Who knows what her influence has played in my life. Certainly her books have affected me––I  return to them when I want to cook something cozy and elegant––but her kitchen also had an impact. I have a summer camp that I live in, where the porch is the kitchen. My catering business began on that porch, making salsa for the farmers’ market, and “The Kitchen Porch” became the name of my catering business. That porch is where my pegboard wall holds my summer kitchen tools, and of course there is a crock of implements as well. 

After our meeting, I was inspired to read more of her cookbooks. One of the first recipes I made  was  Tian de Courgettes au Riz, a baked rice of zucchini and cheese. 

And as in so many “keeper”recipes that I have, the ingredients can change, but baked rice with cheese and herbs makes for a good side dish. The key in making  this flavorful dish is to include flavors like garlic, onions, spices, fresh herbs, and a pinch of nutmeg. Know that if you use dried herbs, use a lot less. So for 3 tablespoons of fresh thyme, you would only use 1 tablespoon of dried thyme. Rosemary and sage are powerful herbs, so go a bit easier on these. 

Of course, this is perfect at room temp for summer nights or fall lunches. I change up the vegetables as to what is available, and I have been known to add corn, carrots, winter squash, asparagus, eggplant, leeks . . . Oh, the ingredients are endless––but the technique stays the same. 

Ingredients:

2½ quart baking dish

2 pounds zucchini, corn, or a both (uncooked)

2 carrots, grated (about 1 cup) 

3 tablespoons olive oil or butter, divided in two

1 medium onion or leek or shallot, minced (about 1 cup)

4 large cloves garlic, mashed or minced

2 teaspoons sea salt and freshly ground pepper 

1 cup plain, uncooked white rice (I like the arborio short grain, but basmati or long grain is fine too)

1 teaspoon nutmeg 

3–4 tablespoons herbs, fresh if possible (thyme, rosemary, sage, and cilantro all work well) 

2 cups milk or vegetable stock

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided in half

1/2 cup hard cheeses like aged cheddar or aged gruyere (¼ cup reserved for top) 

Salt and pepper to taste 

2 tablespoons olive oil for rubbing the dish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter or olive oil.

Wash zucchini and trim ends. Coarsely grate the zucchini and/or shuck kernels off the cob.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter and cook onions until translucent.

Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. 

Add rice and sauté for 2 minutes. 

Add salt and pepper, nutmeg, and herbs.

Add zucchini/corn and carrots with 1 cup milk or stock. 

Set aside ½ cup Parmesan and ¼ cup aged cheese. Add the remaining cheese to the vegetable- and-rice mixture. 

Place the mixture in a  baking dish and cover with foil. 

Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes. 

Remove from the oven, remove foil, and sprinkle with reserved cheeses. 

Return to the oven and allow the cheese to melt and get a little brown.  

This can be served immediately, or at room temp. 

Baked Black Bass with Preserved Lemons and Tomatoes and Herbs

Ingredients:

Black bass–– (one or two sides per person, depending on the size)

1 whole preserved lemon, minced2 whole tomatoes, minced

Herbs such as parsley, scallions, thyme, chives, maybe a bit of rosemary

Salt and dukkah or za’atar or fermented sumac for flavor 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Roll the fish so the skin is on the inside. If the pieces are to small to roll and only fold back, that is okay, too. Place them in a baking dish of a size that will hold them in place. (Four sides may fit into a a 6-inch Pyrex bowl.)

Sprinkle the minced lemon and minced tomato on top.

Place the chopped herbs on top and sprinkle with salt and dukkah, za’atar, or sumac.

Place the dish in the oven.

The fish will take between 10 and 20 minutes to cook, depending on how thick it is and how many pieces you use. Take it out after 10 minutes. If the fish is opaque, it is ready, as it will continue to cook. If it is translucent, put it back, but keep checking on it. (If it is opaque and white and flaky, it is overcooked. Remember that fish will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven, so getting it just right is a skill that takes practice.)