Parsi Zucchini Frittata

Based on Madhur Jaffrey's Parsi Omlate, this egg, um ... pie... thing... miracle! is a fluffy, flavorful pan-full of heaven. The browning hides a flavorful soft middle of almost cake-like texture.

1 lb zucchini, grated
3⁄4 + 1 tsps salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped (170g) (or 1 cup finely chopped chives, see NOTE)
1 medium potato, diced 1/4 inch pieces (8oz)
2 + 1 Tbsps. vegetable oil
1 hot green chilli pepper, minced
1 large tomato, chopped (8-9oz)
1 1⁄2 tsps. ground cumin
1⁄4 tsp cayenne pepper
ground black pepper
9 eggs
3 Tbsps. fresh parsley or 3 Tbsps. cilantro
1⁄4 tsp baking powder

1. Grate the zucchini and mix with 3/4 tsp of the salt. Leave in a collander for 30 minutes, then squeeze all the liquid out. 
2. Meanwhile, chop and measure out the remaining ingredients - it makes the rest so much easier: prepare the onions and the potatoes; chop the tomato; mince the chili; measure out the cumin, cayenne, black pepper; break the eggs in a bowl; measure out the salt and baking powder.
3. Now that everything is chopped, measured and squeezed, heat some oil in an 10 inches fry pan. 
4. Fry the onion and potato and chilli over medium heat until potatoes become just soft. 
5. Add the squeezed zucchini, tomato, cumin, the rest of the salt, cayenne, and a generous amount of black pepper (if using chives, add now). Stir until tomato becomes soft. Set aside.
6. Whisk the eggs until frothy, then dump in the cooled vegetables along with some finely chopped parsley or cilantro. 
7. Sprinkle in the baking powder, making sure it dissolves completely.
8. Wipe clean your fry pan, add the last tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, set the temperature to med-low, pour in the egg mixture. Cover the pan and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the centre gels. 
9. (Optional) Here's the tricky part. You have to flip the whole pan over to slide the omlate back into the pan to cook the top. To do this, use a dinner plate, place it over the pan, holding it with one hand, and use the other to lift and flip the pan. The bottom of the omelet should be a beautiful brown. Now, slide the omelet back into the pan so that the browned part is on top and cook another 5 minutes or so, uncovered. Flip it onto a plate again to serve.
10. NOTE: If using optional chives, fry the potatoes and chilli (add more chilli if you want it hotter) and fry until potatoes become just soft. Add the chives to the ingredients in step 6.

Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes "Gratin" with White Wine sauce

Sometimes you want scalloped potatoes and you don't have an oven. You can make this version on a hot plate and enjoy the creamy, cheesy potatoes. It's a bit fancy because instead of only dairy, the sauce is also made with white wine for a depth of flavor that really sets off the browning of the onions.

As a Side Dish for 6-8 people

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb 8 oz potatoes, thinly sliced

1 tsp salt and pepper to taste

pinch nutmeg or 1 tsp minced fresh thyme

¾ cup heavy cream

¾ cup white wine

2 oz shredded Gruyère cheese

1. Sauté the onion in butter until well browned and soft. 
2. Add the potatoes, salt, spice of choice and wine. 
3. Cook for a couple of minutes or until the wine starts to thicken from the potato starch and has loosened up all the browned bits from the bottom. You may have to scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to get the yummy browning to move.
4. Add the cream and mix through. 
5. Cover and cook slowly, approximately 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. 
6. Remove the cover and sprinkle with cheese. Stir in very gently. 
7. OPTIONAL : place under a broiler until the top starts to brown.

As a Main Dish for 4 people (with bread and salad)

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 lbs potatoes, thinly sliced

1¼ tsp each of salt and pepper, to taste

pinch nutmeg or 1 tsp minced fresh thyme

1 cup heavy cream 

1 cup white wine

3 oz shredded Gruyère cheese

1. Sauté the onion in butter until well browned and soft. 
2. Add the potatoes, salt, spice of choice and wine. 
3. Cook for a couple of minutes or until the wine starts to thicken from the potato starch and has loosened up all the browned bits from the bottom. You may have to scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to get the yummy browning to move.
4. Add the cream and mix through. 
5. Cover and cook slowly, approximately 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. 
6. Remove the cover and sprinkle with cheese. Stir in very gently. 
7. OPTIONAL : place under a broiler until the top starts to brown.

Pâtissons Gratinée (summer squash au gratin)

The best way to make this dish delicious is to treat it like art. No, really. Arranging the tomato and summer squash slices in a regular pattern actually influences not only the visual experience of the dish, but also how the flavors and textures mix. When I serve it, people assume that there are only 3 ingredients. Somehow, although the cheese and the onion and garlic are intrinsic to the flavour, it's the thyme, tomato and squash that always stand out. With some nice fresh bread, this makes for a filling late summer meal.

2 + 3 Tbsps olive oil

2 medium onions (14 oz total), thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

24oz ripe red tomatoes, cored and cut into ¼" slices

12oz (about 2 small) green patty pan squash or other green summer squash, cut into ¼" slices on the bias

12oz (about 2 small) yellow patty pan squash, yellow summer squash or golden zucchini, cut into ¼" slices on the bias

¼ cup fresh thyme leaves (loosely packed)

1 tsp coarse salt

1¼ cups (2.5oz/70g) freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Sauté the onions in the oil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden (about 20 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Spread the onions and garlic evenly in the bottom of an oiled 2 qt shallow gratin dish.
3. Heat the oven to 375°F. 
4. Put the tomato slices on a shallow plate to drain for a few minutes and then discard any collected juices. 
5. In a bowl toss the zucchini and squash slices with the second batch of olive oil, the thyme and the salt. 
6. Reserve half of the cheese for the top of the gratin. 
7. Starting at one end of the baking dish, lay a row of slightly overlapping tomato slices across the width of the dish and sprinkle with a little of the cheese, then lay a row of zucchini overlapping the tomatoes, sprinkle with cheese. Repeat, until the dish is full.
8. Season lightly with pepper. Drizzle with some more olive oil and sprinkle over the reserved cheese. 
9. Cook until well-browned all over and the juices have bubbled for a while and reduced considerably, 65 to 70 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 min. before serving.