Summer Squash and Zucchini au "gratin"
 
 
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2-3 medium zucchini and/or summer squash, sliced into rounds (organic!)
  • ¼ cup finely sliced red onion
  • 1.5 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
  • 1 cups unsweetened, plain flax/almond/etc. milk (or cow’s, if it does not matter to you)
  • 1 bay leaf (optional)
  • 3 fresh parsley sprigs
  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 smashed garlic clove
  • Sea salt and white pepper (or black pepper)
  • Fresh nutmeg
  • ⅕ teaspoon curry powder (optional but really rounds out the flavor)
  • Yield: 6-8 servings or one 8x8 baking dish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven 350F
  2. Wash and thinly slice squash and red onion. I used a mandolin.
  3. Blend the soaked cashews in a blender with a little of the soaking water until it becomes creamy.
  4. Stack the bay leaf, parsley, and thyme sprigs together to make a bundle and tie with a bit of butchers twine.
  5. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, heat the milk with the garlic and herb aromatics (the bundle).
  6. Allow to gently warm for about 5 minutes. Then add the blended cashew cream*.
  7. Stirring occasionally, allow to barely simmer for 15 minutes.
  8. Remove the aromatics and season with salt, white pepper, ground nutmeg, and curry powder (if using).
  9. In an empty 8x8 ungreased baking dish, add a few tablespoons of the béchamel.
  10. Create a layer of squash rounds with a bit of onion. Add about ⅓ cup of béchamel. Continue alternating squash with the béchamel until you reach the top of the dish. Make sure you have enough béchamel left to cover the top!
  11. Bake on the middle rack for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top becomes a nice golden brown.
  12. Remove and let cool.
Notes
You can make the sauce thicker with more blended cashews or thinner with more milk.
Recipe by SOULBEET at https://soul-beet.com/summer-squash-zucchini-au-gratin/