Tuesday Kitchen Notes #1 - Summer Squash Gratin / 火曜日のキッチンノート #001 - 簡単・夏野菜グラタン

Lately, I’ve been enjoying the YouTube videos of Hanako Vernu, a plant-based wellness coach living in Milan. In one of her videos, she showed how she sets aside one day a week for recipe development, aligning it with her local market day.

That idea really resonated with me. I thought that if I also chose a market day to experiment in the kitchen or cook for a blog post, I might be able to approach my food work in a more systematic way. The markets I usually go to are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Considering that I’d cook on the market day and write the post, Tuesday seems like a good fit.

So here we go—my first attempt at this new rhythm. I wanted to feature zucchini, which is in season now, but instead, I found these adorable little pattypan squashes at the market. It's called Patisson in German and I didn't know its English name "pattypan squashes", which is so qute! Mine was deep green rather than the usual pale variety, and I couldn’t resist bringing one home. It fits in the palm of my hand.

Since I just wanted to make a simple dinner for myself, I decided to bake it in the oven to enjoy its pure taste. I defrosted some brown rice I had frozen earlier and layered it in a tiny Le Creuset baking dish. On top of the rice, I added sliced onions and mushrooms, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Next, I added the pattypan squash, which I had sliced in two horizontally with the stem and bottom removed. I tucked in some cherry tomatoes around. By the way, roasted cherry tomatoes are so delicious!

To finish, I topped everything with cheese and baked it at 180°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes. I garnished it with dried carrot greens I made for a furikake seasoning experiment.

There’s something I love about plating up a dish like this, bringing out a knife and fork, and slicing into thick, juicy vegetables as if I were eating a steak. The way the juice seeps out of the pattypan squash with each bite was so so so satisfying.

This kind of easy veggie gratin can be made with whatever is in season. In spring asparagus or cabbage; in autumn, pumpkin; and in winter, cauliflower or leek are great options. Mushrooms, by the way, are a year-round umami booster.

Why not give it a try with grains and vegetables you have in your fridge? Most of the work is done by your oven—and the deliciousness of the vegetables themselves 😊

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マーケットの日に試作したり、記事のための料理を作ったりすることにしたら、もうちょっとシステマチックに料理の仕事に取り組めるかもと思い、YouTubeで見かけたウェルネスコーチのヴェルヌ華子さんのスタイルを真似してみることにしました。そんな経緯や、夏野菜の簡単グラタンについて日本語ではnoteに書きました。よかったら覗いてみてください！

火曜日のキッチンノート #001 - 一皿で満足の簡単・夏野菜のグラタン