WINE WITH…Zucchini Tian

Yes, the trees will soon take on autumnal coloring, and yes, beaches and pools have lost the irresistible allure they held only a couple of weeks ago. But nothing says “summer’s over” quite as compellingly as the end of zucchini season. Whether the zucchini is homegrown, purchased at a local farm-stand, or deposited anonymously on your doorstep, you just have to make one more meal with this much-maligned vegetable! Call it by its French name “courgette” if doing so makes it seem more appealing, and challenge yourself by giving the zucchini a starring role rather than a walk-on part as an accompaniment to meat or fish. Above all, prepare it with the idea of serving a nice wine with it.

Make zucchini fritters (terrific with Chardonnay), or courgette-based ratatouille (traditionally served with easygoing reds from Provence or Languedoc), or Caponata (try a zingy Prosecco with it for a festive touch). Or take the epicurean path we followed recently and make a traditional French tian, a one-dish meal based on zucchini and rice that needs nothing more to go with it than a good salad or two (fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, marinated mushrooms, green beans vinaigrette, and the like). And, of course, a bottle of delicious wine.

Zucchini Tian

Serves 4.

3 to 3 ½ pounds fresh zucchini
1 medium onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, finely diced*
3-4 tablespoons olive oil (divided use)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white rice
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup grated Parmesan plus 3 tablespoons
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon softened butter

There’s a lot of overgrown squash around this time of year, but since the larger ones can be watery and lacking in flavor, use the smallest zucchini you can get your hands on.

The tian may be made several hours or up to a day ahead of time, and reheated before serving.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Using a box grater or food processor with a grating attachment, shred the zucchini. Place it in a colander over a bowl and toss with about 2 teaspoons of salt. While the zucchini exudes liquid into the bowl, sauté the onion and poblano in a large skillet with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking over low heat until the onions are soft. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of salted water to the boil and add the rice. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain, reserving the rice.

Reserve ½ cup of the liquid that has drained from the zucchini, then rinse the shredded zucchini in cold water. Begin squeezing it by handfuls, blotting the squeezed zucchini as dry as possible on paper towels or with a clean kitchen towel. Raise the heat under the onion mixture and add the shredded zucchini. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until it is just tender.

In a small saucepan, combine the half cup of reserved liquid from the zucchini with the milk. Heat it until it just starts to simmer, then remove the pan from the heat.

Sprinkle the flour over the zucchini mixture, stirring it over low heat to mix the flour in as thoroughly as possible. Pour in the heated liquids and continue stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the ½ cup of Parmesan. Taste the mixture for seasoning.

Coat the bottom and sides of a 6-8 cup baking dish and pour in the zucchini mixture (the rice will absorb what seems like excessive liquid as the tian bakes). Drizzle 2 or 3 tablespoons oil over the top and scatter the remaining cheese over it. Bake in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the tian is brown and bubbly.

*While most poblanos are fairly mild, some can be quite spicy. Taste a small piece, and if it seems too spicy for your taste use only half of the pepper.