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Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
I make my simplified eggplant parm even more simple by not layering the components; I just mix everything in a bowl, scrape it into a skillet, and bake. Sometimes I put a little more cheese on top, but not always. The same approach works for zucchini: delicious without qualification, but especially handy if you’re unfortunate enough to have to feed an eggplant hater. I pity the fool.
Both versions provide the essence of the traditional breaded, fried, tomato-y, cheesy layers. But these only require a little chopping, and it’s not hard to get the assembled dish into the oven in less than half an hour. The ingredient quantities aren’t set in stone, nor are the cheese combos. Avoid fresh mozzarella, but any similar soft white cheese works, and pecorino can stand in for the Parmigiano. While it might seem obvious that the parm refers to the cheese, some think it derives from the Sicilian word for the strips of wooden shutters—parmiciana—that the overlapping eggplant slices mimic. Others believe it stems from the Persian word for eggplant, petronciana.
And like eggplant parm, the zucchini cousin is just as good as a room temperature sandwich the next day. When it cools and the cheese firms up, it’s easy to cut a nice bread-sized block from the baking dish. My New Jersey Italian-American wife insists the bread must be what she calls a hard roll (aka a Kaiser roll), but I think any soft bread is good, from brioche to shokupan to burger buns.
Recipe
1 lb zucchini, sliced about ⅛ inch thick*
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 good tomatoes, grated*
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Pantellerian, optional
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced thinly
2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
½ cup breadcrumbs
Kosher-style sea salt
*Like with eggplants, cut them in half lengthwise so you have a flat surface on the cutting board; substitute a 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes to make things even easier.
Toss the sliced zucchini in a bowl with the olive oil and a good pinch of salt, then spread on a sheet pan and roast at 400F for about 25 minutes. While the zucchini cooks, use the same bowl to mix the tomates, garlic, oregano, cheese, and breadcrumbs (you can save a little of the mozzarella for the top, or just cut some more).
Let the zucchini cool for 10-15 minutes, then add to the bowl and mix. Transfer to an 8 inch skillet or baking dish, top with a few slices of cheese and a light sprinkle of breadcrumbs if desired, and bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until the top is nicely browned. While it’s great hot, I think I like the members of the parm family best as sandwiches.
