331 – Meat Zucchini Gratin Recipe / غراتان الكوسة باللحمة

Ingredients :

• 5 medium-sized zucchinis
• 10.5 oz (300 grams) ground meat
• 1 onion (finely copped)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (70 ml) heavy cream
• Salt, pepper, paprika
• Olive oil
• Grated cheese

Directions :

Step 1: Preparing the Zucchini
1- First, you cut the tips of the zucchini – then you grate it using the large holes of a grater. Grate, grate , grate… until you get this beautiful mound of grated zucchini. You liked this activity… get ready, we have 4 more zucchinis to grate!
2- Now we are going to cook the zucchini. Drizzle some olive oil in a large pan, heat for a minute on medium-high heat, then add the zucchini… if your pan can not hold all the grated zucchini, you may have to use 2 pans.
3- Cook the zuchhini for 5 minutes until it becomes tender but still holds a nice texture – you don’t want to overcook it otherwise, it becomes mushy!
4- Once done, place the cooked zucchini in a sieve, let it sit there for a few minutes, to get rid of all excess water. See I have a flexible sieve that allows me to squeeze the zucchini and get the maximum liquid possible out of the zucchini!
5- Place the zucchini directly in a baking pan… let’s minimize washing dishes!

Step 2: Preparing the Meat
1- To cook the ground meat, drizzle some olive oil in your pan, heat for a minute on medium-high heat, then add the chopped onion, add a pinch of salt, mix and cook for a few minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
2- Now add the ground meat. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper!
3- Mix well and continue cooking on medium-high heat .
4- The meat will releases juices, so cook until the juices start drying out but be careful, do not overcook or the meat is going to be tough.
5- Once done, add the meat to the zucchini in the baking pan. Mix well.

Step 3: Final Steps
1- In a bowl add the two eggs, then lightly beat them with a fork. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper.
2- Then mix-in the eggs with the milk and cream.
3- Pour the egg-milk mixture all over the zucchini and meat. Make sure you evenly pour it!
4- Finally, top the meat and zucchini gratin with a layer of grated cheese…. YUM!
5- Bake in a preheated oven (at 360 F / 180 C) until the cheese has melted and you have beautiful golden brown color on top.
6- Serve immediately! It’s meaty and cheesy, exactly how a gratin should be! YUMMMY
Bon appetit