Foodie Friends

At the weekend, I had the pleasure of being cooked for by my good pal, Sally.  

Going out for a meal is lovely, however, sitting down to a home-cooked one with lovely company in a relaxed environment can be just the ticket!  I thought I would share with you the delightful dish Sally prepared due its downright yumminess & (according to Sal) its simple preparation.

I always look forward to a dish whipped up by this chica.  Innovative, flavourful & invented with nutritious ingredients, dinner chez Sally is always fun & very tasty.  This particular meal was dreamt up using the ingredients Sal had to hand & it was oh so perfect for a chilly Winter's evening.  I present to you . . . Le Gratin.

Here is Sally's secret recipe (but shhhh):

Bake the following ingredients in the oven of 200 degrees C for approx. 20-30 mins or until soft & tender:

Half a Butternut or quarter Jap/Grey pumpkin (cut into large chunks)

2-3 large zucchini (sliced into thickish rounds)

A few garlic cloves (kept whole)

Then, mix together the following:

3/4 cup of natural yogurt (Sally made her own, the little wonder)

A good dollop double cream

The cooked garlic, popped from their skins & mashed into mix

Some S&P

Once this is done, layer your cooked pumpkin & zucchini in a baking dish and douse in olive oil.

Pour over the top your yogurt mix and finally, in the words of Sally, "literally parmigiano reggiano".

I was wondering what magnificent cheese this was atop the gratin & felt a little chagrinned when I failed to recognise my own absolute all-time favourite cheese.  I'll blame the other elements of the dish for masking its perfect & distinct flavour characteristics . . . 

Bake in the 200 degree C oven for at least 20 minutes.  But you'll be able to tell when it's ready once the cheese is bubbling & caramalised on top.  Mouth watering goodness.
Serve with a simple green salad (ours was composed of baby spinach, avocado, walnuts & some soft cow's cheese from Yarra Valley Dairy).
Then, dig in!

After pretty well demolishing our dinner, we sat down to some tunes to get us ready for a little dance later on.
Thank you to Sally for imparting her delicious fare!  And thank you for introducing me to more excellent music.  Music, food & friends.  Bliss!

'til the next time :-)