By Karen England, for Let’s Talk Plants! November 2024.
A Tomato Dish to Make for Thanksgiving Dinner
I own a ©2001 cookbook by Diane Morgan titled The Thanksgiving Table (a book that is still available for sale both new and used on AmazonThe Thanksgiving Table: Recipes and Ideas to Create Your Own Holiday Tradition: Morgan, Diane: 9780811829915: Amazon.com: Books) and have adapted a marvelous recipe that is inside for Gratin of Fennel and Tomato to my liking in order to use fresh tomatoes instead of the called for canned tomatoes.
With the help of the internet, I found a handy chart for converting recipes from canned tomatoes to fresh or vice versa, so if you are growing tomatoes year-round as Sommer Cartier advises in her Grow in Abundance columns, then this chart will come in handy.
Diane Morgan’s Gratin of Fennel and Tomato
Ingredients
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs (Karen uses fresh crumbs from the heels of breads she stores in her freezer.)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion (about 12 ounces), halved, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
6 fennel bulbs, trimmed of stalks, halved, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices (Karen’s note: I have always wondered why the author notes the size and approximate ounces of the onion but does not do the same for the fennel. Fennel bulbs can vary greatly in size, whether from your garden or from the greengrocer. So, here’s what I do, if they are very large, I use four, if medium sized, I use five and if they are small, I use the six called for in the recipe.)
3 1/2 cups diced fresh tomatoes or, as originally called for, 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained (Since fresh tomatoes differ in size just like onions and fennel, here’s where the handy chart above might help.)
1 teaspoon sea salt
Optional: pinch of sugar (especially if using canned tomatoes or grocery store fresh tomatoes)
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano (for the record, Karen uses more cheese…)
Minced zest of 1 lemon
Directions:
In an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat, toast the breadcrumbs, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat and swirl to coat the pan. Sauté the garlic and onion until soft, but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the fennel and continue sautéing, stirring frequently, until the fennel has softened and is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar, (if using), and season with pepper to taste. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook stirring frequently, for 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a shallow oven-to-table casserole or gratin dish.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan and lemon zest. Sprinkle evenly over the fennel mixture. (The gratin can be made up to this point 6 to 8 hours ahead. Cover and set aside at room temperature.)
Bake the gratin until heated through and the topping is crisp, about 20 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Karen England is the president of the San Diego Horticultural Society, also the Let's Talk Plants! Newsletter editor-in-chief and the head muckety-muck of the SD Hort Book Club.
Thanksgiving is her favorite day of the year and meal to make and eat.
Happy thanksgiving everyone!
She can be reached by email at info@sdhort.org
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