Heirloom Tomatoes and Summer Squash Casserole

by Beth Heiserman

A crisp cool and refreshing wine with a lighter dinner on a hot night. Most of us will agree, that when we get home from a long day at work during summer that sometimes we don’t feel like cooking. I tend to cook a few meals at one time and then enjoy them all week. I will say, I do have more of a challenge than others on reheating foods, since I don’t have a microwave at home. With this in mind, I tend to prepare dishes that can be reheated in same dish I originally prepared it in, or I just make enough to eat that evening.

Today, my dad and I went to the farmers market again. We found some very delicious fruit and we also got that amazing orange juice that we love. As we were walking around, I saw mini summer squash and heirloom tomatoes and just thought I had to get some. I make a lot of casseroles for my dad each week and thought this would be perfect for him. Of course, I started think about what wine would pair the best with this dish, 2016 Renaissance by Reyes Pinot Grigio.  Coincidence, last June I wrote about Pinot Grigio. Summer and Pinot Grigio, to me, go hand in hand.

Pinot Grigio can have notes of tropical fruits, pears, apples and even melon. It is generally harvested early to retain its acidity. The 2016 Pinot Grigio has won a Silver medal in the 2017 O.C. Fair Commercial Wine Competition and it received 83 points from the Wine Enthusiast Magazine (12/2017 Edition). Our Pinot Grigio is a crisp white wine has fruity aromas of bubblegum, floral and citrus. On the palate, this wine has notes of green apples and a bit of pear. It is well balanced. Serve chilled. Enjoy with linguine and clams, pesto Parmesan cheese or a torta Di mele, an Italian apple tart.

I know that having French ingredients with an Italian wine sounds funny, but I have a Dijon mustard addiction and love to add it to many dishes. This time, I used a Dijon that is made with Rosé wine and grapefruit. This has notes of citrus and red berries which has just the right amount of acidity and sweetness to pair well with summer vegetables.

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 6 medium yellow summer squash or zucchini
• 6 medium patty pan squash
• 1 large sweet onion
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard (I used a Rosé wine and grapefruit Dijon, but a country-style would work, just add a squeeze of grapefruit juice)
• ¼ cup 2016 Renaissance by Reyes Pinot Grigio
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• ½ cup panko crumbs or even french fried onions
• 1 cup shredded gouda cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
3. Sauté the squash, and onion for about 5 minutes.
4. Add 2016 Renaissance by Reyes Pinot Grigio to pan and continue to cook for about 10 minutes.
5. Add mustard to mixture and turn off heat.
6. Let rest in pan for about 5 minutes.
7. Stir into mixture the gouda cheese and sour cream.
8. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
9. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the panko crumbs and parmesan cheese.
10. Then, top squash with mixture.
11. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly.
12. Serve