Spring Vegetable Crumble

Spring is almost over, but the weather in Paris continues to behave as though it’s just barely begun.  The chilly air and gray skies make warming, homey dishes sound very attractive.  So crumble it was.

It turned into a bit of a clean-out-the-fridge affair, as I dug up last week’s as-yet neglected asparagus and decided that it would make an excellent addition to the zucchini crumble.  I chopped the spears into small pieces and quickly sautéed them with olive oil and lemon zest.  Next came the zucchini, sliced into half-moons and cooked with herbes de Provence, piment d’Espelette, and one of those lovely spring onions.  While the zucchini cooked, I mixed up a crumble topping with butter, flour, chickpea flour, grated Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts.  Then I remembered that I had a couple of veal sausages hanging out in the freezer, and decided to give them a quick browning before chopping them up and mixing them in with the vegetables.  I think the crumble would have been equally good with something like a handful of olives in place of the sausages.  Half an hour in the oven was more than enough time for me to throw together a salad with a garlicky balsamic vinaigrette, and dinner was ready – tasting warm, fresh, and supremely season-appropriate.

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

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