Earlier this year, I wrote a story about menu translation (and, more specifically, why it so often goes terribly wrong). As the story was pretty broad in scope, one issue I didn’t get to delve that much into is how much shorthand we use on French menus – shorthand that, if not properly translated, can end up being pretty confusing for Anglophone diners.
A few elements of this shorthand have carried over into English, like à la mode for “served with ice cream.” But in French, we have scads more.
In many cases, this shorthand is used to refer to French regions: something described as niçoise will probably have tomatoes and olives in it, while something basquaise will likely feature tomatoes, bell peppers, and Espelette pepper. Savoyarde dishes usually contain some sort of tomme-style cheese, potatoes, bacon, and cream. (In English, we’ve retained some of these for Italian dishes, like “Florentine” referring to a dish with spinach.)
But these adjectives don’t always have to refer to a region. Case in point: forestière, which pretty much just means that something contains mushrooms.
On French menus, you’ll see the word used to describe everything from chicken to omelets to pizza, but in this case, I’ve chosen to use it for giant stuffed zucchini. A classic case of a “clean out the fridge” dinner, I stuffed a jumbo zucchini from my vegetable co-op with a simple filling of mushrooms and a bit of Saint-Nectaire cheese that was languishing on its last legs.
Saint-Nectaire is a cow’s milk cheese that’s aged on rye grass, giving it a really lovely nutty aroma. Paired with mushrooms, it was a delicious, simple, vegetarian meal perfect for fall.
Zucchini Forestière (serves 2)
1 giant zucchini
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
4 ounces Saint-Nectaire, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Halve the zucchini lengthwise and rub the cut sides with olive oil. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt, and sauté until browned and tender, about 15 minutes. Add the shallot and the balsamic vinegar, and stir until the vinegar has reduced almost entirely. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Scoop any seeds from the zucchini and season with a pinch of salt. Stuff with the mushroom mixture and top with the cheese and return to the oven for about 5 minutes, just until the cheese has melted.