We all have some recipes that always remind us of our mother. In my case, these recipes are mostly oven-baked, luscious and nourishing, with a heavenly scent that feels so comforting and homy and are a classic, safe choice for a family Sunday lunch.

These recipes were my favourite as a child. They still bring back such strong memories of flavours and scents, the sense of intimacy and warmth that surrounds you when you think of your mother’s cooking.

As you’ve probably realized by now, I’m mostly talking about soufflés and au gratins with that perfectly golden, dreamy crust everyone seems to love. Gratin is a French culinary technique that means baking a dish topped by a sauce, a béchamel, that forms a beautiful, golden crust which is basically the most delicious part of the dish.

These recipes are rich in flavour, very nutritious, with an ingredient list that can be as long or as short as you want it to. Children seem to absolutely love them and they can be an ace up your sleeve when you try to think of a recipe that will please the whole family. Some recipes are a family affair.

This time I went for a zucchini au gratin, a recipe that used to be on our family menu regularly and quite successfully too. What’s perfect about this kind of recipes is that you can easily mix and “hide” a few secret ingredients and no one will ever find out!

Zucchinis are among those lifesaver vegetables that might not be as exciting as potatoes but they’re not too yucky either. Most children find them tolerable and don’t seem to hate them, and I guess sometimes that’s more than enough!

This is a highly nutritious recipe, with a long ingredient list. That means ingredients can fluctuate as much as you want or be replaced with the ones you and your family usually prefer. If your child is not a big fan of zucchinis, you can always reduce the quantity and replace them with sliced potatoes or if you’re not a parsley lover, dill works just as well in this recipe. For a more satisfying and nutritious result, I usually add a few tablespoons of rice that goes really well with this dish. There’s always a way to make things more interesting!

This au gratin recipe somehow reminds me of a moussaka. It’s just as delicious warm or cold the next day, rich in flavour and highly nutritious, therefore perfect for winter but can also be quite light for summer. Try to serve it with a tablespoon of strained yogurt, it goes perfectly with this dish!