The many uses for zucchini

We've been receiving a lot of zucchini in our last couple CSA boxes. It is incredibly sweet on its own, and most of the time we've just sliced it and tossed it into a frying pan with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. When I've felt more creative, this is what I've managed to concoct!

Spicy Zucchini Sandwiches (from www.vegfamily.com)



Ingredients:

1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp minced garlic or about 1/2 garlic head
1-2 tsp of olive oil
dash of salt (or more to taste)
1 large zucchini
tomato
lettuce (romaine or leaf)
onions or scallions
ciabatta bread

Directions:
1. To prepare sauté, add red pepper flakes, minced garlic, olive oil and salt to heated sauté pan. Sauté for a couple of minutes (I recommend you cover pot or the red pepper may make you cough a bit.)
2. To prepare zucchini, cut into thick half-inch strips lengthwise. Steam until tender. (optional: coat with breadcrumbs). Pan fry with seasoned sauté for 3 minutes or until lightly brown; make sure you flip them to coat with seasoned sauté.
3. Assemble sandwich using ciabatta bread or thick crusty rolls. Add fresh tomatoes, romaine or leaf lettuce and onions or chopped scallions.

I didn't have either ciabatta bread or crusty rolls, so I toasted a kaiser roll in the broiler. It tasted wonderful!

Zucchini Bread (straight from my Betty Crocker Cookbook)


Ingredients:

3 cups shredded zucchini (2 to 3 medium)
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins, if desired

Directions:
1. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans or 1 (9x5-inch) loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, stir zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs until well mixed. Stir in remaining ingredients except nuts and raisins. Stir in nuts and raisins. Divide batter evenly between 8-inch pans or pour into 9-inch pan.
3. Bake 8-inch loaves 50 to 60 minutes, 9-inch loaf 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on cooling rack 10 minutes.
4. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 375°F.

I should note that because I only have one bread pan (I used to have two, but the other has mysteriously disappeared), I ended up running the oven twice as long because I cook only one half of the dough at a time. Not a wise use of my fossil fuels, I'm afraid.

Grilled Zucchini (2 servings)




Ingredients:

Zucchini 12-14 inches long, sliced in slices 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick.
Olive oil (just enough to coat the zucchini lightly)
1 tsp. garlic powder or garlic puree
1 -2 tsp. dried oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, or a combination (dried works best when grilling, I've found)

Directions:
1. Cut zucchini into slices, making sure the slices are the same thickness. Combine olive oil with garlic and dried herbs of your choice. Pour over zucchini slices and stir until well coated. (This would also make a great marinade if left to sit 4 hours or so in a ziploc bag.)
2. Place zucchini on grill. Cook 3-4 more minutes on first side. Check for grill marks.
3. Turn zucchini to second side and cook about 4 minutes more, or until zucchini is starting to soften quite a bit, with the outside slightly charred and browned. Serve hot.

We brought this to a barbecue at a friend's house. It went over so well that they made it again themselves a couple days later!

Glorious August!

August: the month of tomatoes and basil! I bought two bunches of basil from Budwood Farms at the Hillcrest Farmer's market on Sunday (my new favorite market), clipped the ends when I got home, and placed them in a cup of room temperature water. They perked right up. The man at the stand promised that they would last at least a week, possibly longer, in that state. Using tomatoes that came in our weekly CSA allotment I made this simple salad:


Ingredients
3 Tbsp. apple vinegar (red wine vinegar would have been better)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil (chiffonade - stack the basil leaves on top of each other, roll tightly, and then slice into thin ribbons)
3 large tomatoes (cut into large chunks)
1 cucumber (peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces)

I combined the vinegar, salt, and pepper with a whisk until the salt was dissolved. I then added the basil and olive oil and stirred gently until well mixed. After placing the chopped tomato and cucumber in a separate bowl, I poured the basil dressing over the top.

There is nothing like the smell of fresh basil on a hot August evening. I was delirious with it. Quickly pick up some for yourself before the season ends!

Lessons from the kitchen

Here's what we had in the fridge on Friday night after I picked up our CSA allotment.



And this is what I've made from this abundance so far:

Blackberry Pie using blackberries from Stehly Farms in Valley Center. (I adapted the filling recipe below from this month's Sunset magazine.)



5 cups blackberries (you can also use raspberries, marionberries, and other bramble berries)
1/4 cup flour
About 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. butter

Place berries in large bowl. Sprinkle with flour, 1/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Stir gently until berries are well coated. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Pour berry mixture into chilled bottom crust and dot with butter. Lay top crust over and crimp pie edges together. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar.

Lesson learned: Frozen pie crust is immensely less superior than the real thing. Sigh. That's what I get for trying to cut corners!

Some Guacamole from a fairly basic recipe that I always change a bit to suit my mood.

2 ripe avocados
½ onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced (chili powder can suffice in a pinch)
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

Cut avocados in half, remove seed, and scoop out avocado from the peel. Place in mixing bowl and using a fork (or a potato masher, as is my preference), mash the avocado so that it is slightly chunky. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Start with a half of one chili pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Refrigerate until cool. Mix in tomatoes when you're ready to serve.

Lesson learned: There is no way that an unripe avocado can be convinced that it should be smooshed. Enough said.

And finally, Root Soup, adapted from a recipe in the Local Flavors cookbook by Deborah Madison.



2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 large onions, finely diced
2 bunches of bok choy: stalks, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks and with the greens shredded
1 carrot, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
3 turnips, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups red kale, shredded
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. salt
2 beets (or 1 large beet), peeled and sliced into julienne strips
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. sugar
10 cups of vegetable broth
Pepper
3 tbsp. white vinegar
Parsley

Prepare all vegetables as indicated above. Melt the butter in a large French oven. Add the onions, bok choy, carrot, turnips, kale, and garlic. Toss with salt, cover, and cook over medium heat until greens have wilted, about 20 minutes. Add beets, tomatoes, bay leaves, sugar, and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer. Simmer until beets are tender, about 25 minutes. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Stir in the vinegar. Serve hot or cold. Garnish with parsley or dill.

Lesson learned: Beets still turn everything pink regardless of what they're mixed with. The soup didn't turn out fuschia, but it did have a bit of a rosy tone. Because it tasted so good, I decided to disregard it!

Sea bass with a little bit of fabulous!

Dinner was nothing less than wonderful this evening! This recipe is sure to become a favorite. We started from something I found online, but changed it so much that we're claiming it as our own!

Summer Sea Bass

Ingredients
2 Sea bass fillets (about 1 pound)
Salt
Pepper
1/8 c. Pesto
1 Carrot, grated
1/2 Zucchini, grated
1 T. Olive oil (garlic infused)
1/8 c. Sauvignon blanc wine

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut two 12-inch square pieces of aluminum foil. Place a fish fillet on each square and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Spread pesto over the top of each fillet, and then top with carrots and zucchini. Gather the foil around the fish and drizzle oil and wine over top . Fold the edges of the foil to make a sealed package, and place straight onto the oven rack.

Bake the fish until just done (between 12 and 22 minutes depending on thickness). Open up the packages and transfer to plates, pouring the juices over top.

The best part of this recipe? I only used an 1/8 cup of wine, which leaves almost an entire bottle for my drinking pleasure! Lush.

Real Simple

I swear that when I opened my kitchen cupboard this afternoon, I heard a sad sigh eminate from the stack of cookbooks gathering dust in there. Without knowing what vegetables I will be able to find each week (and the somewhat odd combinations that have resulted), I have not been able to use many of my regular recipes, especially those that require more than a couple of ingredients. Instead, I have been forced to be creative and, at the same time, keep it very simple (my imagination only serves me so well).

We finished the other half of the halibut this evening using the recipe below. I changed it a bit from one of the same title that I found on the Better Homes and Gardens website:



Mustard-Glazed Halibut Steaks
Prep: 10 min.
Grill: 8 min.

Ingredients
2 6-ounce fresh halibut steaks, cut 1 inch thick (you can also use frozen if you defrost before cooking)
2 T. butter
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. whole-grain Dijon-style mustard (regular Dijon also works)
2 t. dried Herbs de Provence

Directions
1. In microwave (or small saucepan) heat butter, lemon juice, mustard, and Herbs de Provence until butter is melted. Brush both sides of steaks with mustard mixture.

3. If you're using a grill, grill fish steaks on the greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 8 to 12 minutes or just until fish begins to flake easily when tested with a fork, turning once and brushing occasionally with mustard mixture. (We just dropped it on the Foreman grill for about 8 minutes at 300 degrees)

I then sautéed some summer squash in about a tablespoon of garlic-infused olive oil and seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper. They were wonderfully sweet!



Come by for dinner soon!

Local Food: Essence of Fish

I picked up over 2 ½ lbs of fluke and about 2 lbs of white sea bass yesterday from Catalina Offshore Products. I had called last night and was told that 2 lbs of this local catch was just the right amount for a meal for two. Hmmm, perhaps if we were dolphins. It appears that fish is on the menu for the rest of the week.

The Catalina warehouse is located in a commercial district near the bay and surrounded by other fish suppliers. On entering the office, I was taken right back to Aix-en-Provence, the little town in France where I met my husband (who was living in an apartment directly over the daily fish market). As I loaded the cardboard box of plastic-wrapped fish into the car a few minutes later, I admit to smiling smugly to myself. There's nothing like the satisfaction earned from a purchase well researched!

We prepared about half the halibut last night, and my husband – official meat cooker of the household – pulled out his trusty George Foreman cookbook and grill to cook it up. Here’s the oh-so-easy recipe that we used (I had all the required ingredients!):

Quick & Easy Halibut Fillets

1 t. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 T. fresh parsley, finely minced
1 t. black pepper, coarsely ground
4 6 oz. Halibut fillets

In a small bowl, combine first five ingredients. Warm up the grill (to 300 degrees if you’re using your Foreman) and drizzle the sauce over the fillets. Cook until opaque (4-8 minutes on the Foreman).

Afterwards, our neighbor came up and made mojitos with mint picked from our garden outside. The mint appeared last summer of its own accord and has since been growing with great panache. I’m hesitant to plant any herbs purposely though, for fear of our rather over-zealous gardeners that like to cut back with a weed-wacker. Stay tuned because I have another plan!