1. Zucchini Pie
This is in How to Fix a Leek....the book; it's fast, easy and so delicious it's probably the most requested recipe I have.
2. Mexican Zucchini Strata
This is more complicated and time consuming but not hard at all and very inexpensive while glamorous. The components can be made ahead and assembled to bake just before supper. It's a super vegetarian main dish with, say, a side of tomato salad.
Serves 6-8
3 medium/lg zucchini (1½ lbs)
1½ tbsp corn
meal
2½ tbsp butter
6 oz shredded cheese (Jack, Muenster or Mozzarella, like
that) room temp.
3 large eggs, separated,
¼ tsp salt
4 Poblano peppers
1 medium onion
3-4 tbsp corn or olive oil
2 lg or 3 medium ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp sea salt
pinch of cinnamon
Heat oven to 350º. Use ½ tbsp butter to butter a 2-quart
casserole dish. Sprinkle on the corn meal
Core and seed the Poblano peppers, then slice them into ½”
wide strips that aren’t longer than 3”.
Slice the onion into the thinnest rings possible.
Heat the oil in a small covered skillet or sauté pan over
medium heat. Add onions, lower heat slightly and cook without browning 3
minutes or until onions start to soften.
Add peppers and continue cooking another 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan
from time to time so nothing sticks.
While this is happening, puree the raw tomatoes (skins on is
okay) and garlic.
Add to the pepper pan with the sea salt and continue to cook
over medium low heat about 15-20 minutes until the sauce is not watery. Cool as
much as possible.
While this is happening, slice the zucchinis as thinly as
you can. Put them in a pot of boiling salted water and cook until just tender,
maybe 3-4 minutes. Do not get them soft or mushy. Drain well and cool as much
as possible.
Whip the egg whites into very stiff peaks. Add ¼ tsp salt
and then the egg yolks, one by one, beating to keep the whites stiff.
Cut 2 tbsp butter into tiny bits.
To assemble the strata or layers:
Make an even layer of zucchini on top of the cornmeal.
Cover this with ½ the tomato pepper sauce.
Cover this with 2 oz, or 1/3, of the cheese.
Cover this with 1/3 of the beaten eggs.
Sprinkle a few butter bits on top.
Repeat this format one more time.
For the third layer:
Make a layer of zucchini.
Cover this with the remaining egg mixture.
Sprinkle on the remaining butter bits.
Top with the remaining 2 0z cheese.
Sprinkle the top very very lightly with cinnamon.
Bake at 350º about 30 minutes until the eggs are set, the
cheese is melted and the top is nicely browned. Eat right away.
3. Indian Aloo Dum with Zucchini instead of peas
This pairs the squash with spices it doesn't normally hang out with.
Serves 2-3
1 lb potatoes, diced into large bite sized pieces,
2 tbsp corn, mustard, canola
oil
2 fat
cloves of garlic, smashed and finely chopped,
1 onion,
thinly sliced,
1 red
chili, finely sliced, or a pinch of chili powder,
½ tsp
ground turmeric,
1 tsp
ground cumin,
Pinch of
salt,
1 1/2 -2/3 c chopped tomatoes
1 large or 2 small zucchini, quartered and chopped
Few
sprigs of fresh coriander, chopped for garnish
Boil the potatoes in salted water until they just start to resist a fork; don't cook until totally soft. Drain.
Heat the
oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic and potatoes. Add spices and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes until onions are soft and potatoes start to brown. Add zucchini and tomatoes and simmer for 15 min.
Garnish
with finely chopped coriander. Add a dollop of plain yoghurt if you want to
cool the chili down.
4. Ratatouille southwestern style
The standard French version is made with basil, parsley and green bell peppers and no heat.
Serves 6-8
1 lb firm eggplant (any kind will work except the small Thai
egg-like eggplant)
1 lg Poblano or pasilla pepper, roasted* and skinned
3 lg tomatillos, roasted*
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp cracked or freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Optional: pinch ground chipotle pepper (for smoky flavor)
1 lg red onion peeled and cut into thin disks
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground coriander
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 lb zucchini, cut into thin disks
1/4 lb yellow or crookneck squash, cut into ¼” thick disks
1¼ cup chopped tomatoes with juices (boxed is okay)
*Roasting here means in an oven at 450º for 10 minutes (less time in the smaller toaster oven) until the skin
cracks and starts to char.
Wash the eggplant.
Slice it into thin disks and if the disks are much larger in diameter
than 1”, which they will be from the common bulbous eggplant, cut the disks in
half. Place on a baking sheet,
sprinkle lightly with ¼ tsp salt and 2 tbsp olive oil. Cover and roast at 425º for 10 minutes.
Seed the pepper and cut into thin strips. Cut extra long
strips into 2” lengths.
In a medium heavy gauge casserole or large saucepan, heat
remaining olive oil over medium heat.
Add black pepper, ½ tsp oregano, optional ground chipotle and bay leaf.
Sauté 30 seconds.
Add onion disks in a layer and top with garlic, poblano and
red peppers. Do not stir. Continue to sauté 3-5 minutes until onions are soft.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp chopped cilantro on top.
Lower heat to simmer. Add eggplant as a layer. (Pieces might
be two deep if the pot is not wide.) Sprinkle on ½ tsp oregano, ground
coriander and ¼ tsp salt. Add 2 tbsp chopped cilantro. Cover pot and simmer 2-3
minutes.
Add a layer of zucchini, then zucchini and yellow squash and half the remaining chopped
cilantro. Pour tomatoes into the pot. Sprinkle ¼ tsp salt over the top layer.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the squash starts to soften.
Slice roasted tomatillos into thin disks or any small pieces
you can manage. Add to the pot as the top layer. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes
until the squash is soft (not mushy) and the juices are bubbling. Remove from
heat. Remove bay leaf. Add remaining salt if desired.
Serve hot, at room temperature or cold, garnished with the
remaining chopped cilantro leaves.
5. Zucchini Au Gratin (a Mousse)
This pairs zucchini with dill and nutmeg.
6 med zucchini, grated
3 tbsp unsalted butter
5 scallions, minced
1/4 c fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to your taste
2/3 cup sour cream
4 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
Preheat oven to 375º.
Steam zucchini 10 min to soften. Drain carefully and pat dry with a towel.
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Sauté scallions over medium heat until soft. Stir in zucchini, parsley, dill, nutmeg, salt, pepper and sour cream. Cook 4-5 minutes.
Lightly oil (olive oil) a 1 1/2 qt casserole or baking dish and spoon the zucchini mixture into it, leveling. Top with the breadcrumbs, then cheese, then 2 tbsp butter in bits. (At this point you can tightly wrap and freeze this for later, say, in winter.) Bake at 375º 30 min.(If frozen, do not thaw: bake at 375º 75 min) Then place under broiler 3-4 min to brown top. Serve hot.
6. Pasta Sauce
Use spinach pasta for a delightful color effect.
You don't have to measure too carefully to make this.
Coat the bottom of a heavy gauge pot with olive oil and 1 tbsp for the pot. Heat on medium.
Toss in 1 purple onion finely diced, 1 tsp dried oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Sauté this over medium heat until the onion is soft. Add 3 smashed and minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and about 2 large zucchini quartered and chopped. Cover pot and cook over med/low heat until the zucchini is soft, maybe 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and add olive oil by the tbsp if the pot is drying up. When everything is soft, pour the pot contents into a processor or use an immersion blender and puree. Now season heavily with freshly ground black pepper, sea salt and 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Serve over any form of spinach pasta with a handful of toasted pine nuts, a drizzle of fruity olive oil and a tbsp per person of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Optionally, you can toss in warm chopped pimento at serving time to add tantalizing bright red color.
