A Question of Zucchini

For the first couple of years at Ridgeback Mountain, my otherwise green thumb turned black when it came to cultivating the usually prolific green summer squash. Did I over-water or under-water? Was the plant impacted by the notoriously toxic oak trees shading the eastern corner of the garden? Remembering the zucchini plant in my childhood vegetable garden, I had anxiously anticipated an abundance of fruits that grow from finger-size to forearm-size in a blink of an eye. Instead of a summer of stuffed squash blossoms, ratatouille, stuffed zoocanoes, and boldly experimental zucchini bread, all I could grow were withered brown squash that looked like they should be soaked in formaldehyde and displayed in specimen jars.

Eventually, I made the adjustments in plant positioning and watering routine to generate satisfyingly abundant crops. One year, I went overboard and added a round ronde de nice, and a yellow patty pan. Since then, I've stuck to one plant. And one is enough.

With my zucchini cultivation under control, in recent years I have turned my energy to turning my abundant crop into interesting, creative food. There are entire cook books devoted to zucchini. I only own one. Clotilde Dusoulier turned her food blog Chocolate & Zucchini into a cookbook and a life as a full-time food writer. Her zucchini carpaccio changed my attitude towards both zucchini and my mandoline. Merci Clotilde. While I love cook books as reading material, I look to them for guidelines and inspiration more than prescriptive directions. After years of scanning what Molly Katzen, Alice Waters, and Rick Bayless and countless others have to say about zucchini, I divide zucchini recipes into four categories:

1. Zucchini as Cheese Delivery Mechanism


2. Zucchini as Color, Background & Texture


3. Zucchini as Moisture-Giving Goodness


4. Zucchini as Star of the Show

Zucchini as Cheese Delivery Mechanism
You're kidding yourself if you like stuffed zucchini for the zucchini. Let's face it, when you hollow out an overgrown zucchini and stuff it with breadcrumbs, vegetables, and cheese you're making a healthy version of a pizzone (you know, that calzone meets pizza thing). There's nothing to be ashamed of. Add more cheese. Try some fontina along with the mozzarella.

Here's a simple recipe that is so easy you can do it in the bathroom:

Zucchini Lasagna Lite

Ingredients:
Zucchini, thinly sliced along the width of the squash, four to six inches long
2-3 Tomatoes, sliced
2 cups grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
A little olive oil
Fresh basil, chopped


Coat the bottom of a small baking dish with olive oil
Place a layer of zucchini slices on the bottom of the dish
Cover in mozzarella
Add a layer of tomatoes
Sprinkle with basil

Repeat once or twice more, depending on the thickness of your slices and the depth of your dish
Cover final layer with parmesan

Bake uncovered, for about 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven (the toaster oven works fine)
Serve when bubbling hot

(Variation: substitute thinly sliced zucchini for noodles in a full-fledged lasagne with layers of ricotta, etc...)

Zucchini as Color, Background & Texture

Zucchini is expected in rattatouille and minestrone, but it also works in enchiladas, couscous stew, and Thai curry. You can let it soften up and absorb the flavors of the stew or stir fry it and let it add some crunch. In all of these applications, the zucchini is at once essential and incidental. It completes the dish, but does not take center stage. It's like a great supporting character in a movie. It's that bit of viognier in a Northern Rhone Syrah. There are a few keys to using zucchini in this way:

1) Everything in moderation. The perfect minestrone is not zucchini soup. It's a wonderful balance of textures, colors and flavors where every spoonful is a garden of surprise. You might feel like you have more zucchini than God, but resist the urge to unload it and keep your ingredients in balance.

2) Use your knifing skills. Rounds. Sticks. Cubes. Chunky. Paper thin. Think about how the two tones of flesh and skin will enhance the visual appeal of your dish.

3) Avoid zucchini mush. Even in a soup or stew when you want to have the zucchini soften up and soak up the flavors of the stock, don't add it too early. Let the tomatoes disolve. Allow the Eggplant to soften. Then, add the zucchini.

Zucchurrini (Thai-style vegetable curry)
1 small Acorn squash
One medium onion, chopped
One red pepper, chopped
One jalapeno or serrano pepper, chopped
Grated fresh ginger to taste (at least a tbsp)
Olive oil
One zucchini, chopped in sticks
One can coconut milk
Thai basil, chopped
Chili powder to taste
Two tomatoes, quartered

Quarter the Acorn squash, steam it for about 30 min (or bake in the toaster oven at 350 for 45 min) Set aside and allow to cool.
Sautee the onion with the chopped peppers in some olive oil until the onions are slightly browned and starting to carmelize
Add the ginger and sautee for an addition three to four minutes
Add the zucchini at high heat for three to four minutes
Add the coconut milk and basil, bring to a simmer, adding a cup or two of water to reach your desired consistency
Put the chopped tomatoes into bowls, spoon the stew over the tomatoes and sprinkle chili pepper as garnish





Zucchini as Moisture-Giving Goodness

"These brownies are so moist!" exclaims the unsuspecting consumer. "They're zucchini brownies," states the wise and wiley cook. Opportunities for smug revelations about ingredient selection aside, zucchini is an excellent moisturizing agent for a wide range of savory and sweet baked goods. At this moment, I have three zucchinis the length of my forearm and the width of my calves awaiting their demise. Here's one of my favorite ways to get rid of them:

EZucchini pancackes
One (or two medium size) over-sized zucchini, grated
1 egg
Instant pancake mix

Savory option:
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Chopped herbs (basil or parsley)

Put the grated zucchini in a large mixing bowl
With a fork, mix the egg into the zucchini
Add enough pancake mix to coat the zucchini (the amount will vary according to the level of moisture in the zucchini)

If doing the savory option, add the cheese and herbs and mix thoroughly.

Spoon the batter in rounds on to a skillet (non-stick if you have it, otherwise melt butter in it)
Cook them like pancakes, but don't be afraid to flatten them a bit at first before the first flip

Zucchini as the Star of the Show

Occasionally, zucchini gets to stand alone and shine on its own. A creamy zucchini soup. A perfectly fried tempura. The aforementioned carpaccio. Combined with some tasty fat (cream, hot safflower oil, extra virgin olive oil) zucchini's subtle richness emerges. Here's one that screams summertime:

Zlaw

Grate one or two zucchini

Place in a collander and drain excess water

Toss the zucchini with salt, olive oil, vinegar and chopped basil leaves

In Defense of Marscapone

Admit it. You have an attitude about marscapone. Maybe it's because you're counting calories. Maybe it's because you confuse it with marzipan. Maybe it's because since Mussolini conquered Abysinnia you still mistrust things Italian. Whatever the reason, let it go. Embrace the creamy goodness. Celebrate that it can enhance both the savory and the sweet. Let go of your fears about its paraoxical smooth, yet solid consistency. Liberate yourself to a food that works with the word "dollop" better than any other.

Once I accepted that marscapone had to be a part of my life, I have never been happier. Oh, and it's a perfect ingredient for the simplicity required while cooking in the bathroom:

Pasta al Bagno
Boil some penne
Chop three or four heirloom tomatoes
Drain the pasta
In the same pot that you used to cook the pasta, toss the tomatoes with the pasta and a healthy dollop of marscapone
Serve while the pasta is still warm

Butternut Buddies
Sliice a butternut squash in half and remove the seeds
Place in the toaster oven for 45 minutes at 400 degrees
When the squash is fork-able and slightly browned, add a healthy dollop of mascarpone in the hole where the seeds used to be
Return to the toaster oven for a few minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown
Eat directly from the squash shell or scoop it out and toss over pasta

Broiled Peaches
Slice two peaches in half
Remove the pit
Broil the peaches in the toaster oven for 3-4 minutes until slightly brown around the edges
Spoon a dollop of marscapone into the peach pit's cavity
Broil in the toaster oven for an additional 2-3 minutes until cheese is bubbling & golden brown

Summer Fruit Salad
Slice or chop a mix of nectarines, peaches, apricots, asian pears... whatever is fresh and to your liking
In a bowl, toss the fruit with a dollop of marscapone