When Life Gives You Zucchini

Lemony Zucchini Bread
I'm still a rather novice gardener. Last year I attempted my first tomatoes, onions, and herbs all in neat little barrel planters lining in the unforgiving rocky "soil" of our rental house. This year, as an official homeowner, I went fairly ambitious with my first real garden. Our new home came equipped with four generously-sized raised beds and hours of sun exposure each day. Tomatoes, eggplant, kale, onions, cucumbers, and a large variety of herbs have been flourishing in spite of my previous reputation as a "brown thumb." I decided to plant one zucchini plant because they are such notoriously abundant producers. What surprised me, however, was not the amount, but the sheer size these monsters will swell into. I would check on the garden in the morning and find a couple of zucchinis not quite ready for harvest, that evening they had engorged to the size of footballs. I mean, I like zucchini enough, but what the hell am I going to do with forty pounds of it? Young, small zucchinis are tender and flavorful, but when they get too big, they lose much of their sweetness leaving them a poor option for a stir fry or gratin. Luckily, the pulp is excellent for baking and zucchini fritters. I grated up one of the larger beasts and came up with this tangy and moist quick bread. I dash of ginger powder gives it just the right bite. Enjoy it with your morning coffee as the summer begins to wane.

Ingredients
-  2 c. grated zucchini (use a large box grater)
- 1 c. white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 2 c. flour
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- juice and zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger 

Preheat oven to 325˚ F and lightly spritz a 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl combine sugar, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and oil. Beat with a whisk until ingredients are creamy and smooth. Stir in grated zucchini. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, and cinnamon. Slowly add dry ingredients to zucchini mixture, whisking as you go. Fold in sour cream and gently mix until batter is smooth. Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake in oven for 50-60 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, you're good to go! Allow bread to cool slightly before running a knife around the edge of the pan. Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool before slicing and serving. 
 

Bridal Shower Power

Summer Garden Bounty Quiche
It's wedding season. And wedding season means showers of the bridal variety. On Saturday we celebrated Lacey's bridal shower and were asked to contribute to the feast. No problem! With my garden bursting with zucchini and my hens laying overtime, I had the perfect idea in mind for a potluck brunch. Quiche is an ideal take-along meal. It can be made ahead of time, travels easily, and is great at room temperature. While I toyed with the idea of adding bacon to the recipe, I ended up creating a vegetarian dish to appeal to a variety of eating habits. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful gathering - cheers to Lacey and her upcoming marriage to Jeff. There couldn't be a more ideally matched couple.

Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini and 1 medium yellow squash, sliced thin crosswise
- 2 small sweet yellow onions, peeled and sliced crosswise into disks
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano and thyme
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 6 eggs
- 1 c. smoked cheddar or mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 batch Perfect Pie Crust recipe (omit sugar)

Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir and allow the onions to soften and turn translucent. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow onions to slowly brown for 20-30 minutes. As the onions begin to caramelize, add sliced zucchini and squash and stir to combine. Allow onions, squash, and zucchini to continue to cook down until all the vegetables are softened, browned, and sweet (an additional 10-20 minutes). Sprinkle in fresh chopped herbs and stir thoroughly. Allow vegetables to cool before mixing into eggs.

Meanwhile, make the pie crust. (Using a pre-made pie crust is perfectly fine, but my Perfect Pie Crust recipe is fantastic. You will only need to make half the recipe and omit the sugar for a savory dish, such as this quiche.) Roll pie crust out on a floured surface and press into a 9 1/2" pie dish. Pinch the edges in a decorative manner and place crust in refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 400˚F. While oven is heating, whisk together eggs and heavy cream. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add cheese and cooked vegetables and stir to combine.

Pour egg mixture into prepared crust and bake for 35-45 minutes until the eggs are cooked through and the edges of the crust are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Garden Fresh

Lemony Lamb-Chops with Summer Garden Pistachio Pesto  

 I have been woefully negligent on my food blogging . . . but I do have an excuse - really! Spring quarter was a busy one personally and professionally between teaching, directing prep, getting engaged, and buying my first home among other things. Whew! The home has been amazing. Matt and I set to work priming, painting, and making it our own. It's taken a lot of work and love and we've ALMOST gotten rid of the previous owners' poor taste. In spite of the ugly colors on the walls - the cute little house came with the perfect set of raised planter beds. I've been gardening up a storm and taking advantage of Oregon's long summer days and, so far, the garden has been good to me with a bounty of delicious herbs, greens, and tender young zucchini and yellow squash. This pesto and lamb dish was pulled from my summer garden. It was easy, fast, and super taste. Feel free to experiment with what you have growing in your garden! (Note: I made four small lamb chops - plenty for two people, but the amount of pasta would easily feed four if you want to add more meat for a larger crowd.)

Ingredients
- 4 individual lamb chops
- 1 shallow, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
- 2 lemons (juice and zest)
- 1 lb. dried pasta
- salt and pepper
- 4 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint, divided
- 1/3 c. pistachios
- 1 c. basil leaves
- 2 c. spinach leaves
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 c. Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 young zucchini and 1 young yellow squash, trimmed, halved and then sliced into matchstick-sized pieces
- 1/4 c. plus 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- splash of cooking sherry

LAMB CHOPS
Sprinkle both sides of lamb chops with salt and pepper, set in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together juice from 1 lemon, oregano, thyme, 2 Tbsp. mint, shallot, and 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Pour mixture over lamb chops, cover dish with plastic wrap, and allow lamb chops to marinate for at least 20 minutes. While lamb chops marinate, make pesto.

PESTO
Mince four cloves of garlic in a food processor. Add nuts and pulse to a coarse texture. Add remaining mint, juice and zest from remaining lemon, spinach, and basil. Pulse to combine. Add cheeses to mixture and begin running machine. Slowly add 1/4 c. olive oil while machine runs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set pesto aside in a medium-sized bowl.

After lamb chops have marinated thoroughly, complete the meal by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente (depending upon the shape it's usually between 9 and 11 minutes). When pasta is cooked, drain reserving 1/2 c. of pasta cooking liquid. Add cooked pasta to bowl of pesto add a little cooking liquid at a time until the consistency is smooth and silky.

While pasta is boiling, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a heavy pan over high. Add lamb chops and marinade and cook until browned on both sides (about 4 minutes per side for medium rare). Remove cooked lamb chops from heat and let rest on a plate, tented with foil. Add a splash of cooking sherry to the pan to deglaze, scraping brown bits off with a wooden spoon. Turn heat down to medium and add zucchini, squash, and remaining garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables of soft and have soaked in the marinade juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss cooked vegetables together with pesto pasta. Divide among plates and top each serving with two lamb chops. Enjoy the bounty of your garden! Yum!
 

Put a Bird In It?

Bird's Nest Fritters with Soy Sesame Mayo (Inspired By Chee)
What in the world to do with so much zucchini? Let's be honest, even if you LOVE zucchini, it grows like a weed and by the end of the season, you're scrabbling to think of something new to do with it. Another side dish? Pasta? More zucchini bread? My answer? Honestly, anything fried in oil and topped with some sort of mayonnaise-based sauce is worth a try. This recipe comes from two inspirations. First, the two remaining zucchini that have been sitting on my counter for the past week were in desperate need of consumption (one way or another). Second, I remembered Chee. A student spending a year abroad at our university from Japan, Chee endeared herself to pretty much everyone she met. She spent Thanksgiving weekend at my place and won a place in my heart as a willing and appreciative eater of the many recipes I concocted (everything from steak breakfast burritos to pumpkin cheesecake). Over the weekend, we took in lunch at a conveyer-belt sushi place when we saw a plate whirl by with these little straw-like potato and veggie cakes. "Oooo," Chee exclaimed. "Bird's Nests! They are so good." She was right. Served with a little drizzle of gyoza sauce, they sure hit the spot! I put a spin on the potato recipe, by  making use of the zucchini, carrots, and some green onions from my garden. I made them up as a side to teriyaki salmon. It was a perfect (and quick) little dinner. The soy sesame mayo also made a great topping for the fish. Coincidentally enough, after deciding to make this for dinner, I came home and found a letter from Chee in my mail box. Life can be funny  . . . and food brings us all together.

Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise with the seeds scraped out and discarded, then grated on the large side of a box grater
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
- l large green onion, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 c. flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable or grape seed oil
-  2 tsp. hot sesame oil, divided
- 1 tsp. grated ginger
- 1 large clove garlic, grated
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/4 c. mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. In a medium bowl, combine grated carrots, zucchini, flour, baking powder, beaten egg, 1 tsp. sesame oil, and green onions. Sprinkle mixture with a little salt and pepper and stir to combine. Stir or use hands to thoroughly combine mixture.

Using hands, form balls, a little larger than the size of golf balls. Flatten slightly with palms and arrange in a single layer on a dish to be fried.

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high. Add zucchini fritters to oil and arrange in a single layer in pan. Fry in oil until each side has begun to turn a nice, crisp golden brown shade. It will take about 2-3 minutes per side. Watch to make sure they don't burn. Once they are nicely brown, remove from oil with a spatula and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Transfer to an oven-proof dish and bake in oven for an additional 10 minutes.

While the bird's nests are baking, combine mayo, garlic, remaining sesame oil, ginger, and soy sauce in a small dish. Whisk together with a fork to thoroughly incorporate ingredients.

Serve cooked bird's nests topped with soy ginger mayo. They make a delicious side dish for dinner or a lovely accompaniment with eggs for breakfast. Yum! Thanks Chee for the culinary inspiration!

Where have all the flowers gone?

Garden Fresh Risotto with Crispy Prosciutto, Chard, and Zucchini Blossoms
Summer gardens are just starting to yield amazing produce in these parts, and ingredients I wouldn't usually get my hands on are becoming available. Take zucchini blossoms, for example. They aren't the type of thing I can usually just pick up at the grocery store as easily as onions or apples. Lucky for me, my gardening-obsessed colleague had an abundance of these lovely and rather delicate orange blossoms. In addition to the zucchini blossoms, he sent me home with a bag brimming with crisp green chard, a juicy green bell pepper, and fragrant basil leaves. I originally intended to throw all this lovely produce into a pasta dish, but when I found my gluten-sensitive friend, Arin, would be joining me for dinner, I decided on a creamy, flavorful risotto dish instead. This is an elegant, but pretty simple meal that makes the most of this season's best produce. Enjoy!

Ingredients
- 1 lb. Arborio rice
- 7 oz. prosciutto, torn into small pieces
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 large bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 large handful fresh chard, stems removed and leaves torn into small pieces
- 8-10 fresh zucchini blossoms, stamens removed, and roughly chopped
- 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- i small handful Italian parsley, chopped
- 6 c. warmed chicken broth
- 2 c. dry white wine
- 2 Tbsp. cooking sherry
- 1/4 c. heavy cream
- 1 c. shredded Manchego cheese
- salt and pepper

Melt butter in a large, heavy stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add torn pieces of prosciutto and cook until it begins to crisp and turn brown. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Turn heat down and add zucchini blossoms and chard leaves. Cook for 1-2 minutes until they turn soft and fragrant.

Remove from heat and reserve with cooked prosciutto. Add shallot and bell pepper to pan (if it is dry all a tablespoon of olive oil). Stir over medium heat until the shallot and pepper begins to soften and turn very fragrant. De-glaze pan with cooking sherry and scrape browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add rice to the pan with 1 c. of warmed chicken broth and white wine. Stir over medium until the liquid soaks into the rice and begins to evaporate. Slowly add the remaining broth about a half cup at a time, stirring frequently to help the liquid absorb. (If the rice is still tough after adding all the broth, add a little water to keep moist.) Turn heat to low, add cream and shredded cheese and stir to combine. Turn off heat and add chopped herbs, prosciutto, zucchini blossoms, and chopped chard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Eat up! Yum.

Bread? Cake? Who Cares? Just Put it in My Face!

Chocolate Orange Zucchini Bread/Cake

Banana Bread was one of the first things I learned how to bake, although I always wondered why it was considered a "bread" as it had all the sweet properties of a dessert item. Same goes for muffins. Except for the lack of frosting, I don't know how anyone can claim that those chocolate chocolate chip "muffins" from Costco aren't cupcakes. Anyway, having been gifted a couple of garden fresh zucchinis, I was interested in experimenting with the world of "breads" and what I mean is . . . "cake." After baking it up I figured, "Well, if I'm going to do the thing, I had better just do it right." So, I whipped up a vanilla glaze topping. It's not really "bread" I'll be the first to admit. But it's pretty freakin' tasty!

Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis, grated
- zest and juice from one orange
- 3/4 c. vegetable oil
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 c. cocoa powder
- 1 c. chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 c. flour
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla, divided
- 1 Tbsp. butter and a little flour for greasing the pan

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Grease and flour a 9" round baking pan, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together zucchini, orange juice and zest, oil, sugar, 1 tsp. of vanilla, and eggs. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Whisk until batter is smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan then turn out on wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl blend together milk, 1 tsp. vanilla, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer. Ingredient amounts may need to be adjusted slightly to get the desired consistency. Spoon glaze over the cooled bread/cake and allow to dry before slicing and serving. Store in an airtight container, eat for breakfast or dessert.