Remember when I posted about the two giant zucchini that weighed, in total, 11 pounds? I tackled one of them last weekend but still had one left as of Saturday. Friends, I am proud to report that the remaining zucchini and I came together and devised a workable plan to manage its bounty. (I was going to say that I faced the zucchini and conquered it and am now writing as a victorious zucchini warrior, but that sounded too combative.)
Once again, the food processor made short work of the colossus. I cut the zucchini into segments and then removed the spongy, seedy middle part of each section. "Zoom zoom zoom!" said the Kitchenaid, and presented me with 9+ cups of grated zuke.
Recipe 1: Zucchini Butter. I made a small batch of this on Saturday morning and spread it on toast. Yum! I made a larger batch on Sunday morning and ate some of it on crackers for lunch with a piece of leftover pizza. It's a decent way to deal with a lot of zucchini, though I seriously doubt the recipe author when she says, "[T]his recipe keeps well and can be stored in the refrigerator for about a month." A MONTH? Seriously? Mold-free and worth eating? I'm a doubter. I have some in the refrigerator. I think it will be gone before the week is out. Regardless, I'd make this again, perhaps adding some herbs and lemon zest.
Recipe 2: Julia Child's Tian de Courgette au Riz (zucchini rice gratin), which I read about here and here, though I own the cookbook with the original recipe. Um...delicious! Easy! I made this Sunday evening and, after sampling the final dish, was sorry that my plan involved making it and stashing it in the freezer in individual portions for easy meal grabbing on busy days. In fact, I was so sorry about this that I saved just a leetle teeny bit and ate it with breakfast this morning. Thank you, Julia, for including so many zucchini (ahem...courgette) recipes in your Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2! I will review over the winter and spring and prepare myself to deal with zucchini bounty next summer.
Recipe 3: Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread. Not exactly a health food, that's for sure, but one can't be virtuous all the time. I've made this before and knew it was a winner. I doubled the batch this time and used my new standby for chocolate chips: Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks. (Soy-free chocolate chips are worth hoarding. And I do.) Mr. H. had a piece of the bread last night for dessert and gave his approval. I cut one loaf in half and wrapped each half for freezer storage, while the other loaf is hidden in a Lucy-proof spot for eating (by humans) this week.
It was a good cooking weekend. It has been a good food season. I think we have done a reasonable job of preserving summer produce. The freezer is full of blueberries, rhubarb, tomatoes, soup with kale and chard, herb cubes, casseroles, zucchini muffins, zucchini bread, jalapenos, and serranos. Mr. H. canned tomatoes. I made jam, four kinds. I tackled the famous Ball's Blueberry Bonanza and canned blueberry butter and sauce. We preserved cherries in alcohol.
We have had a very busy summer.
Once again, the food processor made short work of the colossus. I cut the zucchini into segments and then removed the spongy, seedy middle part of each section. "Zoom zoom zoom!" said the Kitchenaid, and presented me with 9+ cups of grated zuke.
Recipe 1: Zucchini Butter. I made a small batch of this on Saturday morning and spread it on toast. Yum! I made a larger batch on Sunday morning and ate some of it on crackers for lunch with a piece of leftover pizza. It's a decent way to deal with a lot of zucchini, though I seriously doubt the recipe author when she says, "[T]his recipe keeps well and can be stored in the refrigerator for about a month." A MONTH? Seriously? Mold-free and worth eating? I'm a doubter. I have some in the refrigerator. I think it will be gone before the week is out. Regardless, I'd make this again, perhaps adding some herbs and lemon zest.
Recipe 2: Julia Child's Tian de Courgette au Riz (zucchini rice gratin), which I read about here and here, though I own the cookbook with the original recipe. Um...delicious! Easy! I made this Sunday evening and, after sampling the final dish, was sorry that my plan involved making it and stashing it in the freezer in individual portions for easy meal grabbing on busy days. In fact, I was so sorry about this that I saved just a leetle teeny bit and ate it with breakfast this morning. Thank you, Julia, for including so many zucchini (ahem...courgette) recipes in your Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2! I will review over the winter and spring and prepare myself to deal with zucchini bounty next summer.
Recipe 3: Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread. Not exactly a health food, that's for sure, but one can't be virtuous all the time. I've made this before and knew it was a winner. I doubled the batch this time and used my new standby for chocolate chips: Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks. (Soy-free chocolate chips are worth hoarding. And I do.) Mr. H. had a piece of the bread last night for dessert and gave his approval. I cut one loaf in half and wrapped each half for freezer storage, while the other loaf is hidden in a Lucy-proof spot for eating (by humans) this week.
It was a good cooking weekend. It has been a good food season. I think we have done a reasonable job of preserving summer produce. The freezer is full of blueberries, rhubarb, tomatoes, soup with kale and chard, herb cubes, casseroles, zucchini muffins, zucchini bread, jalapenos, and serranos. Mr. H. canned tomatoes. I made jam, four kinds. I tackled the famous Ball's Blueberry Bonanza and canned blueberry butter and sauce. We preserved cherries in alcohol.
We have had a very busy summer.
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