July 21, 2007

Stuffed Zucchini

Description:
For those days when your garden runneth over....

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini (6 to 7 inches each) - halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons olive oil or butter
2 jumbo garlic cloves - chopped fine, or grated teeny
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs or one slice whole wheat bread
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram, tarragon, basil or thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 grated or sliced mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Scoop out the insides of the zucchini leaving a 3/8 inch thick shell. Steam the shells, cut side down, for about 5 minutes. Coarsely chop the pulp.

Sauté onions and garlic in butter/olive oil until translucent to slightly browned. Add chopped zucchini pulp and sauté for another 5 minutes or so. Add bread crumbs, chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Scoop this mixture into the zucchini shells and place on a baking pan. Cover with shredded (or sliced) cheese and put under the broiler until the cheese is melted. (about 2 minutes)

Zucchini Cheddar Bread

Description:
I'm not a big fan of the usual, rather-too-sweet, form of zucchini bread. But I have too much zucchini lying around and decided to make some anyway (hoping that the friends we were meeting with today would eat most of it so I wouldn't have to).

So I pulled out the Joy of Cooking this morning only to find a lovely, savory recipe for zucchini bread. I didn't have any scallions so I used two enormous cloves of garlic (all mushed up) instead. It came out quite lovely.

Ingredients:
3 cups freshly ground whole grain flour (I used hard red wheat.)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-- -- -- -- --
1 cup coarsely shredded zucchini
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped scallions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill, or, 2 teaspoon dried
-- -- -- -- --
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk (i used plain yogurt since i had no buttermilk in the house)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) warm melted butter

Directions:
Whisk the flour, bakking powder, salt and soda together. Add and toss to separate and coat with flour the zucchini, cheese, scallions, parsley and dill. Whisk the eggs, buttermilk and butter together in another bowl, then add to the flour mixture. Mix with a few light strokes just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix; the batter should not be smooth. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely ont he rack.