The Family Table: Zucchini every which way
Before we went to the beach this year, we cut all of the ready-to-pick zucchini from our garden.
There were a few small ones left — and we figured we might come home to half a dozen or so — definitely a miscalculation.
The day we came home, we picked 17, several of which were longer than my husband’s forearm. The following day, we realized we missed five more sizable monsters.
Squash in hand, we set out to distribute some to any neighbor who would take them.
My mom wanted four. Ever curious, Josie wanted to see how much those four weighed.
Nearly 12 pounds.
I didn’t worry about what she was going to do with them … Momma Joyce has an arsenal of zucchini recipes that run the gamut.
Soups? Yes. Casseroles? Totally. Bread? Definitely.
But it’s her sweet treats that everyone waits for.
I have no idea how she does it (baking, as you know, isn’t my forte), but were it not for the telltale green flecks of squash, one would never know it was included.
She showed up at the newspaper office twice in the past couple of weeks to deliver her handiwork to the newsroom. Chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini bars and frosted spice cake were in the first delivery. The second delivery came this Monday when she brought in a mock apple crumble. Yep, you guessed it — zucchini, not apple, was the filling.
And as she baked up a storm, I continued to pick squash after squash from the six plants that seem to have taken on a life of their own. At our house, we’ve had zucchini pizzas (pre-roasted rounds make a great “crust”), stuffed zucchini and shrimp scampi over zucchini noodles. We’ve eaten it raw in salads, pickled it, sauteed it as a side dish with some fresh herbs and grilled it. I even turned it into lasagna noodles, which has perhaps been the favorite use in our house.
It started as a way for me to put together a nontraditional zucchini parm. I didn’t want to bread and fry (in part because breading and frying are a lot of extra steps; in part because the breading and frying adds calories and fat that I don’t want). Initially, I cut the zucchini into rounds and pre-roasted it to use as the base. Then it hit me: I pre-roast to soften it and get the liquid out, which I could just as easily do if I sliced it thinly on a mandolin and lightly salted it to get the water out.
Worked like a charm.
Now, as our zucchini production slows for the season, we find ourselves faced with dozens of quickly ripening tomatoes, and the challenge begins anew to distribute them or use them. On deck for experimentation this year: red wine-infused tomato bacon jam. When I perfect that recipe, I’ll share it.
In the meantime, enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of summer gardening, or crop sharing.
Jennifer Garofalo is the 蘑菇视频’s news managing editor. 蘑菇视频 her at jgarofalo@heraldstandard.com.
Zucchini lasagna
1 medium zucchini
1 1/2 pounds ground sausage (sweet or hot, whatever you prefer)
1 jar tomato sauce
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mandolin, slice the zucchini thinly. I did mine lengthwise to more closely resemble lasagna noodles, but thin rounds could just as easily be layered. If you don’t have a mandolin, use a knife to slice as thinly as possible. Put the sliced zucchini into a bowl, and add a little salt to take some of the water out. While you’re waiting for that to happen, break up and brown the sausage, onion and garlic. Drain that mixture, and toss it with basil. Drain the water off of the zucchini, and wipe the slices with a paper towel to take off the excess salt. Put a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of an 11脳7 baking dish, and cover the sauce with one thin layer of sliced zucchini. Put 1/3 of the sausage mixture over it, top with a thin layer of cheeses and a thin layer of sauce. Repeat the process with a second layer of zucchini slices, sausage, cheese and sauce. The top layer should be zucchini, topped with cheeses and the remaining sauce. Bake, uncovered for about 30 minutes. I set my baking dish on a large sheet tray with a silicone mat to catch any drips or bubbled over sauce. Let the lasagna cool, and slice into serving squares. I like to make this one day ahead of time, because it makes cutting it easier, though that’s not necessary.