Baked Zucchini, Rice and Eggs

ribbed Roman zucchini

If we have zucchini in our Ranui Gardens CSA box this week—this must be summer. I can hardly wait for our tomatoes! This zucchini is ribbed Roman zucchini, Costata Romanesca, a varietal more flavorful and in my mind a step above the insipid green zucchini found commercially year round.
We also have shallots and marjoram and summer savory in our pick–here is an easy dish to show off all 4 garden-fresh goodies. Besides, I seem to always have a cup or so of leftover rice in the freezer since I cook up more than feeds the two of us with my 2 cups water: 1 cup rice ratio.
Sorry about asking you heat up the oven in this hot weather–know that you can prepare and bake this recipe before the temperature climbs to its daily high, either first thing in the morning or after dinner. It’s delicious hot, warm or cold. The cheese and breadcrumbs on top gets golden brown and crunchy: make in a shallow dish so every serving has some yummy topping.

shallots, marjoram, summer savory and chopped zucchini

1 slice whole grain bread, lightly toasted

1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds, optional
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
About 1 cup finely chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 small/medium zucchini, cut in ½-inch cubes, 4 to 5 cups
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh summer savory
1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup grated cheese, cooks choice
½ teaspoon Real salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a deep pie dish or an 8 x 8 baking dish (2 quart) with olive oil.
In a food processor, grind the toasted bread and sunflower seeds into crumbs. Set aside. (You can substitute panko or other ready-made breadcrumbs, if preferred.)
In a skillet over medium flame, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the shallots and garlic and cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes, until the shallots are translucent. Stir in the diced zucchini. Cook and stir until the squash softens, but remove from the heat before it turns mushy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped herbs and the cooked rice. Add the eggs and about half of the cheese along with the salt and cayenne. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Evenly sprinkle the remaining cheese topped by the breadcrumbs. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let sit a few minutes before cutting.
Makes about 6 servings.

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Cucumber Salad with Ginger

I learned a new trick this summer that makes zucchini more enjoyable—a Deborah Madison suggestion to improve the texture and flavor of squash by salting. It takes more time, but I have decided it’s worth the hassle. The trick is to sprinkle the diced or sliced squash with salt and let it stand in a colander over a plate for 15 to 30 minutes, until a pool of liquid drains out. Deborah says to rinse and squeeze dry, but I have just been rinsing and draining on a towel. The cooked squash doesn’t turn translucent and watery—undesirable characteristics to me and, I think, many more cooks and eaters.

This recipe uses the same salting technique with cucumbers. It is from Tassajara Dinners & Desserts by Dale and Melissa Kent, adapted in an article in September 2009 Vegetarian Times magazine. I have adapted it further, using my mother’s habit of scoring cucumbers for visual appeal.

1 pound cucumbers, about 3

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce

2 teaspoons mirin (rice wine)

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds

Peel the cucumbers and trim the ends. Run the tines of a fork in parallel lines down the length of the cucumbers to score what will be decorative lines on the slices. Slice thinly, about 1/8-inch thick. Sprinkle the slices with salt; let drain in a colander over a plate about 20 minutes. Rinse and drain the cucumbers on towels.

Make a dressing with the vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, ginger and red pepper flakes. Toss the cucumber with the dressing and the sesame seeds. Refrigerate to marinate about an hour.

Makes about 6 servings.

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100 Zucchini Recipes

Well John did it again–zucchini in the box. I hope the 3 recent recipes help but this zucchini page can send you to even more–and they are all blogs–mostly food blogs. Amazing.

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Zucchini and Tortellini

I bet we all wish Trader Joe’s would open a store in Utah, and, thinking about all the liquor they sell at Trader Joe’s, I can also bet we will never have a store here. So I shop and stock up when I can. I buy their dried tortellini with mixed cheese filling because it travels and keeps well, and is a cut above in quality over similar products found locally.

John says we have “tons” of zucchini this week. This recipe, here to make a dent in your prolific green cylinder supply, uses Trader Joe’s tortellini instead of spaghetti. It is a Deborah Madison recipe, from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Use the entire amount of olive oil—it cooks the zucchini slowly and gently. The evaporated milk is from my pantry; Deborah calls for half-and-half or milk.

1 1/2 pounds zucchini

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 or 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk

6 ounces dried cheese-filled tortellini

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Handful basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Cut the zucchini in 1/2-inch lengths, and then cross-wise into 1/2-inch pieces.

In a large skillet heat the oil and the garlic together—the garlic cooks without scorching as the oil come to temperature. Add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook the zucchini over medium heat, stirring every so often, until the squash is soft and browned on some edges, 20 to 25 minutes.

When the pasta water boils, add salt and cook the tortellini until it is tender to your bite. Drain, toss with a little olive oil and set aside if it is ready before the zucchini.

When the zucchini has some golden color, add the milk and cook 7 to 10 minutes more, stirring more frequently. Toss with the pasta, cheese and basil. Season to taste with salt and more freshly ground pepper.

Makes about 4 servings.

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Zucchini Carpaccio

Make this salad when your zucchini are very fresh, like immediately from the garden or the CSA box, and use the smaller ones, saving those biggies for something else.  Cut the squash slices thinly, thin, thin, with a sharp knife, or a Japanese Benriner slicer or a French mandolin. Carpaccio, by definition, is an Italian appetizer–thin shavings of raw beef drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.  This is a vegetarian interpretation–thin shavings of garden fresh zucchini. My friend Ginger serves three types of impeccably fresh squash– zucchini, pattypan and yellow, artfully laid in concentric circles on a platter, served family style, to guests at outdoor summer weddings. Ginger owns Orchard House Catering in Hood River Oregon, and works at Deer Valley in the winter.

4 small zucchini

1/3 cup loosely packed basil (and/or cilantro) leaves

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup pine nuts, raw or very lightly toasted, optional

6 ounces fine quality aged Italian cheese, such as Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

Thinly sliced tips of 1 zucchini blossom, optional

Cut the zucchini into paper-thin slices. Arrange slices, overlapping slightly, on a serving platter or 4 salad plates.

Cut chiffonade slivers of basil and cilantro leaves, and sprinkle over the zucchini.

Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice on top and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Let stand about 10 minutes to soften the zucchini and let the flavors develop.

Just before serving, sprinkle with the pine nuts and drop shaved cheese over all.

If you have a squash blossom, garnish with slices of that.

Makes 4 servings.

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Grilled Zucchini Ribbon Pasta

View of Ranui from Hoyt Peak

Our high-altitude CSA is beginning to reap the benefits of a warm summer–this being our first week for basil and second for zucchini. We are lucky that our mountain night temps are cool and will refresh a kitchen hot from baking and cooking–but outdoor grilling and simple pasta do little to heat the house in the first place. So pre-heat a grill to high and bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove.

1 or 2 zucchini, depending on size, (about 2 pounds)

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tabelspoons sherry wine vinegar or fresh-squeezed lemon juice

8 ounces fettuccini noodles

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts of chopped walnuts

1/4 cup fresh sweet basil, cut in 1/4-inch chiffonade

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or similar aged cheese, optional

Trim the ends from the zucchini. Slice it, lengthwise and thinly, about 1/8-inch thick. Brush the lengths with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the zucchini quickly, about a minute on each side, until it wilts into tenderness and has light grill marks. Sprinkle with the vinegar and set aside.

Add salt to the boiling water, and cook the pasta until it is tender yet still firm to the bite. Drain and toss with the zucchini, nuts, basil and cheese, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes about 6 servings.

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