Something that’s great about harvest time is the spirit of sharing that you often find from people who have too much of something in their garden to be able to eat it all, or who find something at the market that’s too good to keep to themselves. A fellow foodie recently gifted me the biggest zucchini I’ve ever laid eyes (or knife) on. I did not panic, of course, but instead took this as an opportunity to be creative with how many ways I could eat a zucchini without getting bored.
Some of the best findings on this expedition are to have it: sauteed (don’t you dare try this without butter and onions); broiled (again, butter is mandatory); breaded, fried and covered with cheese (I’m a strong advocate of covering everything with cheese, if possible); barbecued; in relish; in quiche; or on pizza (see last week’s post). And, I didn’t try it (it’s hot outside!), but I bet it would make a mean soup!
There’s a perception in the local food movement that if you’re eating local, you need to eat everything raw, or cook healthy things all the time. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, but sometimes, I like a nice, fatty dessert. For this reason, I’m including a little recipe for Zucchini Bread. You’re bored of Banana Bread, aren’t you?
Zucchini Bread
½ cup roasted walnuts, chopped (you can roast your own on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes)
1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 or 2 zucchinis)
1 apple, peeled and grated
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup safflower oil
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350@F.
Beat together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla for a couple minutes. When it is well blended, stir in the grated apple and zucchini. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until just blended. Add the nuts and give it a good stir.
Pour into a greased 9” x 5” loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Allow bread to cool, slice, slather with butter, and find someone to share it with.
