Zucchini, Red Pepper and Duck Egg Strata

It's peak season for summer veggies and I've got plenty to choose from in the garden (or more to the point, sitting on my kitchen counter!).  This dish is versatile and can be served at any meal ... breakfast with a side of bacon, lunch with a salad or dinner alongside your favourite protein.

The veggie topping and choice of cheese can be changed with just about anything.  Maybe some onions and peppers with monterey jack cheese, or chopped broccoli and parmesan?  The version I've made here (zucchini and red pepper) would be good with blue cheese on top instead of the goat cheese.

Set oven to 400 degrees F.   Lightly oil a deep dish pie pan.

Whisk together in a bowl:

• 3 duck eggs (or 5-6 chicken eggs, you need about 1 cup of egg)
• 1 cup milk (I used almond milk, but regular 2% is fine)
• 2/3 cup aged cheddar or your choice of cheese
• 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper

Then add in:

• 4 cups of cubed bread (something crusty like a baguette).  

Mix together, then pour into the prepared pan and let sit.

Saute, olive oil, until softened:

• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 large red pepper, sliced (I used 2 corno di toro)
• 1 cup of zucchini, sliced into half-moons (I used the colourful Zapolitto del Tronco squash)
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, and salt & pepper

Arrange on top of the bread and egg mixture.  Dot with a bit of goat cheese. Bake about 25 minutes, until bread has puffed and browned.

August Update on Cucurbits: Part Two

I previously described the state of winter squash in my two dug gardens.  This part two is pretty much all about the Cucurbits that I planted in hay bales.

Just beside the NE area garden where I have winter squash and some melon plants (along with an overwhelming amount of marigolds and nasturtiums), I have a number of hay bales, most of which are left over from last year (a couple of fresh ones).  In these are a bunch of the failed or barely hanging on pumpkin plants.  However, in the past week I am seeing a solid return to several of them which I suspect is a result of the neem oil treatments to manage the cucumber beetles that were killing most of them.   This one below (more marigolds and nasturtiums in the background so a bit hard to see) had been stalled at 8" tall for at least a month but has grown another 6" in the past week.

But I also have these two plants - one with a single fruit.

At first I thought it was a small pumpkin ... then I double-checked the photos of the zapallo del tronco (my seed packet calls them zapallito del tronco).  Depending on when they are harvested, they can be used as either a summer or winter squash.  Because I thought it was a pumpkin, it's been there for a while, so definitely will be used more as a winter squash (I picked it yesterday).

So my fingers are crossed that some of the plants previously mentioned will pull through and produce, but the following remaining squash and cuke plants in hay bales in the center of my  gardening space are already producing quite well.

Hmm ... except this mystery one which hasn't started to produce yet.  This one, in particular, had been quite damaged by cucumber beetles but has suddenly rebounded in recent days.  I know it is some sort of summer squash, just not sure what type.  Several of the plants are falling over from their weight.  In some cases, the hay bale is falling with the plant but sometimes I push the hay bale over a bit for fear of the root pulling right out (although that's unlikely as the roots are quite large and pretty imbedded in the bale at this point).

This one has already produced six or seven zucchini although I tossed away at least that many baby ones as the cucumber beetles did so much damage that they were rotting on the vine.

With several more on the way.

And the three shown in the main photo are all yellow crookneck squash.  The seeds I used were from a variety pack of summer squash that I get often from William Dam.  Fun when I get several different varieties in one growing season, but not so fun when 3 of the 4 are yellow crookneck squash!!  I've had a few already with many more again on the way.

These cucumber plants (yes there are actually two there side-by-side in the same hay bale) were absolutely on death's door before the neem oil applications.  They aren't large and still look pretty weak but I just pulled two cucumbers this week.

So though I lost a lot of plants to frost and bug damage, I am very satisfied with the amount of veggies I'm getting so far.  Not as good as 2013 but 100% better than last year (well, 100% on the summer squash as ALL of my zukes failed last year).

It was looking bleak just about a month ago and I really owe it all to the neem applications.  So thanks to everyone who talks about the use of neem oil on their own blogs or websites so others like me can learn some solid troubleshooting advice!

Pan-Fried Steelhead Trout served with Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Now I don't recall exactly where I saw the idea of cheesy zucchini rice first, but I've seen it several times.  I spend a lot of time browsing food blogs; usually through foodgawkers.com.  I cannot possibly put into words how much I looooove that website.

The rice dish sounded like the perfect way to use up some of that grated zucchini I still have in the freezer from last year!  Whether you use fresh or frozen zucchini, be sure to wring out as much liquid as possible before adding to the pan.

The other recipes for this dish generally involve cooking the rice in chicken stock along with the zucchini.  And I'm sure that method imparts more flavour ... but I took the really easy route.  I just mixed already cooked rice with the zucchini in a bit of stock and added some cheese.  And there you have it ... a delicious cheesy, and mostly healthy (I used brown rice) side dish!  And perfect alongside this pan-fried trout.

As for the trout, I don't cook both sides the way most people seem to.  I leave it skin side down for the entire cooking time to get the crispiest skin!  Just cover with a lid and the rest will cook through.

Rice Dish
1 medium zucchini, grated (about 1 cup)
2 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 cup sharp cheddar

Combine zucchini and rice in a pot with about 2-3 Tbsp stock or water.  Heat through then add the grated cheddar and cook until cheese is melted and the rice is hot.

Pan-Fried Steelhead Trout

Steelhead trout fillets, 3-4 oz per person
Lemon slices

Season the fillets with salt and pepper and allow to come to room temperature.  Heat saute pan and add a small amount of olive oil then place the fillets in the pan (without overcrowding - do them separately if necessary).  Place the lemon slices on top.








Keep at a medium-high temperature.  Cover with a lid and cook until the fillets are cooked through, about 7-10 minutes depending on the thickness.  Check partway through to make sure the skin isn't burning and to avoid overcooking!!

 Serve with cheesy zucchini rice and arugula greens.

Pumpkin and Zucchini Biscuits

Not only do I still have PLENTY of grated zucchini from last year's harvest still in the freezer, I also had this wonderfully large lumina pumpkin in the cold storage needing to be used up.  You can see from the picture below that it was starting to get a bit of rot; no problem, just cut away the bad parts and work with the rest.

This pumpkin was almost 11 pounds whole and came to about 7 pounds of flesh after it was cleaned up.  That is plenty of pureed pumpkin to cook with!  I simply baked the pumpkin until tender then blended it with an immersion blender to get a smooth puree.

In addition to these biscuits, I also attempted some pumpkin oatmeal cookies which turned out to be really terrible.  But I am happy to share this recipe as these biscuits are yummy!  This particular combination seems to be popular in Australia - I found many similar recipes on some Australian food websites.  I don't think I changed them too much other than to accommodate the ingredients I had available.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 cup cooked pumpkin, small dice
1/2 grated zucchini (I actually used 2 cups of frozen which only came to less than a cup after wringing out all the water)
Up to 1/2 cup milk






Set oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.   Cut in the butter until a crumbly texture is formed.


Stir in the cheese and veggies.  Stir in half the milk then keep adding slowly and just enough to moisten the dough so that it comes together.

Roll out and cut into rounds.  Or do this the lazy way as I did - just grab a chunk and form a round patty.  Bake on parchment paper lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes.

Serve warm with butter.  Or these would be delicious as the "bread" for many kinds of sandwiches!

Recipe for Canning Salsa

As much as I like fresh salsa in the summer, I equally like a cooked salsa during the cooler months.  I only started canning my own salsa last year which is crazy considering how much of it I eat.

I'm pretty lazy when it comes to peeling tomatoes, so for this recipe I run them through a food processor; no peeling required.  This recipe should make just under 3 litres.

Ingredients:
12 cups tomatoes
2 1/2 cups chopped red onion
1 1/2 cups sweet peppers
5 jalapenos (approx. 1/3 cup)*
5 cloves garlic
1 cup cider vinegar*
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp canning salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 can (5.5 oz) tomato paste
2-3 Tbsp lime juice*
1 Tbsp sugar

* Have extra of these ingredients available to adjust after tasting.

Method:

Remove any blemishes, then core and chop the tomatoes.  Place into food processor and blend or pulse until you reach the texture you want.  Do not liquify!  I like tomato chunks to be small as if they were diced.  Pour into a large pot.  Begin heating tomatoes slowly while processing the remaining ingredients.

Next up are the onions, sweet peppers, jalapenos and garlic.  Place in food process and pulse until minced.  Add to pot along with all remaining ingredients.

Allow the mixture to reach a boil then reduce to a simmer.  Taste and adjust flavours as needed.  If it is too spicy, add more tomatoes!!

Cook for 10 minutes more then pour into sterilized jars and process with a water bath method.

I had a bit of salsa leftover after canning so made a quick batch of zucchini fritters to give it a try.  Just grate and squeeze the liquid from some zucchini and potato (I used two parts zucchini to one part potato), and add some salt.  Add olive oil and butter into a medium hot pan and drop in spoonfuls or handfuls of the mixture, then flatten out.  Cook until golden brown on both sides.  Serve with sour cream and salsa.
 

Fried Lemon-Tarragon Crookneck Squash

This can obviously be made with any type of summer squash; I actually find most summer squash tastes the same although there are slight differences in texture.  I grow different types simply because I like to see the different shapes ... this is the first year I've grown crookneck, so kind of fun to see them grow.

Instead of panko / bread crumbs, these can be coated in seasoned flour if preferred.

Ingredients:
1 pound crookneck squash, 3/4 inch slices
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup panko crumbs
2 Tbsp fresh tarragon and/or basil, chopped
1 Tbsp lemon zest
Olive oil / butter for frying






Beat egg and combine in a bowl with milk.  In a separate bowl, combine the panko crumbs, herbs and lemon zest.

Add equal amounts of oil and butter to a heated pan.  I keep the pan around medium to avoid burning the coating.  Dip squash slices in milk/egg mixture then into the crumb mixture to coat both sides.  If you don't mind the mess, go back and forth a second time to get a thicker coating. Fry until golden brown on both sides.  Serve with sour cream or yogurt dressing.

For the dip, I just mixed some plain yogurt, lemon juice and chopped mint.

Zucchini and Garlic Scape Relish

Grate/shred the following:

5 cups zucchini (green and yellow) - measured after shredding
1/2 cup roughly chopped garlic scapes - measured before shredding
1 medium cucumber, seeded
1 large white onion
1 large red pepper



Place in a colander with a catch bowl underneath.  Sprinkle with 4 Tbsp coarse salt.  Set aside for two hours to drain.  Without rinsing, move shredded veggies into a large bowl and cover with cold water.  Set aside for another 4 hours or overnight.  Drain, rinse, drain again (lightly squeezing out liquid).

In a large pot, mix the following ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp celery seed
• 2 tsp mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar 

 

Bring to a boil, then add the veggie mix to the liquid.  Bring to a boil again, then drop to a simmer.  Pour into sterilized jars, leaving a quarter-inch head space, then process in a hot water bath.  Makes about 6 x 250 ml jars.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I was given a copy of this recipe in exchange for a bag full of zucchini; it was a win-win for me - a great recipe, and I was able to give away some zucchini when I was overwhelmed with too much.  This is super moist and delicious.  At the suggestion of my friend, I made this in a 9-inch loaf pan, so it took a bit longer to bake.  The only other change I made was to use full-fat sour cream instead of the low-fat or yogurt option.

Hmm, it's Star Tested, good choice, I guess.  :)

Don't forget the walnuts, the ingredient lists continues into the second column!

Really tasty served with rasberry puree ...

Basil Pesto with Spaghetti and Zucchini

 

Basil is my favourite herb if I were forced to choose one, and pesto is definitely my favourite use of it.



Pesto is always amazing tossed with freshly cooked pasta, but equally delicious with boiled new potatoes, spread on some grilled flatbread or crostini, used as a base for pizza, oooh, in a grilled cheese ... hmm, I'm seeing a trend here.  Pesto is pretty good with breads and starches.  But it's equally delicious brushed on grilled meats, tossed with shrimp or even green beans.





Okay, so I've established that it's a versatile sauce (paste).  Here I've used it in the most traditional way, tossed with some pasta and I've added some julienne cut zucchini strips (or at least the best julienne I can manage, maybe more like thin strips).








For the basil recipe, I've always thought of so many cups of "packed basil".  I know how I pack a cup full, but it's not always obvious to anyone else.  So I took what I originally considered 2 cups of packed basil and stuffed it into one measuring cup as tightly as seemed reasonable considering it kept popping back up due to its freshness.  I ended up with slightly less than one cup.  But even at that, it takes a lot of basil leaves to make it happen ... I tore leaves off about 20 plants; this batch is just 5 or 6 of them.

As for pine nuts, oy, are they ever expensive!  And I've recently read about PNS - Pine Nut Syndrome.  I am NOT kidding.  They can apparently cause "taste disturbances" for a few days or up to a few weeks where everything you eat will taste bitter or even metallic.  What is the world coming to?!  I've never experienced this, and hope to enjoy many more pine nut dishes in my lifetime. But the term pesto simply refers to a paste and can be made in many ways such as an equally delicious combination of arugula and walnuts replacing the basil and pine nuts.  So fear not PNS sufferers ... there are other options!


Basil Pesto
1 very tightly packed cup of basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
4 Tbsp olive oil
Lemon Juice
1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt






Combine pine nuts and garlic in food processor and pulse or blend into small bits.  Add basil leaves and do the same.  Slowly stream in the olive oil while blending which will allow the paste to form.  Add a squeeze of lemon juice.  This should result in a loose paste; if needed, add more oil.  Turn into a bowl and mix in parmesan cheese and salt to taste.  If you want to freeze or otherwise store the pesto, do not add the cheese or salt - add it when ready to use.  Makes 1 cup.



Zucchini Pasta - 2 servings
1/2 cup basil pesto
2 medium zucchini (one yellow, one green if possible)
2 garlic cloves
2 servings pasta cooked plus some cooking water
S&P
Parmesan Cheese






Prepare pasta.  Cut zucchini into julienne slices. When pasta is almost ready, heat shallow pan, add some olive oil.  Add zucchini slices and garlic at the same time.  Toss quickly until zucchini is slightly wilted (just a minute or two).  Add cooked pasta and basil pesto and toss with the zucchini.  Add pasta water as needed to make it a bit saucy.  Season to taste with S&P.  Top with parmesan.