Savory Zucchini Bread & 2 Tomato "Use-Ups"

Last year when I was (as usual) trying to use up bushels of zucchini, I figured I'd try out a savory version.  L was thrilled because it has some of his favorite ingredients and he's not a fan of the typical sweet version.  This bread is chock-full of Mediterranean gems and goes great with tomatoes, another bumper crop of the summer.  I recommend it aside bowl of homemade tomato soup, topped with slow-roasted tomatoes and mozzarella, or slathered with tomato jam.

One thing I would change about this recipe is to scale it up 1 1/2 times because it results in sort of a short stubby loaf.  Next time I make it I will see how that goes and update this recipe with new amounts if it works out well.

Savory Zucchini Bread

2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (I do this in my food processor)
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, chopped (Substituting 10 cloves of roasted garlic would be delicious)
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup parmiggiano reggiano, diced into tiny bits (This way you get little salty bites now and then)


1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan.

Beat together the eggs, oil and vinegar.  Add the zucchini, garlic, peppers, olives, tomatoes and cheese and stir to coat.  Sift flour, seasonings and leavenings into the bowl and stir until all ingredients are well combined.  Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Then run a knife around the edge and invert to remove from the pan. Finish cooling on a wire rack before cutting.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

The trick to these tomatoes is roasting them as slowly as possible.  I put them in the oven in the afternoon and take them out the next morning when I wake up.  It's one of those recipes I feel guilty posting because it's barely a recipe.

10-12 Roma tomatoes or other low-moisture tomatoes, washed and split in half
olive oil
salt, pepper and any other desired seasonings

Toss tomatoes with olive oil to coat.  Arrange on a baking sheet, cut sides up.  Season as desired.

Set your oven as low as it will go (mine bottoms out at 170 F).  Stick your tomatoes in there and write yourself a little tomato love note so you don't forget about them.  Roasting time will depend on your oven but will be at least 12 hours.  I usually leave mine in for about 18 hours.  You know they're done when they've shriveled to about half their original size but are still moist inside.  These freeze very well and make an excellent pasta sauce when roughly chopped.

Cherry Tomato Jam

I've seen lots of recipes for this floating around cyberspace and finally had to try it myself.  It is the perfect mix of sweet and savory and goes particularly well with salty breads such as the zucchini bread above or any other cheese flavored bread.  It's also great as a topping for risotto cakes. It's not necessary to skin the tomatoes but it results in a better texture.  This recipe makes about 3 pint size jars.

2.5 lbs of cherry, pear or grape tomatoes (about 3 pints)

1 1/4 cups sugar (brown or white - both work well)
5 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 3/4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp italian seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes

Bring a quart of water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water.  Slash the ends of each tomato quickly with a paring knife.  Plunge the tomatoes, a pint at a time, into the boiling water for about 30 seconds (you should see the skins start to curl up at your incision), then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the ice bath.  Repeat for other pints.  At this point the skins should slide right off.  Discard the skins and transfer the "meat" to a large saucepan.  Add sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and seasonings and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until thick and jammy.

Transfer to pint jars.  This will keep for about 3 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer (use plastic containers if you plan to freeze it).  It can also be canned in a boiling water canner.  For this method, make sure your canning jars are sterilized and place your lids in a pan of water just below a simmer to soften the adhesive.  Leave 1/2 inch of headspace before placing the lid and making the ring fingertip tight.  Boil enough water to cover the jars by at least one inch, use canning tongs to place jars in the rack and process for 15 minutes (longer at higher altitudes).  If you haven't canned before please don't rely on this explanation alone - visit the national food safety database or the Ball preserving website first and fully educate yourself on how to can safely.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This time of year everyone has extra zucchini threatening to bust out of the produce bin!  Although most of our zucchini gets marinated in Italian dressing and grilled, we just can't eat it all.  I've already put up 10 cans of zucchini pickles (I most post this some time - they're way better then the cucumber variety), and I have a bag of zucchini fritters in the freezer, so it's time to break out the loaf pan and bake up some zucchini bread.

My usual zucchini bread is a savory version, since L is not a fan of sweet stuff.  If I can advert any major disasters and manage to photograph it decently I'll be bringing that one to you later.  Once in a while, I like to mix it up a little and see the sweeter side.  I often find sweet zucchini bread to be too dry or too dense and I often get bored with the obligatory spices that seem to be overused in all baking: cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.  Although I like to use these as showcase flavors on their own, I feel like they get lost in a generic "baked good" taste.  So instead of going the traditional route, why not use an ingredient that is at its best in in rich dense cakes, and pack it full of chocolate!  Sounds better already doesn't it?!  Then throw in some coffee to pump up the flavor and one unexpected spice to play a star role.  Moist and intensely chocolatey - now that's a sweet zucchini bread I can get into!'

Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Coffee and Cardamom

Cardamon is an acquired taste for some, so if it's not your thing I recommend substituting a tablespoon of spicy Saigon cinnamon instead.  A dash of cayenne with the cinnamon will make it a delectable Mexican chocolate cake.

2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp instant espresso granules
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional) **Edit** This amount is appropriate if you freshly grind the cardamom - if not use 1 full tsp
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup really good quality cocoa powder (I like Scharffen-Berger)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (summer squash also works well)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup chopped macademia nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a loaf pan.

Beat the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the oil, sugars, vanilla, espresso, cardamom and salt and mix well.  Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Toss in zucchini, chocolate and nuts and stir to combine.

Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert to remove.  Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Sweet Corn Risotto

The produce this time of year makes me so excited.  Every time I pick up my CSA share I feel like I'm unwrapping presents at Christmas time.  What in the world could possibly be better than heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, watermelon and peaches?

With such great produce overflowing out of my fridge, you need some really fantastic dishes to showcase it.  Most of these are so simple I don't even post them because it feels like cheating.  Is it really a recipe if it takes 5 ingredients or less and involves mostly chopping?

Risotto on the other hand is to me the definition of the craft.  There's something about chopping and sauteing aromatics, toasting rice, meditatively stirring to coax the rice into drinking up the stock and finishing with a flourish of butter and cream that personifies what it is to be a cook.  It's a very zen activity for me because the dish is not difficult, but needs consistent nurturing.  I guess that's why I've already given you so many versions, from a homey wintery sausage and radicchio, a bright primavera, and a briny seafood version.

This time around I'm showcasing one of summer's mascots - sweet corn.  Some gorgeous tomatoes also made their way in there, providing the acid to counterbalance the corn's sweetness and the richness of the butter and cream.  Inspired by a corn chowder, it starts with a little smidge of bacon.  Some scallions and basil lend a seasonally herbaceous finish.

Sweet Corn Risotto

Serves 8 as a first course, 4-6 as an entree depending on how hungry your guests are

3 cobs of local sweet corn, husked (the local part is imperative to getting the sweetest corn - the sugar converts to starch quite quickly after harvesting)
5 cups vegetable stock
1 cup milk

3 slices center cut bacon, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced (about a cup)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio or other risotto rice
2/3 cup sweet white wine such as Riesling

2/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup grated parmiggiano reggiano

1 large heirloom tomato, cored and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

3 Tbsp chopped scallions

1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Remove the kernels from the cob and reserve.  I love my corn zipper for this job, although now they have this nifty new version that looks like it might be a little more natural to use and remove more kernels at once, so it might be time for an upgrade - future Christmas gift anybody? ;)  Snap the corn cobs in half and add them to a medium saucepan along with the stock and milk.  Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low.

In a large saucepan or small stockpot over medium heat, brown the bacon.  Once it starts to get crispy add the onion and saute until translucent.  Add the garlic and the rice and toast until the rice is golden and smells nutty.  Deglaze with the sweet wine and add a couple of ladles full of the stock mixture.

Stir the risotto occasionally with a wooden spoon as it cooks over medium heat.  It is time to add a couple more ladle-fulls of stock every time you can push the risotto off the bottom of the pan and no liquid seeps in to fill the line you made.  Continue stirring occasionally and adding stock for about 20 minutes, then add the reserved corn kernels and continue as before.  When the risotto has gotten quite creamy and is almost al dente, add the cream and cook until done (should be 1-2 minutes at this point).

Finish the risotto by melting in the butter and parmesan cheese.  At this point check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  I don't recommend salting before this point, as the bacon and parmesan both contribute significant salt.  Toss in tomatoes and herbs and serve piping hot.

Leftovers make great arancini or risotto cakes - top them with tomato jam - assuming you don't lick the pot clean first!

Looking Forward to Leftovers...Part I

With all of the work that goes into making every Thanksgiving perfect, you deserve to be reaping the benefits for the following week. Yet all too often, leftovers just turn into turkey sandwiches and other monotonous duplicate meals, and after a few days you're sick and tired of reheat and reeat the same old thing, and you're ordering pizza while the leftovers languish and spoil in the back of the fridge. In the spirit of frugalness, in a waste not want not economy, we need to bring these leftovers to an unexpected place, where they will be transformed from the lovely but boring feast day foods into unrecognizable reincarnations. I hope that this series, which I will post throughout the week, will inspire you to think outside the leftover box, and enjoy your post-Thanksgiving time care free.

These waffles make use of leftover sweet potatoes or squash (both work well). If your leftover sweet potatoes aren't already mashed, just puree them first in a blender or food processor. Don't bother picking out nuts or marshmallows or whatever you like to put in, just puree it all together. Spices, even odd ones, taste great in this recipe so no worries about that either.

Since I have a full house (literally - no walking room) of guests from afar for most Thanksgivings, breakfast the day after is just as important to plan for as the big meal itself. It's a final send off for my guests and it needs to be filling enough that they can get through the 6-8 hour drive with minimal stops, but not so heavy that they want to fall asleep at the wheel. These waffles, drizzled with dark amber maple syrup and served with a pumpkin spice latte, fit the bill perfectly.

Apple, Pecan & Sweet Potato Waffles

3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup leftover mashed or pureed sweet potatoes or squash
1 tsp vanilla or pecan extract
3 Tbsp sugar (I like brown or maple sugar for these)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp backing powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
1 small apple, peeled, cored and diced into small chunks

Preheat a waffle iron.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, melted butter, sweet potatoes and extract until well blended. Sift in flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir until mostly mixed. Add pecans and apples and stir until well combined. Add more milk if the batter looks too thick (should be a normal consistency for waffles, a little thicker than pancake batter).

Prepare waffles according to the directions that came with your waffle iron. Serve with maple syrup and either hot cider or pumpkin spice lattes.

Fry So Good...

Baby eggplants are something that always intrigue me - shiny and cute, I fall for it every time. And then I get them home and I don't have a clue what to do with them. Unfortunately, more than one pint of these mini-aubergines has wasted away in my produce drawer. So when I got a bag in my CSA I was determined not to let them go to waste. After racking my brain, an application finally dawned on me that wouldn't result in small mushy veggies (it's the texture I can't do). A quick peel and a dip in the deep fryer turns these babies into crispy, salty, melting hot fries that I think top the potato variety. These work equally well with a large eggplant cut into matchsticks

Eggplant Fries

20 baby eggplants
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup water
Vegetable oil for frying

Peel and halve or quarter the baby eggplant. Whisk together flour and water to make a light batter. Toss with eggplant. Preheat oil to 375 degrees F in a deep, heavy bottomed saucepan (oil should come about 1/2 way up the sides). Carefully add a small batch of eggplant to the pot. Fry until golden brown. Remove to paper towels and salt liberally. Repeat in small batches until done. Eat while hot (although they do reheat well on a baking sheet in a toaster oven).

Dinner's Going Green

"Green" - it's no longer just a color, it's a catchphrase for easy environmental fixes. One thing is for sure, we've abused our planet for a long time, selfishly exploiting its resources, and now it's fighting back. We're entering a period of consequences, and unfortunately we are not yet rising to the challenge in a way that will ensure our future. Green has become the word of the moment, but only for baby steps. As much as every little bit counts, baby steps will not take us the miles we need to go before time runs out.

Hot, Flat and Crowded is a fantastic book about the challenges we are facing and the best ways to rise up and seize the American entrepreneurial spirit to reduce the effects of our dependence on fossil fuels. I highly recommend it to everyone, since this is an issue we will all have to face. I hope President Obama has read it as well. If America leads the world towards higher efficiency standards and cleaner fuels, the world will follow, and probably respect us a little more as well.

As for steps we all can take without the government's help, green baby steps are still better than a lack of forward motion. Energy star appliances, SMALL hybrid cars, reusable grocery bags and compact florescent bulbs are tremendously helpful in cutting CO2 admissions when everyone starts to use them. Reducing electricity use, by using power strips that cut power to appliances and chargers when not in use and driving less are a huge help. We have only used the air conditioner in our house a handful of days this summer. A little sweat has paid off with more money in our pockets.

CSAs are a great way for foodies to be a little more green. Community supported agriculture means food travels only a few miles from farm to table, drastically reducing its carbon footprint. Plus local small farms stay solvent, not caving to sell their valuable land to developers of McMansion complexes. And we get the freshest produce possible, so everyone wins. One Straw Farm gives me so much organic produce that I've only had to go grocery shopping once since school let out. Which has meant way less miles on my car and way more money in my pocket.

So here's a green meal with a green sauce that will rock your taste buds and get you going on a greener path to change.

Grilled Stuffed Patty Pan Squash and Fish with Salsa Verde


Grilled Salsa Verde
4-5 tomatillos, husked and washed then halved
2 tomatoes, washed and halved
1 small red onion, halved
1 jalapeno
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Preheat a grill to high heat. Brush the tomatillos, tomatoes, onion and jalapenos with vegetable oil. Grill them all over high heat until tomatillos and tomatoes are carmelized and onion and jalapeno are charred. Chop up the tomatillos, tomatoes and onion. Seed and stem the jalapeno and mince. Toss them all with lime juice and cilantro. Let sit for 15 minutes for flavors to meld. (Leave the grill on low for the squash.

Stuffed Squash
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup white rice
1 Tbsp chile powder
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese

6 medium patty pan squash

Bring chicken stock, lime juice and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice and spices and reduce to low. Cover and cook until rice has absorbed the water, and is al dente, about 20 minutes. Toss in about a third of the salsa verde and the rest of the cilantro along with the cheese.

While you're waiting for the rice to cook, slice the tops off of the patty pans and hollow out the insides with a spoon. Brush the squash with olive oil and put top side down on the covered grill to cook and char a bit. After the tops are charred, stuff with rice and put back on the grill, but right side up this time. Cook until tender and evenly charred.


Finishing it off...
2 (1/3 lb.) filets of firm white fish, such as halibut or cod

Brush the fish with vegetable oil and season well with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until just cooked - about 2 minutes per side for thick filets. Serve over remaining rice with squash on the side and salsa on top.

Prosciutto = Happiness

When I was in college at University of Rhode Island my (now) husband (!) and I had our first vacation together. It wasn't just anywhere - we were lucky enough to snag a 10 day trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy for only about $1300 a person. The cliffs rising from crystal blue waves, towns climbing up their craggy corners and roads racing through narrow crevices redefined our ideas of beauty. And I don't need to tell you how amazing the food was! Italian ideals of simple food cooked with respect from the finest ingredients made every dish unforgettable.

We had always planned to be married in Positano, at a little church on the very top of the cliff, looking out over the water. Unfortunately that was not feasible, since the Euro is now putting the dollar to shame. Not to be outdone, we picked a place just as special to us - the site of our first date - Colt State Park in beautiful Bristol, Rhode Island. We got our ocean views, mild weather and a little taste of Italy (yes, I did about 1/2 the cooking!), but it still leaves us just a little "homesick" for the place where our souls reside. This pizza has helped to bridge the gap - pulling Amalfi flavors into our American existance.

Arugula Prosciutto Pizza


Prepared Pizza Dough
6 oz pesto (try this one or use storebought - but first drain off excess oil and reserve for another use)
1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 1/2 cups arugula, rinsed and dried
2 Tbsp good Italian dressing
1 lb prosciutto - sliced paper thin


Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a 16 inch pizza stone on the middle rack.

Roll out the dough to a thin 16 inch round. Remove the pizza oven from the oven and rest on the stovetop (with burners turned off!). Drape dough over the stone. Let the dough cook on the stone (still on the stovetop) until the bottom is no longer sticky. Flip pizza so the cooked side is up. Spread with pesto and top with slices of mozzarella, sprinkle with parmesan.

Return pizza to oven and bake until cheese is melted and crust is crispy - about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, toss arugula with dressing.

Remove pizza from oven and top with arugula and little piles of prosciutto. Cut and enjoy!

CSA Week One: Maryland's First Harvest

As you may have noticed, I've been suffering with a bout of uninspired cooking, which coupled with busy days has resulted in fewer and fewer posts. To remedy this situation, I've signed up for a CSA to force me to step outside my fall-back meals and try some new things. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and is a program where consumers buy "shares" of a farm's harvest before the season begins (I paid for mine in full in April), providing funds that help the farmers to plant and maintain their fields, and then pick up their shares as the produce reaches its peak. If you'd like more information on CSAs, or to find local farmers markets, click here.

My CSA comes from One Straw Farm, an organic farm less than 3 miles from my house. Once a week, I make a pickup. Since this was my first one, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was greeted with massive quantities of the freshest produce, sure to improve my vitamin intake!


Keep in mind this is one full share for just one week! This week's share included 1 bunch each of collard greens, curly kale, red chard, yellow chard, arugula, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, and romaine lettuce. Also included was a bunch of wacky looking garlic scapes (new to me), a small head of cabbage and 2 pints of super sweet Maryland strawberries.

So what to do with all of this bounty? The lettuce of course has been devoted to salads, one of which was a lovely vietnamese concoction topped with noodles and shrimp, inspired by Nim Chow. The chard was blanched and became a star player in a creamy mushroom, sausage and orzo gratin - recipe to come.


I have big plans for the collards and kale, braised with ham hocks to go alongside barbecued chicken and cheddar scallion biscuits. The cabbage will probably end up in cabbage & noodles - a favorite around here.


The strawberries begged to be vibrant strawberry ice cream - this time I modified my previous recipe and used port instead of creme de menthe. It's the best strawberry ice cream you can imagine. (Recipe below)


The biggest conundrum was what to do with those funky, curly garlic scapes. Some of them ended up chopped fine in an omelet. The rest made their way into a pesto with peppery arugula and pistachios. It's great for pasta, as pizza sauce or for a sandwich spread. See the recipe below.

Strawberry Ice Cream with Port


2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup port
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
14 oz. freshly picked strawberries, washed and hulled (please, please seek out local ones - don't buy from across the country!)

Whisk eggs and sugar together in a heat proof bowl until well combined. Heat cream, port, milk and vanilla bean with seeds over medium heat in a heavy saucepan until mixture reaches a simmer. Remove pod of vanilla bean and reserve for another application. Slowly, whisking constantly, add warm mixture to the egg mixture in a thin stream, tempering the eggs. Return to the pan and bring mixture up to 175 degrees F while whisking. The mixture should thicken significantly- you've made a creme anglaise. Let cool to room temperature.

Combine strawberries and creme anglaise in a blender. Blend until well combined and chill overnight. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions in an ice cream maker.



Garlic Scape and Arugula Pesto


1 bunch garlic scapes (about 6 large)
1 small bunch of arugula, washed and dried
1/2 cup roasted & shelled pistachios
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmeggiano reggiano
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano
1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Buzz garlic scapes and arugula in a food processor until well chopped. Add remaining ingredients and buzz in remaining ingredients until well combined. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to 6 months before using.