Zucchinis and Things

A short time ago, my friend Sarah commented in her blog about a large zucchini she'd harvested from her garden, wondering what she was going to do with it. My mind went back just a couple of years, when Isaac was still a baby, when I had what I called a Victory Garden! I called it this not really knowing what I was talking about. Victory Garden is a show on PBS, and according to my mother the term refers to gardens that people planted after World War II, which makes sense. I called it a Victory Garden because it thrived! I had collard greens, roma and grape tomatoes, green peppers, green beans, and zucchini. That summer, we made two batches of salsa, had homemade bruschetta more than once, never ran out of food for Buddy-girl (the iguana), and had zucchinis coming out of our ears! I actually took some of the produce into work to give away, in addition to giving away a zucchini or two to my friend Dana and our next door neighbor.

Needless to say, I had to find things to make with our many zucchinis. My favorite thing to with zucchini is to grill it with chunks of onion and orange bell pepper (orange bell peppers can get expensive, green peppers work just as well they just don't lend as much color to the final presentation). This became a frequent side dish. I would quarter the zucchini and slice the onion and pepper into 1-2"cubes, mix the together with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl, then place the mixture onto 1-2 large sheets of aluminum foil, seal them up (sometimes I had to wrap another piece of aluminum foil around them). Keith would then place them on the top rack of the grill. They only took about 10-15min. to cook. I like my cooked vegetables to be very tender, not crunchy. This method of preparation would work beautiful with yellow squash and eggplant as well.

Man cannot live on grilled zucchini alone, however. Another favorite thing to do with zucchini is to mix it into pasta, like a baked ziti with roasted vegetables mixed in. Following is a recipe I got from watching Giada on Everyday Italian on the Foot Network. Don't be afraid to simplify this recipe, and cheapen it. Some of the ingredients can be expensive. I have made this recipe using simple Giant Eagle brand shredded Italian cheese, and leaving out the red peppers and summer squash, and it still turned out great. I've also made it with my own homemade sauce and with Prego. However, the original recipe is a hit!

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

2 red peppers, cored & cut into 1" wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise & cut into 1" cubes
2 summer squash, quarter lengthwise & cut into 1" cubes
4 cremini mushrooms (or baby bella), halved
1 yellow onion, peeled & sliced into 1" strips
1/4c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 t. salt, divided
1t. freshly ground black pepper, divided
1T. dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence (I don't even know what hers de Provence is, I just use Italian seasoning)
1lb. penne pasta (whole grain works as well as the white)
3c. marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1c. grated fontina cheese (a Danish cheese to be found in the yuppy "cheese from around the world" section of the grocery store)
1/2c. grated smoked mozzarella (see note after fontina cheese)
1 1/2c. frozen peas, thawed
1/4c. grated Parmesan, plus 1/3c. for topping (fresh is always better, but Kraft will do)
2T. butter, cut into small pieces

1.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2.) On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2t. salt, 1/2t. pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15min.
3.) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta & cook for about 6 min. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
4.) In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2t. salt, & 1/2t. pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce & the ingredients are combined.
5.) Pour the pasta in a greased 9x13" pan. top with the remaining 1/3c. Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden & cheese melts, about 25 min.

Again, while watching the Food Network, I found yet another zucchini recipe. This one is different, and interesting. You'll have to try it for yourself and see. All I recommend is do not use marinated artichoke hearts. They really change the taste of the filling. Also, you may need to pre-cook the zucchini boats before you fill them, depending on their size, to get them nice and tender. Again, I prefer very tender, not crunchy, cooked vegetables.

Turkey-Stuffed Zucchini Boats

2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1lb. cooked lean ground turkey
1/3c. fat-free sour cream (you could use regular, I just chose the fat-free)
1/2c. coarsely chopped artichoke hearts in water or oil, but not the marinated kind
1/4c. plus 2T. grated Parmesan, divided
1t. dried oregano
1/2t. salt
1/4t. ground black pepper
2T. seasoned dry bread crumbs
Orzo Pesto (my favorite part!), recipe follows.

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop seeds from center of each zucchini half, making 4 long canoe-like boats. Set aside.
3.) In a medium bowl, combine cooked ground turkey, sour cream, artichoke hearts, 1/4c. Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, & black pepper. Mix gently to combine. Spoon mixture into zucchini boats. Sprinkle bread crumbs & remaining Parmesan over filling in boats.
4.) Bake zucchini boats 10-12 min., until top is golden brown and filling is heated through. Serve with Orzo Pesto.

Orzo Pesto

8oz. orzo pasta (dry, uncooked, by weight)
jar of prepared basil pesto

Cook and drain orzo according to package directions. Toss with desired amount of pesto and serve.

The final recipes I made with my zucchinis that summer were zucchini breads. I'm not going to post any recipes, though, because I find zucchini bread recipes to be a dime-a-dozen. I have a "normal" Paula Deen zucchini bread recipe in my recipe box that calls for 1t. lemon juice. However, I didn't have lemon juice when I made it so I experimented with 1t. anise extract instead, which turned out delicious. I also have a chocolate chip orange zucchini bread recipe I liked. One thing I personally did not care for in some of the other recipes I experimented with were raisins in my zucchini bread. I love raisins alone, but I'm not wild about them in baked goods. Just a personal preference of mine.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my zucchini monologue. I did try a garden again last summer, but since Josiah was born in the beginning of summer, I never had much time to tend it, and it didn't work out. My zucchini never even sprouted. I did get onions and peppers (green and jalapeno), but very few tomatoes. The garden became overrun with weeds, particularly one weed, technically a tuber, known as nut grass. There is no getting rid of nut grass. So Keith planted grass in my garden area this summer, and it took beautifully. Next summer the plan is for Keith to rent a sod-cutter at Home Depot and cut out another garden box in a different location in the yard. I love gardening, and I would love my children to get involved in it and excited about it like I do.