Sara’s Great Frittata Recipe:
2 lbs summer squash
Salt
Green onions(healthy fistful chopped)
Basil leaves(fistful again)
2 garlic cloves
4 eggs
1/4 Cup oil
1 Cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 Cup parmesan/pecorino cheese
The summer squash, green onions, and basil make a wonderful frittata.
In the main bowl of a food processor, grate about two pounds of summer squash. Put the squash in a colander and lightly salt. Leave to drain, and put the chopping blade in the food processor. Add a healthy fistful of onions and the leaves from a bunch of basil. Toss in a couple garlic cloves if you have them, and pulse until well chopped. In a big bowl, mix around a cup of flour with a couple teaspoons of baking powder and about a half cup of grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese. Lightly beat four eggs and a quarter cup of oil (if you’re feeling decadent and there are no vegetarians in the crowd, add a couple spoonfuls of bacon grease). Put the grated squash in a thin clean dishtowel or heavy duty paper towel and squeeze out excess liquid. Combine all the ingredients in the big bowl. You should have a thick, fragrant batter. Pour the batter into a greased 13×9 baking pan and sprinkle a little more cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees until golden, about 30-45 minutes (it depends on the moisture left in the squash). When cool, cut into squares and serve.
These make great appetizers or savory treats at a tea or coffee!
Thyme-Braised Zucchini in Crème Fraiche
Braising zucchini brings out their subtle, delicate flavor.
Serves 4
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 medium zucchini, about 1-1/4 lbs., trimmed and thinly sliced Salt and freshly ground black pepper Zest of one lemon and juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh thyme
3/4 cup crème fraîche
Melt butter over low heat in skillet. Add zucchini, salt, pepper, lemon juice and thyme. Cover skillet and braise over low heat for 6-8 minutes, or until just tender. Uncover skillet. Gently fold in crème fraîche and just heat through. Correct seasoning and serve at once.
Concia Zucchini with Mint and Vinegar from Cucina Ebraica by Joyce Goldstein
4 to 6 small zucchini, about 1.5 pounds
salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch thick slices, or to prepare it Veneto fashion, cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Sprinkle with salt and let stand in a colander for 30 minutes to drain off any bitter juices. Rinse and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine the mint or basil, parsley, and garlic. Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. In batches, add the zucchini and cook, turning as needed, until golden on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow serving dish and sprinkle with some of the mint mixture and some of the vinegar. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini, mint mixture, and vinegar. Leave at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, basting occasionally with vinegar in the dish, before serving.
Zucchini and Chickpeas
adapted from Mediterranean Vegetables by Clifford Wright
2 T olive oil
1 pound young zucchinis, trimmed and sliced about ½ inch thick
16 oz can chickpeas, drained
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
S & P to taste
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the zucchini, chickpeas, garlic, salt and pepper until the zucchini are slightly soft, about 20 minutes. Toss with the parsley and serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings
Easy Zucchini Soufflé By Dave Holt (habanero_holt at yahoo.com)
Sauté:
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 zucchinis, 6-8″ in length, sliced ¼” width
3 cloves garlic, pressed 5 scallions, diced
Soufflé:
6 eggs, size large
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated monterey jack cheese
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon cardamom
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare a 9×9 ceramic or glass baking disk with a light coating of extra virgin olive oil.
Soufflé Preparation:
Beat eggs and sour cream with a medium sized whisk until thoroughly mixed (This aerates the soufflé and allows us to skip the step of separating whites & yolks – thereby making this an “easy” soufflé). Add cheeses and seasonings and mix well with whisk. Add processed sauté mixture and mix well with whisk. Pour soufflé mixture into baking dish and place in oven, center rack. Bake for one hour at 325 degrees, or for forty minutes using a convection oven (soufflé is done when middle of soufflé has risen to same height as the periphery). Let cool for 10 minutes to set up before cutting and serving.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top of each serving.
Aunt Joan’s Zucchini, as remembered by Julia
1.5 pounds summer squash, mixed or all one variety
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
some chopped fresh basil
grated fresh parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Thinly slice the summer squash. Heat oil over moderate heat in medium-large frying pan. Add the minced garlic, and let cook for just a few seconds, don’t let it brown. Then add the squash, spreading out in the pan so it can all cook evenly. Once the first layer is browned up a bit, stir it around the pan, letting the still-uncooked squash hit the oil below for a little browning. You can add a bit more oil at this point if you like. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Once it’s all cooked (7-12 minutes), remove to a serving dish and top with the fresh chopped basil and the parmesan. Serves 3-4
Pasta with Zucchini, Lemon, Pine Nuts, and Herb adapted from The Greens Cook Book
1 pound corkscrew pasta (gemelli, rotelli, etc.)
8 ounces small, firm green or golden zucchini
1/2 c. mixed fresh herbs: Italian parsley, marjoram, basil, chervil, hyssop, oregano, lemon thyme and others (I used basil and thyme, but oregano and marjoram are also good. Avoid tarragon in this dish.)
1 lemon
6 T. virgin olive oil
5 T. pine nuts
1onion or 3 shallots, thinly sliced then roughly chopped
4 t. tiny capers, rinsed in water
2 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into narrow strips (I used 8 halves)
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan (grated, fresh)
Slice the zucchini diagonally into pieces about the same thickness as the pasta (matchstick size, 1/8″ or so). Line up the slices and cut them into narrow matchsticks. Each one will be tipped with green or gold. Make a selection of fresh herbs from those suggested in the ingredients list. Pull the leaves off the stems and chop them, but not too finely. Include any flowers, such as the purple flowers of the basil or pink thyme blossoms. With a vegetable peeler, remove a thin strip of peel from the lemon and cut it into fine slivers. (I grated the peel.) Heat 2 T. olive oil in a small pan and add the pine nuts. Cook them until they begin to color; then add the shallots. Cook the two together over medium low heat until the shallots are soft and the pine nuts are brown. Transfer them to a wide bowl and add the rest of the oil, the capers, lemon peel, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon or so lemon juice to taste. Add salt to the boiling water, drop in the zucchini and cook it about 1 minute. Scoop it out, shake off the water, and add it to the bowl with the other ingredients. Next, cook the pasta, scoop it out and add it to the bowl as well. Toss with a pair of tongs, so that the noodles are coated with the oil and herbs. Serve with the cheese passed separately. For a wine, serve a sauvignon blanc. Serves 2-4.