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All things in moderation, except zucchini

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In case you’re wondering what became of all of that zucchini that came through in the previous weeks…

Zucchini bread

There were the many trials with this zucchini bread. I adapted this zucchini bread recipe. Items above with the asterisk (*) are the adaptations. The original recipe called for one cup of grated zucchini, but I wanted to use more—I had a lot of zucchini. Unfortunately, the extra zucchini raised the moisture content, so I had to back off on the oil. About the oil—I don’t use “vegetable oil” so coconut oil seemed like the perfect substitute. (It was! The flavor profile on this bread is outstanding!) The recipe also called for a full cup of sugar and I whittling it down a bit was unnoticeable. It’s still too moist so I’ll be working on it some more. The zucchini, egg, and flour are local. Everything else is not.

  • 1- 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 extra large egg
  • 3/4 cup sugar*
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil*
  • 2 cups grated zucchini, drained*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Giambotta

I made this dish a lot last year as a slight alternative to ratatouille. Basically, it’s a sautéed fusion of produce that’s seasonal right now: eggplant, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and peppers. I used some fresh minced cayenne for heat. I don’t have any sweet peppers yet and it was fine. Some folks also add potatoes, which is a nice touch. I don’t have a new picture, so the old one will have to do. I like to spoon it over toasted Italian bread slices, like a warm bruschetta.

Zucchini refrigerator bread and butter pickles

I followed Maggie’s refrigerator zucchini recipe, as written but halved. I probably should have packed the zucchini tighter, because I ended up needing to make more of the liquid to cover the veggies. The flavor is good and these go well on burgers or straight out of the jar. They’re on the sweet side and I could probably get away with reducing the sugar.

 

 

Grilled zucchini with Tzatziki sauceGrilled zucchini with Tzatziki sauce

This dish helped finish off the zucchini while also providing an outlet for the plethora of cucumbers. I used this Tzatziki recipe, opting for the mint version rather than dill. I also used lime juice instead of lemon. After draining my yogurt to “Greek” it, I had about two cups, not three, but I left the other quantities as written.

After allowing the flavors to meld with the cucumbers (minus the yogurt), I drained off the liquid. The liquid is delicious in its own right, a juice of cucumber, mint, lime, and garlic. It mixed well with Onyx, our locally distilled moonshine, hence, the Tzatziki-tini…

Okay, not a zucchini drink, but still, yum!

Eat Local Challenge, farms, locavore, recipes

Challenge Meal: Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

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It’s been over a week since Thanksgiving and my refrigerator is still packed. Most of it’s not leftovers from the meal, but more of the extra things I bought  just in case. Just in case something didn’t work out and I’d need a do-over. Just in case I needed options. Just in case I underestimated appetites (ha!).

Surveying my stores, I clearly overdid dairy. I also still have a respectable squash collection. And I had some mushrooms about to enter the use-it-or-lose-it zone. So, there you have it, my first meal for the 2011-2012 Dark Days Eat Local Challenge is Spaghetti Squash Alfredo with cultivated wild mushrooms.

I decided to go with the microwave method of cooking the squash instead of the longer methods of baking or boiling. I cut the squash in half lengthwise, placed it in a baking dish with about a half of an inch of water, and covered it with plastic wrap. I microwaved it for about 10 minutes in total. I used a fork to liberate the squash strands that resemble spaghetti, hence the name.

I made the sauce using this Alfredo sauce recipe. I used Pleasant Valley cheese from Sankow’s Beaver Brook, an aged sheep’s milk cheese, which has a flavor similar to Pecorino Romano. It’s not exactly Parmigiano-Reggiano, but it’s a relatively minor taste adjustment to keep the meal local.

I pan sautéed the mushrooms following Julia Child’s Champignons sautés au beurre recipe. This is my first time using mushrooms in this dish. Initially, I was thinking they’d make a great side dish. At the last moment,  I threw caution to the wind, and added them on top.

Spaghetti squash doesn’t have much flavor of it’s own, so the richness of the Alfredo sauce really brought it to life. It did have a nice mild crunch which is something you don’t usually get with fettuccine. The mushrooms made the flavors interesting, in a good way.

Sources:

For dessert, black raspberry ice cream with whipped cream because I still had a lot of heavy cream (and ice cream) and I wanted to play with my new toy gadget.

What a cool thing! Easy to use and fast too. I was really impressed with this gadget. (No, I’m not affiliated with them!)

Sources

These challenge posts will be recapped with the other Mid-Atlantic region participants every two weeks, beginning December 11, over at Not Dabbling In Normal by Emily of Tanglewood Farm.

 

farms, locavore, recipes

Thanksgiving 2011

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This was an interesting year for agriculture, to say the least. Still, our farmers and producers were able to pull it off. Here’s our Thanksgiving 2011 feast:

Appetizers:

Soup

Chicken soup with bowtie pasta or brown rice. Broth made from chickens from Stone Gardens Farm, Stuarts Family Farm, and Laurel Ridge Farm. Onions and carrots from Holbrook Farm, celeriac from Yale Farm, parsnips from Don Taylor Farm, Danbury, CT and Migliorelli Farm, and my own garlic. Pasta and rice: not local.

Main Course

Dessert

Beverages

Thank you to my family for their help in making this a fabulous day!

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving.

Eat Local Challenge, farms, locavore, recipes

Challenge Meal: Caponata

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Life is funny. There you are, making your Giambotta, marveling at its resemblance to its first cousin Ratatouille, when along comes Caponata.

It seems that the Sicilian version of Caponata introduces something in a brine, like olives or capers. Some are arguing that if it isn’t Sicilian, it isn’t Caponata. I’m reserving judgment until I get to try it Sicilian style.

For a version without the brined punch, I found this recipe for Greek Caponata from Giada De Laurentis (go figure) which is a baked version of the Giambotta I made (and similar to the Ratatouille from the movie (sans the decorative arrangement of the ingredients).

I served it over polenta, using Anne Burrell’s recipe, where you let it set, then pan-sear it. I didn’t use any of the herbs that Anne did because hers was meant to accompany braised lamb shanks. I added butter to the polenta mixture instead of mascarpone (about 2 T) and seared them in butter too. Mmmm.

Food sources:

  • garlic, summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant from Sport Hill Farm
  • red onion from Newtown Cedar Hill Farm
  • tomato puree from Don Taylor Farms, Danbury, CT (from the freezer)
  • oregano, dried, from my garden
  • extra-virgin olive oil  from Italy
  • corn meal from Wild Hive Farm and Micro Mill
  • milk from Stone Wall Dairy, Cornwall Bridge, CT
  • butter from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy

Despite baking for about an hour, the individual flavors of the eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash came through. While this dish goes perfectly with some crusty Italian bread, the polenta was a pleasant accompaniment, moving the whole meal into the comfort food category.

Since I was serving this over polenta, I left out the potatoes. I don’t think that took much away from the overall flavor profile. Next time, I’ll use thyme instead of oregano. Will it still be Greek?

Update: Almost forgot the beverage! Here’s my CukeTini:

  • 1/2 cup  of cucumber juice (about 1/2 cucumber) either through the juicer, or use the food processor and pass through a strainer
  • 1 T lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp dried mint leaves (or 1 T if using fresh)
  • 1 jigger of gin

Very refreshing. I’m thinking about adding garlic and dill and calling it the TzatzikiTini. H/T to Two Farm Shares for this fabulous idea.