Featured Ingredient: Zucchini!

**Update July 22, 2019: There are even more zucchini recipes in The Messy Apron Archives now. Just take a look in the recipe index!

The summer squash season is wonderful. It’s bountiful. It’s fun! It’s looked upon with equal amounts of greedy joy…and dread. We cooking gardeners and gardening cooks can’t help but be excited about producing so much food so easily. We also can’t help getting just a bit overwhelmed. I mean, what are we going to do with all this stuff?  Luckily, clever cooks have been finding ways to deal with all this vegetable flesh for generations.

Zucchini are, like the other squashes, descendants of plants native to the Americas. They were developed into the fruit that we know and love in Italy, hence the Italian-sounding name (although they’re also known as courgettes), and then re-introduced to North America by immigrants. The singular form of zucchini is actually zucchino, or sometimes zucchina, but since you’ll rarely see one lonely summer squash all by itself, those singular terms won’t get much use anyway.

Zucchini, as well as their botanical and culinary cousins, yellow summer squash, are quite mild, some would say bland, in flavor, with soft edible skins as long as the fruit isn’t too overgrown. They’re mostly known as a place-holder, providing substance to meals and moisture to baked goods, but they are very low in calories and do have some fiber, vitamin A, folate and potassium. The flowers are edible, too, and can be battered and fried, stuffed, or added to soup or quesadillas.

There are savory applications of zucchini to casseroles, soups and stews, and pasta dishes. There are sweet cakes, cookies, and quick breads. I love trying to find interesting uses for this prolific fruit, but they still have to be delicious (and not too weird). I find green zucchini and yellow summer squash to be pretty much interchangeable in savory recipes, so I use whatever I have. I have a list of all the zucchini and yellow summer squash recipes that I’ve shared on The Messy Apron here, but I list (with links) my five absolute favorites (so far) below.

 

Grilled Zucchini and Feta Dip

This is one recipe in which the zucchini really contributes to the unique character of the final product. It’s a delicious dip loaded with chopped zucchini softened and slightly smoky from the grill and flavored liberally with feta cheese. You could use other fresh herbs besides the oregano in the recipe. I recently made it with mint and it was fantastic. Pita chips are a great vehicle for this dip.

Zucchini Buttermilk Bread with Pecans

I don’t think you can talk about zucchini without talking about zucchini quick bread. This one is so good that I’ve kind of stopped looking at other zucchini bread recipes. I totally love the pecans in this bread, but I think chocolate chips would be a good substitution. It makes two loaves, so you can freeze one for later. 

Chocolate Zucchini Quick Bread

This is simply a chocolatey version of the basic quick bread above. The zucchini might not be the dominate ingredient here, but there’s chocolate, so who cares?

Zucchini Wheat Bread

This is a whole wheat yeast bread that uses zucchini for moisture and a touch of vegetable flavor the same way a quick bread does. It’s great for sandwiches, especially the tomato sandwiches I can’t seem to get enough of in late summer.

Pasta with Yellow Squash, Corn and Bacon

Here is my one tribute to yellow summer squash in this list. I just love this recipe as it is, but if you find yourself with zucchini to get rid of, you could probably use it here. It’s deliciously creamy and sweet from the corn, plus rich and a little smoky from the bacon. I make this every summer if at all possible.

Enjoy!

One year ago: Blueberry Thyme Cornbread

Cherry Almond Loaf Cake

I love it when I’m paging through a cookbook, dreaming (or drooling) over a seasonally specific recipe, and then, as if by some sort of suggestive faerie magic, I come across the perfect featured ingredients from a local source. That’s what happened last week when I took notes from the library’s copy of Local Flavors by Deborah Madison just before a trip to the farmer’s market, during which I found some beautiful sour cherries.

 

Fresh sour cherries need to be purchased near the source, simply because they are so delicate. They also, in my opinion, need a well-sweetened recipe to properly shine. This Cherry Almond Loaf Cake is a great one for just that purpose. It’s not super-sweet, but it’s simple and, except for actually pitting the cherries, quick as well. 

This cake goes together in the food processor, which I found intriguing. First, almonds are ground into coarse meal, then processed with the flour. That dry mixture is removed and the wet ingredients are processed. The dry ingredients go back in and with a few touches of a button, cake batter comes about. That batter is scraped into a loaf pan, covered with cherries and some more almonds, and baked.

While those cherries start off as a great pile on top of the almond-laced batter, that batter rises up and partially engulfs them as it bakes. The resulting loaf cake is slightly dense rather than fluffy, more like a pound cake, and tastes of toasted almonds. The cherries, miraculously transformed into tender, lightly sweetened, fruity gems, stud the top of each slice, making the whole experience moist and delicious.

I will freely admit that pitting cherries is not my favorite kitchen task. With these little, soft, sour ones, my hand-held cherry pitter just wouldn’t do the job, so I attacked them with my fingers and worried about cleaning up later. Such a chore gives me a bit of appreciation for the fact that fresh cherry season is so short, but such deliciousness as a cherry almond cake that comes together so easily turns that chore into a labor of love!

Cherry Almond Loaf Cake

Adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

While I had sour cherries available and used them here, you could use any cherries, or even a combination of different varieties to make this cake.

1 cup slivered almonds, divided

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

¼ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups pitted cherries

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and flour an 8 x 5-inch loaf pan. Set aside. Set aside ¼ cup almonds.

2. Place the remaining ¾ cup almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

3. Place the butter and sugar in the food processor and process until well-creamed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to process until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, processing until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the almond and vanilla extract and process until very smooth.

4. Add half of the ground almond mixture. Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining almond mixture and process until very smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. The batter will be thick.

5. Add the cherries to the top of the batter to cover. Sprinkle the reserved almonds over the top. Bake at 375 F for about 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean.

6. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Turn the cake out of the pan onto a plate or platter and slice to serve. Keep covered for a few days.

Makes about 8-10 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Cherry Clafouti, Blueberry Muffin Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping, Plum Upside-Down Yogurt Cake

One year ago: Farro and White Bean Salad with Fennel and Walnuts

Pasta with Snap Peas and Sage

This recipe is early summer simplicity in a pan. I found it in Local Flavors by Deborah Madison (I plunder the library copy a couple times a year), and really wanted to taste the combination of peas and sage. I also became a believer in toasty, buttery breadcrumbs sprinkled on pasta dishes back in the winter. For some reason I didn’t post that recipe, probably because of poor photos, but this one is going in the books, and going on my table whenever possible.

The original recipe called for shell peas. I almost never use fresh shell peas in a big, cooked recipe because they’re a little too hard to come by and too much work. I prefer to just eat them if I can get them (or grow them and save them from the rabbits), or use them raw in a recipe like this pea and fresh mint salad. I was going to use frozen peas when I remembered that I had plenty of sugar snap peas from the farmer’s market in the refrigerator. Hooray!

I buy sugar snap peas every time I see them at the farmer’s market, beginning in mid-spring. If I don’t have a recipe like this salad, or this salad, or this salad, or this salad in mind, I’ll just eat them like M&M’s (they don’t melt in your hand!). Their sweetness and slight crunch turned out to be wonderful in this simple pasta dish.

Of course, the sage and garlic were delicious, too. I always buy a sage plant for my patio herb garden. It always does well, and I love it in these beans and this bread. Now I have another great use for those dusty-green leaves. And speaking of multi-use ingredients: breadcrumbs. Yum! I made fresh ones by blitzing some of this homemade bread in the food processor. I tossed those crumbs with melted butter and let them toast, then sprinkled them on each serving of pasta and peas.

Buttery, sweet, a little crisp, herby, garlicky, and comfortingly delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper for the quick summer pasta files. And like all those other simple pasta dishes, it can be varied based on what’s available. But don’t forget about peas and sage!

Pasta with Snap Peas, Sage, and Breadcrumbs

Adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

You could replace the wine with additional pasta cooking water if you do not have some on hand.

2 tablespoon butter

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

8 ounces small pasta shells (or other small, curly pasta)

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup diced onion

2 minced garlic cloves

½ pound sugar snap peas, strings removed, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

½ teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste

½ cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toss them to coat in the butter. Continue to cook and stir until the breadcrumbs are lightly toasted, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Drain, reserving about a cup of cooking water.

3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until soft but not yet brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook and stir about 1 minute more.

4. Add the sugar snap peas, sage and salt. Add about ½ cup pasta water and the wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half and the peas are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest.

5. Add the pasta and toss the mixture together to mix well. Cook until heated through. Add more pasta water if the mixture seems too dry. Stir in the parsley. Taste for seasoning, especially salt, and adjust as needed. Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs over each serving.

Makes about 4 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Pasta with Asparagus, Snap Peas, and Lemon; Pasta with Zucchini, Corn and Fresh Mint

One year ago: Berry and Rhubarb Galette

Featured Menu: Summer Barbecue

The best part of summer dining is firing up the grill! Here's a summer barbecue menu to keep the flames going:

Main dish: Cola Brined Chicken
 

A whole chicken is cut up and brined for hours in a salty cola mixture before being rubbed with spices and grilled.

Side dish: Barbecue Beans

Baked beans are at home at any barbecue. This quick and easy recipe will give you more time to spend on the chicken.

Side dish: Slaw

Use your favorite recipe. Whether you use a classic cabbage and carrot combination with a creamy dressing or capitalize on the early summer's kohlrabi crop with Broccoli Stem and Kohlrabi Slaw, or perhaps take a different flavor route with Cabbage Slaw with Feta and Olives, you can count on slaw to provide a refreshing accompaniment to your barbecue favorites.


Dessert: White Cake with Berries and Lemon Glaze
 

A cake with berries in July hardly needs and introduction. This one is made from scratch and is ready to hold any fresh berries you love.

Enjoy!


One year ago: Easy Cream Cheese Pastry (Use it to make a Berry and Rhubarb Galette instead of White Cake with Berries for dessert.)