Tag: main dish

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Strike It Rich

By Fran Hill

When we purchased our home, several people from the community entertained us with stories about its history. Supposedly, back in 1913 when the house was built, the owner was the proprietor of the downtown billiard parlor. Rumor has it that the off-the-record gambling that took place in the back room of his business caused the owner to hide money in the walls of the house. Our purchase of the home could be our lottery ticket to riches.

After many renovations (we are still facing many more), I can report that no money has been found in the walls. We do have a near mint condition Prince Albert can from 1918, a bottle of Three Feathers Pre-War Whiskey (blended with neutral spirits and distilled from potatoes), and several newspaper clippings, but no cold, hard cash. I have decided that aside from the riches of the original woodwork, hardwood floors, claw foot soaking tub, and wavy panes of the old windows, our best score with this house has been the established asparagus bed in the backyard.

Each spring, I clear the leaves and winter debris from the slightly weedy spot. Nobody will accuse me of being a great gardener, and if not for the bricks laid carefully in what was once confused as the outline for a grave, you might not realize that the spot holds any significance. The grass grows well, even if it is stubborn in other areas of the lawn. But, it also parts and allows the tender shoots of asparagus to break through the earth. They spike upward in various shapes & sizes. Some are thick and hearty; some are thin and spindly. All are delicious.

Several years ago, I found asparagus seedlings at an area greenhouse and rapidly snapped them up. I carefully chose a bare spot in the existing bed and planted them. Each year, they come up again, but the results have been reed thin and not really harvestable. I am not sure if I did something wrong, or if the roots just need more time to mature. Regardless, even those fern-like shoots make me happy. Fresh asparagus in my backyard is a goldmine to me.

Combining that asparagus with pasta and bacon is striking it rich. Asparagus Carbonara is the perfect creamy showcase for fresh spring asparagus. It is a simple dish that feels elegant, but is richly filling. Jackpot.

Asparagus Carbonara

(adapted from Rachael Ray)

2 large eggs
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (NEVER the green can. Freshly grated only for this, please.)
3/4 pound spaghetti
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 slices bacon, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine (I always seem to have Pinot Grigio on hand, and this is what I use.)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Beat together eggs and cheese in a large bowl. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, adding the asparagus during the last minute of cooking. Drain; reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water. Add the hot pasta and asparagus to the egg mixture; toss to coat.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp; stir in the garlic. (Be careful not to burn, or garlic will be bitter.) Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 1-2 minutes. Stir the bacon mixture into the pasta, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Top with a little shredded parmesan, if desired. Serves 4.

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and two dogs reside near Colome.

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The Humble Tavern

By Laura Johnson

I’ve never been much of a proselytizer — it seems impolite to tell people what they ought to believe when they’re surely capable of figuring it out for themselves. However, the urge will occasionally strike, usually in fairly absurd places. I discovered one of my soft spots while leafing through the Vangen Lutheran Church cookbook looking for inspiration. It was filled with good, solid, unobjectionable Midwestern cuisine until I got to the tavern section and started looking at the ingredients. Tomato soup? KETCHUP? That’s not right at all! Could it be that the good Lutheran women of Mission Hill didn’t know how to make a proper tavern?

I felt sick. How could my old friends and neighbors go off to serve their Lord in that great soup kitchen in the sky with these inferior loosemeat sandwich concoctions? Concerned for the state of their souls, I vowed to go forth waving the royal banner and sounding trumpets to gain converts to the one true tavern recipe, the one my grandmother stirred up so many times over the years, bringing delight to all who partook. I’d go out and preach in the streets. Heck, I was even prepared to battle my South Dakota Magazine co-workers over the correct way to make this most South Dakotan sandwich.

Sadly, this religious fervor was soon squelched. I conferred with my aunt, who broke it to me gently: there is no recipe. Grandma followed a very simple procedure, amping up the beefy flavor with beef bouillion granules or cubes if necessary. With no clear law to lay down, my career as a tavern missionary was over before it began.

Now that reality has humbled me once again, I come to you in a less aggressive spirit. How do you like to make taverns? What do you call them? Here’s how we do it in my little corner of Yankton County.


Taverns, Johnson Style

2 lbs. hamburger
1 large onion
Salt
Pepper
Water, beef or chicken stock

Finely mince onion. Mix onion and hamburger in a heavy pot. Cover with water or stock and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the mixture turns grainy, stirring whenever you happen to pass by the stove. This could take hours. After the beef has broken down into tiny particles, uncover and let the water cook out until the meat is thick enough to serve on a bun. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with mustard and a pickle slice or two.

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Lead’s Meat Pies

By Ruth Steil

The humble pastie from Cornwall has become a Lead tradition.

Immigrants from around the world came to work in the Homestake Mine in Lead when it opened in 1876. Along with a desire for a better way of life, they brought a diversity of customs and cuisine. Several ethnic foods continue to be local favorites, including the Cornish pastie (pass-tee).

Pasties are similar to the meat pies found in today’s frozen food section without the variety of fillings. The old-fashioned pies were usually just meat and potatoes wrapped in a crust. Pasties were a perfect food for hungry hard rock miners who didn’t see the light of day until their shift was over. The filled pie fit easily into their oblong metal lunch buckets, and provided a complete meal — meat, potatoes and bread.

Some say the thick-crimped crust of the pastie was more handle than food. Cyanide, arsenic and other toxins were often used to extract gold and tin so the miners knew their hands might be contaminated. To be safe, they held the pastie by the crimped edge. After eating the rest of the pastie, superstition compelled them to leave”the handle” for the ghosts they believed lived in the mines.

Although the Homestake Mine closed years ago, Lead residents carry on the pastie tradition. In our Jan/Feb 2009 issue, pastie-making members of Christ Episcopal Church shared a scaled-down version of their recipe.

Pasties were a popular lunch for miners in the Northern Black Hills.

Pasties

(makes six)

3 cups sifted flour
1 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups cut up top sirloin steak
5 1/2 cups sliced potatoes
1/2 cup onions
Dried parsley
Salt and pepper
Butter

Cut shortening into flour and salt. Add water bit by bit to work into a paste you can handle. Refrigerate one hour. Divide dough into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a nine-inch circle. Mix potatoes and onions together. Put 1 cup potatoes and onions in center of dough. Spread º cup well-packed meat over potatoes and onions. Sprinkle with dried parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Put pat of butter on top. Pull dough over top and seal edges. Snip air hole in top. Baste with melted butter. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. After removing from oven, baste with melted butter.

Editor’s Note: This story is revised from the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call 800-456-5117.

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Lean and Mean

By Fran Hill

Dieting makes me cranky. Grumpy. Mean. I like food. I like food a lot. And, I eat. I eat a lot. Therefore, sometimes, I think that I need to diet. And, sometimes I am cranky. And grumpy. And mean.

However, dieting should not be about deprivation and cranky meanness. Good food can be lean and healthy. Making a few substitutions for higher fat/calorie choices is all I really need to do, and Turkey Meatloaf is a great option for a lower fat meal.

I know, I know. South Dakota is beef country. We like our steaks and burgers. But, trust me. The sautÈed onions and Worcestershire seasoning really do elevate the flavor of this turkey meatloaf. It isn’t a soggy beef wannabe. It is a hearty, tasty, and filling dinner that you will be happy to have on your plate. Toss a salad, roast some new potatoes, and add a green vegetable to the menu. Turkey Meatloaf can be the perfect center of a lean meal. No cranky. No grumpy. No mean.


Turkey Meatloaf

(adapted from Ina Garten)

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 325F. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan. SautÈ onions until translucent. Add salt, pepper, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste; mix well. Allow sautÈed onion mixture to cool to room temperature.

Combine ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on a greased sheet pan. (I really prefer to bake my meatloaves in this manner and not in a loaf pan. No sticking in the corners; no sitting in grease, if it is a less than lean meat choice; perfect browning all around.) Spread the ketchup evenly on top. (I have used chile sauce instead of ketchup for an extra kick; barbeque sauce might work, too.)

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meatloaf is cooked through.

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and two dogs reside near Colome.

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Christmas Morning Dreams

By Fran Hill

Early morning whispers of “Santa came.” Bleary eyes and bed head. Twinkly lights on the tree. Squeals of delight over the mountains of gifts. Overflowing stockings. Torn wrapping paper and streamers of ribbon. New pajamas. Hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows.

Sounds delightful, doesn’t it? I dream of Christmas morning rituals, but at our house, the farm always demands attention. Lambs that need to be fed daily force Hubs to get up and do chores rain or shine, Christmas or not. I can hope that he makes it home for lunch on a holiday, but there are no guarantees.

So, I dream of pancakes and waffles and muffins and bacon and sausage and eggs, hot coffee with lots of cream and sugar, fresh squeezed orange juice and big glasses of milk. There isn’t a breakfast food I don’t like, and we often dip into these recipes for supper on cold winter nights.

The holidays are the perfect time to dream of Egg Nog Pancakes. I pick up a quart of egg nog as soon as I see it in the grocery each winter. It makes delicious, tall and fluffy pancakes. Not crumbly pancakes like so many of the mixes and famous restaurants produce; I do not dream of those. Homemade Egg Nog Pancakes are golden and rich with a perfect texture and wonderful, slightly spiced flavor. Top them with a pat of butter and a pour of gorgeous maple syrup and dream of Christmas morning or a warm supper, as the case may be.

Egg Nog Pancakes

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
2 cups egg nog
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat wet ingredients until combined. Sift dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring to moisten. Ladle batter 1/4 cup at a time onto hot griddle (may lightly grease, if necessary). Flip when bubbles form in the pancake; cook until second side is golden brown. Makes 4-6 servings.

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and two dogs reside near Colome.

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Gobble, Gobble : Turkey and Apple Sandwiches

Today we welcome a new food columnist, Fran Hill, to the South Dakota Magazine site. You may remember her from our Mar/Apr 2010 issue. Fran’s been sharing recipes and stories from her kitchen in Colome on her blog On My Plate since October of 2006. In her first column for us, she shares some of her leftover turkey secrets.


By Fran Hill

With Thanksgiving comes turkey, and with turkey comes leftovers. It is only natural for my food thoughts to turn to turkey sandwiches.

I love a mini turkey “slider” (although, truth be told, I was eating these long before “sliders” became popular and hit every trendy menu from here to eternity). King’s Hawaiian Rolls are purchased just for sandwiches with leftover turkey. Dressing (yes, dressing with giblets, celery, and lots of sage) gets piled on with slices of turkey and big dollops of cranberry sauce. The sandwich gets tossed into the microwave just for a few seconds to heat the dressing, and I am almost in danger of throwing out my jaw in order to open my mouth wide enough for the first bite. It is pure post-Thanksgiving heaven for me.

However, there are several other sandwiches that rank highly for the turkey that makes it past the Thanksgiving table. A Turkey and Apple Sandwich slathered with Cranberry Mayonnaise is awesome, too. I love the crunch that crisp, fall apples provide against the creamy tartness of the cranberry mayonnaise. Spinach is a nice addition, and thinly sliced red onion or even a slice of sharp cheddar are also great.

What is going to be on YOUR turkey sandwich?

Turkey and Apple Sandwich with Cranberry Mayonnaise

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2-4 tablespoons cranberry sauce (homemade or canned; I have used both because who makes cranberry sauce from scratch when you want a turkey sandwich in May?)

Dash of cayenne pepper

Sliced turkey (leftover roasted is the best, but deli turkey works for those non-Thanksgiving cravings)

Baby spinach, thinly sliced red onion, sharp cheddar cheese (or whatever floats your boat on your sandwich)

One tart apple, thinly sliced

Whole grain bread (I used Ciabatta sandwich rolls this time, but any good, hearty bread is suitable.)

Combine the mayonnaise, cranberry sauce and cayenne in a small bowl. Taste. Add a little salt, if you desire, or more cranberry sauce to up the pucker. Spread a portion of the Cranberry Mayonnaise on one slice of bread. Layer sliced turkey and your choice of fixings on the mayo-slathered bread. Top with the thinly sliced apple (and more mayo, if you desire). Crown each sandwich with another slice of bread. Enjoy.


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Box Elder’s Good Eggs

By Ruth Steil

Bolda’s chickens range feed but she supplements their diet with an all-natural chicken food.

Self-proclaimed”city chick” Sherri Bolda of Box Elder says that her fresh eggs are tastier and healthier than any supermarket egg. Her chickens are range fed to produce an egg that is low in bad cholesterol and has more Omega-3’s. The eggs are also organic because she doesn’t use antibiotics, pesticides or growth hormones.

Bolda came to South Dakota in 2002 from Virginia when her husband’s military career brought him to Ellsworth Air Force Base.”I cried all the way through the Badlands,” she says.”I missed the trees.” She didn’t learn to really appreciate South Dakota until two years later when they moved into the house they built on a 40-acre”mini-ranch” half way between Box Elder and New Underwood.”We have bluffs in back of the house and beautiful sunsets,” she says. The people of South Dakota helped win her over, too. She finds them to be”open, welcoming and laid back.”

Raised in Detroit, Bolda saw her first chicken while on a school field trip; she thought they were mean, dirty and had no personalities. Her opinion hadn’t changed over the years until a friend from her work at the Veterinary Treatment Facility at Ellsworth AFB convinced her otherwise.”She told me all about chickens, real chickens, not the white broiler birds that I’d seen as a kid from the city,” she says.”They actually had a personality and their eggs tasted so much better. Then she told me how long eggs stay in a warehouse before going to a store. Yuck!”

She started raising chickens as a hobby with five Araucanas she purchased from a local farm supply. Araucana chickens range in color from light to dark with osprey-like colored points. Their eggs can be blue, green or lavender–like Easter eggs without dye. Bolda later added other breeds including: Orpingtons, an excellent laying breed with a clown-like personality, Wyandottes, known for their extra large brown eggs and heavy feathering, and Dominiques, an old American breed from the eastern seaboard. She calls her flock City Chicks; by the spring of 2010, it numbered 125 birds of 15 different breeds.

For the first couple of years, Bolda named the majority of her chickens. She used all the MASH series’ names including Hawkeye and Hot Lips. One of her Orpingtons is called Cuddles, because she pecks at the back of Bolda’s leg until she’s picked up and cuddled.

The chickens reside in a 10 by 30 foot coop attached to the south side of a pole barn to protect it from the wind. Nests are lined with shredded paper and pine shavings.”There are roosts and beams so everyone has their own place,” says Bolda.”And we lean pallets against the wall so they don’t have foot infections and problems with their feet.”

Unless predators have been seen in the area, the flock has free access to the outside.”The coop has a door similar to a doggy door,” she says.”On nice days they go out and range feed.” This type of feeding has other benefits besides producing healthier eggs. “Last summer they did a wonderful job eating grasshoppers,” Bolda says. She does have to fence her garden–the chickens gobble up fresh vegetables, especially tomatoes.

Bolda feeds an all-natural chicken food and alfalfa cubes for treats. She collects and dries weeds in the summer for feeding during the winter. Last year’s sub-zero temperatures caused the hens to stop laying. On a visit to the feed store, she met an elderly woman who’d raised chickens since she was a girl. She gave Bolda a remedy–oatmeal mash.”It’s a mixture of oatmeal, quick dry oats, calf milk replacement, and leftover homemade applesauce and vegetables,” she says.”I gave this treat every few days and they went ga-ga over it.”

The flock isn’t all hens. Bolda has five roosters. They protect the flock, round the hens up at night and sound the alarm for hawks.”They take care of their girls,” she says.

“When I first got eggs I was a very proud mama,” Bolda says.”As a city girl I thought it was pretty cool.” She gathers eggs first thing in the morning and again in the evening. The 2010 flock laid an average of five to six dozen a day–too many for one family.”This started as a hobby and spread by word of mouth,” she says.”It’s still technically not a business.” She sells extra eggs to friends.

According to Bolda another benefit of her eggs is how they enhance baking and cooking.”Anything you use them in taste so much richer and better,” she says.”Cakes are fluffier due to the higher protein content of the eggs.” Her favorite egg recipes are simple–a sunny -side up egg or a fried egg sandwich.

Among the many things this”city chick” has learned since leaving the East Coast is that she won’t ever use a store bought egg again.

Editor’s Note: This story is revised from the March/April 2010 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call 800-456-5117. Sherri’s chickens fell victim to foxes in 2011. By October she was down to 18 hens, but hopes to rebuild the flock.


M.J. Adams of the Corn Exchange, a popular Rapid City restaurant that emphasizes the use of locally produced ingredients, shared the following egg recipe with us.”This is wonderful for a brunch, lunch or even for a light dinner. I serve it with a little arugula on the side that has been tossed lightly with olive oil and a little lemon juice and salt,” she says.”You can also replace the zucchini and pepper with any leftover vegetables you have in the fridge.”

MJ’s Frittata

2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 red pepper cut same size as potatoes
1/2 small zucchini cut in half lengthwise then in half-moon shapes Ω inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
3 tablespoon goat cheese or any cheese such as parmesan, Swiss or cheddar (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in seven inch Teflon sautÈ pan. Add potatoes, season lightly with salt and pepper, toss gently and place in oven. Check potatoes in eight minutes, give them a toss then add zucchini and red pepper. Put back in oven for 10 more minutes. Meanwhile, beat eggs with milk and season with salt and pepper. Check doneness of potatoes with fork. (If not tender, cook for another 5 minutes or longer if needed.) Take out of oven. Pour egg mixture over vegetables. Sprinkle with cheese. Put back in oven for 8-10 minutes or until eggs are cooked through. Serves 2-4.

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Pick The Green Tomatoes

By Katie Hunhoff

Exploring our state’s mountains, waters and prairie is fun, but we’ve also found good stories in people’s kitchens. South Dakota Magazine editors have dined on everything from cactus to buffaloberries.

A few years ago, we wrote about green tomatoes and our readers quickly responded with comments and their own recipes. First of all, we heard that green tomatoes — like lutefisk and barbecued goat meat — should always be stored in a dumpster. Others maintained that the only good tomato is a red tomato; they shared a hundred ripening methods involving cardboard boxes, paper bags, mixing with bananas or hanging an entire uprooted vine in the garage.

But the majority of our readers expressed affection for green tomatoes. In fact, a sub-culture of sorts is developing. Longtime Brookings radio host Grant Peterson is a big promoter of frying them in batter. Faith historian Irean Jordan (her father, incidentally, was a famed wolf hunter a century ago) insists that they make the best jelly you’ll ever eat.

In a blind taste test, you’d probably never recognize green tomatoes as being in the tomato family. They are more acidic, firm and tart — calling for completely different recipes than ripe tomatoes. Still, they are nutritionally equal. The green ones have just as many nutrients and beta carotenes as the reds.

Green Tomato Pie

We received this pie recipe from Dolores Feilmeier of rural Yankton:

Pastry for two-crust pie
Six cups sliced green tomatoes
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1⁄4 cup lemon juice

Line nine-inch pie pan with pastry crust. Peel and thinly slice green tomatoes. Combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In another bowl, combine lemon peel (which she seldom uses) and lemon juice. Arrange tomatoes in layers in pie shell, sprinkling each layer with sugar and lemon mixtures. Dot with butter.

For top crust, roll reserved pastry dough on lightly floured surface 1⁄4 inch thick. Cut into strips, 10 x 1⁄2 inch. Arrange in lattice pattern over filling, moisten edges to seal strips.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce oven to 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes until tomatoes are tender and crust is brown.

*Delores says she usually uses a crumb crust on top of the pie. Our food editor used a crumb crust and a refrigerated store crust. She also omitted the nutmeg and cloves and substituted a teaspoon of cinnamon.


Green Tomato Jelly

Irean Jordan of Faith stopped making any other jelly after acquiring this recipe several years ago.”You too will love it,” she wrote.”It’s not green, but a bright sparkling red and the flavor is superb!”

6 cups chopped green tomatoes
5 cups sugar
1 double or 2 small boxes of raspberry Jell-O

Boil tomatoes and sugar for 20 minutes. Turn off burner and add Jell-O. Stir until dissolved. Pour into sterilized jars and enjoy!

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Gardener’s Pie

By Katie Hunhoff

Crispy bacon and goat cheese adorn this beet pie. Photo and recipe by Katie Hunhoff.

Gundy’s Market in Yankton is a fun Saturday morning stop, and a nice place to find fresh produce to experiment with in the kitchen.

The little market is located right next to Yankton’s famous Charlie’s Pizza House. Diana Gunderson manages Charlie’s, with help from her husband, Jon. They also have a Mission Hill farm where Jon raises cattle without growth hormone or antibiotics. Each Saturday they open the market at 9 a.m. to sell their beef along with with farm fresh eggs, locally grown pork, poultry and lamb. In the summer and early fall they also have produce from their large garden, and Diana makes honey, oatmeal and flaxseed breads. A cute little milk truck adds to the atmosphere – but you have to remember to bring your own milk jugs.

Last weekend I purchased some beets on a whim. They were gorgeous, bright purplish red. I was pretty surprised when I peeled one and saw it was white on the inside. A google search told me it was a Chioggia beet — even sweeter than a typical red beet, with the consistency of a potato. Intrigued, I decided to blend some ingredients into a sweet twist on a shepherd’s pie. The result was both sweet and savory. It was also very filling, and perfect for a chilly fall day.

Back to Charlie’s Pizza — they recently won an award from Food Network Magazine for having one of the 50 best pizzas in the country. The winner was the Festus, a spicy meatball and sauerkraut concoction. I think that Gundy’s beef may be one of the reasons it won the honor.

Gardener’s Pie

2 pounds Chioggia beets
3 carrot sticks
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup roasted walnuts (bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes)
6 slices cooked bacon or pancetta, crumbled
5 ounce package of goat cheese (mine was 5.8 ounces)
1 baked pie crust

First, you need to roast the vegetables. Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees. Peel beets and carrots with a vegetable peeler. Spray beets, carrots, and onion with olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of salt and wrap individually in tin foil. I also placed the three garlic cloves in with the onion. Place on a cookie sheet and in oven to roast for approximately one hour, or until you can easily pierce with a fork. Chioggia beets are a bit trickier to roast than their red cousins. They cook quicker – and will turn an ugly gray if overcooked.

If your pie crust isn’t already prepared, this would be a good time to begin your pie crust. And a good time to roast the walnuts, and cook the bacon.

When vegetables are done, remove from oven and cut into very small pieces. Stir all vegetables together with the soft goat cheese. Place in pie crust and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with crumbled bacon and goat cheese crumbles.

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Our Zucchini Cook-off

By Katie Hunhoff


Zucchini overwhelmed the little garden in the backyard of our South Dakota Magazine headquarters in downtown Yankton in 2010. We stopped watering it as soon as we realized what was happening, but still the zucchini proliferated. Despite the lack of respect or water — and being rudely tread upon as we tended to the tomatoes and onions — the zucchini continued to grow.

We gave it to the neighbors until they would no longer answer their doorbells. All of our staff and their extended families were compelled to take a cube or two every day. As one reader commented on our website (where we’d advertised free garden produce), two never-watered zucchini plants will suffice for a family of 15. And we had four plants. Four well-tended plants.

Zucchini soon piled up on office tables, inboxes and file cabinets. I had been eating zucchini at every meal for over a month when our editor suggested a zucchini cook-off to use up some of the reserves.

There was just one rule for the contest. Anyone could enter but you must get your zucchini from the magazine garden. First prize? You guessed it: a summer supply of zucchini.

The contest was first met with some grumbling. Several staffers claimed to dislike zucchini, most of all Roger, our humor columnist. He is not a fussy eater, but never takes a bite of food at the office in the summer months without asking if zucchini is involved. Roger had a bad experience with zucchini bread some time ago and still hasn’t forgotten.

Zucchini recipes can be hit-or-miss. The high water content (about 95 percent) can potentially result in a mushy mess. So expectations were low, to say the least, on the day of the zucchini cook-off.

All six entries smelled good and looked tasty. More importantly, they were declared delicious by one and all. Mock its reproduction capacity if you must, but zucchini’s flavor enhances everything from pasta dishes to chocolate cake, plus it adds Vitamin A, Vitamin C and potassium and is high in fiber.

Plucking the flowers from a zucchini plant will slow growth, but I’d consider curbing our zucchini production this year to be wasteful — especially with so many good recipes to make. The flowers themselves are an expensive delicacy in some cultures. But if you do harvest the flowers, you’ll still have plenty of zucchini for the little known”Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night” holiday. Yes, this is an actual observance, held on August 8. If only we’d known about that last summer.

Every one of the zucchini dishes submitted by staff and friends was a hit, so we declared them all winners. Trying to award a”first” seemed irrelevant when everybody was enjoying seconds. Here are some of the recipes.


Zucchini Brownies

Submitted by John Andrews, Departments Editor

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
6 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, mix the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.


Zucchini Cake

Submitted by Ruth Steil, Business Manager

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in greased 9×13 inch pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow to cool, then frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting.


Zucchini Chili

Submitted by Jana Lane, Circulation Manager

27 oz can chili beans in sauce
15 oz can black beans drained
16 oz can kidney beans drained
1 lb burger cooked and drained
2 cups grated zucchini
1 quart canned tomatoes with juice or 28 oz. can
1 cups canned tomato juice
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 1/2 tablespoons cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons dried cilantro
2 teaspoons paprika

Add all ingredients to a 6-quart Dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 40-45 minutes.


Lemon Zucchini Cookies

Submitted by Andrea Maibaum, Production Manager

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract or 1 teaspoon lemon rind
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and lemon extract. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Mix in zucchini and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool and glaze. Makes 30.


Zucchini Bread

Submitted by Michelle Andrews

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup salad oil
2 cup zucchini, peeled and grated
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup nuts

Combine sugars, eggs and oil. Beat well. Add zucchini and vanilla. Sift and measure flour. Sift with salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Stir into creamed mixture. Blend well. Add nuts. Pour into two greased and lightly floured large tin loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour and 15 minutes.


Italian Zucchini Pie

Submitted by Katie Hunhoff, Managing Editor

2 tablespoons butter
4 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
1 can (8 oz) crescent dinner rolls
2 teaspoons mustard

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and onions; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in parsley flakes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano. In large bowl, mix eggs and cheese. Add cooked vegetable mixture; stir gently to mix.

Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place in ungreased 10 inch glass pie plate, 12×8 inch (2-quart) glass baking dish or 11-inch quiche pan; press over bottom and up sides to form crust. Firmly press perforations to seal. Spread crust with mustard. Pour egg mixture evenly into crust-lined pie plate. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.