Tag: zucchini

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Zucchini Season

By Fran Hill

Fresh from the garden zucchini is back in season. I love it. One of my favorite summer meals is a plate of lightly floured and seasoned zucchini that has been fried until golden and served alongside a steaming, buttered ear of sweet corn, sliced tomatoes, and a creamy cucumber salad. Bonus points for every one of those vegetables being harvested from the backyard garden that day.

I have friends that can’t get enough of my Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake and devour pans of Spiced Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. Sliced zucchini is delicious in a tossed salad or added to a veggie tray. Occasionally, I even add shredded zucchini to my meatballs for a lighter summer fare. The possibilities with zucchini are endless.

Kung Pao is one of our favorite local take-out options, and when I stumbled upon a Zucchini Noodle Kung Pao recipe, I knew I had to try it. The spicy sauce is a perfect complement to the ever-adaptable zucchini and creates a dish that is absolutely in the running as a family favorite.

Zucchini Noodle Kung Pao

(Adapted from SkinnyTaste)

Spicy sauce gives zucchini and other summer vegetables a flavorful kick in Zucchini Noodle Kung Pao. Photo by Fran Hill.

2 medium zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 red onion, sliced into thin strips
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup roasted cashews
2 tablespoons green onions, sliced

Sauce:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon Sambal Oelek Red Chili Paste, or more to taste. This has some kick.
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Using a spiralizer, cut the zucchini into long spaghetti-like noodles.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, hoisin, water, red chili paste, sugar and cornstarch; set aside.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through. Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, add the red onion and bell pepper and briefly sautÈ, until vegetables are tender crisp. Add the sesame oil, garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds or less. Set aside the sautÈed vegetables.

Pour soy sauce mixture into the pan and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened and bubbling. Return the chicken, onions and peppers to the hot sauce and stir to coat; simmer briefly in the sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the zucchini noodles to coat with sauce and heat through. (Basically, you don’t want to cook the thinly sliced zucchini unless you are a fan of mush.) Top with cashews and green onions. (Serves 2)

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

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Zucchini: The Funny Fruit

By Katie Hunhoff

The garden behind our South Dakota Magazine office becomes an overgrown jungle by the time September arrives. We are still picking tomatoes and zucchini every day. We used to make the usual zucchini jokes as the squash multiplied and began to pile up on our conference room table. But a few years ago we had a zucchini cook-off in the office and the recipes were a hit, especially the desserts. Now our backyard zucchini gets more respect.

Zucchini’s reputation seems to have spiked not just in our office but everywhere. Part of the resurgence is surely linked to zoodles — zucchini as noodles — a healthy replacement for high-carb pasta. But decades before zoodles, South Dakotans were making casseroles, soups, desserts, baked goods, jellies, jams and countless side dishes out of the abundant garden fruit. (It’s not a vegetable because it has seeds.)

The plant does well anywhere — so well that gardeners spin variations of the same joke: we don’t lock our car doors here except in August and September when the neighbors are likely to fill the back seat with zucchini. Farm humorists joke that zucchini — like Canada thistle and cedar trees — will probably grow and prosper so long as it doesn’t make the Chicago Board of Trade. But try planting a few acres with the notion of making a dollar and the vines will shrivel and die.

Zucchini, a member of the squash family, was first used as food in the Americas. Archaeologists found evidence of the dark green fruit in Mexico as early as 7000 B.C. Eventually it made its way to Italy (zucchini is an Italian word meaning little squash) and France, where it was called courgette. It probably made its way to the United States via Italian immigrants.

Although zucchini can grow to giant proportions overnight, it’s best to pick (or buy) when the fruit is immature. Full-grown zucchini (which can be over 3 feet long) is called marrow, and is tougher and less delicate in flavor.

If you’re a gardener or a South Dakotan who doesn’t lock your doors in late summer, then, like me, you’re probably looking for creative ways to dispose of zucchini. Here’s one recipe I loved and still use from our office cook-off.

Savory Zucchini Pie

2 tablespoons butter

4 cups thinly sliced zucchini

1 cup finely chopped onions

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

2 eggs

2 cups mozzarella or Muenster cheese

1 can crescent dinner rolls

2 teaspoons yellow 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 fork inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. (Recipe submitted by Bernie Hunhoff, editor-at-large.)

South Dakota Magazine is seeking more zucchini recipes and cooking tips from readers across the country. Please send to editor@southdakotamagazine.com or mail to South Dakota Magazine, Katie Hunhoff, 410 E. Third St., Yankton, SD 57078.

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Our Zucchini Cookoff

Story by Katie Hunhoff

Photos by Bernie Hunhoff

Zucchini was the star of a noon potluck at the South Dakota Magazine office.

Zucchini overwhelmed the little garden in the backyard of our South Dakota Magazine headquarters in downtown Yankton. 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.

Italian Zucchini Pie

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 F. 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.

Zucchini Bread

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup salad oil

2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated

3 teaspoons vanilla‚Ä®

3 cups flour‚Ä®

1 teaspoon salt‚Ä®

1 teaspoon baking soda‚Ä®

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon 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.

Zucchini Chili

27 ounce can chili beans in sauce

15 ounce can black beans drained

16 ounce can kidney beans drained

1 pound burger cooked and drained

2 cups grated zucchini

1 quart canned tomatoes with juice or 28 oz. can

1 cup canned tomato juice

2 bell peppers, chopped‚Ä®

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.

Zucchini Cake

2 eggs

1 cup sugar‚Ä®

1/2 cup oil‚Ä®

1 cup flour‚Ä®

1 teaspoon baking soda‚Ä®

1 teaspoon cinnamon‚Ä®

1/2 teaspoon salt‚Ä®

1 teaspoon vanilla‚Ä®

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.

Editor’s Note: This story is revised from the July/August 2011 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call (800) 456-5117.

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It Takes All Kinds

By Fran Hill

There have been a lot of food trends during the years I have been blogging. The food-centric always seem to be searching for the next big thing and love to pull the obscure into the spotlight. Professional chefs are one minute leaning into batter-dipped and deep-fried everything and the next showcasing the antioxidant, omega-3, healthful benefits of the new”it” vegetable, grain or protein. It takes all kinds to make the world go ’round, and it is no different with the ever-evolving tastes of the food world.

Bacon has always been a breakfast and sandwich favorite, but the last decade has exploded with smoked pork possibilities. Old standards like meatloaf, green beans and mac and cheese are joined by cupcakes, doughnuts, sushi, ice cream and even vodka with bacon strips, crumbles and flavoring.

A movement toward more wholesome eating brought kale to many restaurant menus and home kitchens. The leaves have been roasted and salted into toasty chips, chopped and added to soups and stews, eaten raw in salads, and there isn’t a day that goes by that Instagram isn’t loaded with photos of kale smoothies…which are, in themselves, another food trend.

Low-carb, Paleo, and gluten-free diets left their followers searching for pasta substitutes. Miles of ribbons of zucchini, carrots, and other vegetables have been sliced, sometimes sautÈed or blanched, and tossed with sauce in recent years. An enterprising company even markets a food processor-like tool just to slice these”noodles.”

Cake Pops, pork belly, cupcakes, doughnuts, coffee, slider sandwiches, healthful oils, chia seeds, juicing and whole grains are all included in current trends. I think that there is a proper balance of the so-called naughty and nice in the list. People are picking up a triple-shot-no-foam-soy-latte and cake pop at their favorite coffee joint in the morning and making salmon roasted with olive oil served with a side of quinoa for dinner. It takes all kinds of things to nourish our body and soul, and there is a food trend to satisfy any craving.

If you want to get in on a healthy food trend, you might want to hop on the quinoa bandwagon. This ancient grain-like seed is loaded with nutritious benefits and easy to prepare. Tossed with sautÈed onion, garlic, zucchini and corn and garnished with cilantro and crumbled queso fresco, this is a dish robust enough to stand on its own as a meatless meal, but works just as well on the plate beside your favorite protein.

Quinoa with Corn and Zucchini

Adapted from The New York Times

1 cup quinoa
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob (defrosted frozen corn could be used)
1 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
2-4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled (feta could be used)

Add the quinoa to a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit 5 minutes. Drain through a fine-mesh strainer and rinse until water is clear.

Bring the stock to a simmer in a small saucepan. Heat another medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the quinoa. Toast, stirring until the grains have separated and smell fragrant. Slowly add the stock to the pan with the quinoa. (If you pour it in all at once, you could have a quick boil over of quinoa seeds and stock all over your stove…lesson learned the hard way.) Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and return to the pan. Cover and let stand undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add the onion; cook, stirring until tender. Add the garlic, corn and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the zucchini is tender. Stir in the quinoa and toss to combine. Heat through, add cilantro and top each serving with crumbled cheese. Serves 6-8.

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


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Don’t Tell Roger

By Fran Hill

I don’t believe in hiding vegetables. I may sometimes puree, process and pulverize something grown in the soil for the sake of a better recipe, but it will never be done sneakily. If I am going to the trouble to get the food processor out to thoroughly thrash an onion, I will most likely be telling you about it as I whine about washing the darn thing. However, I am making an exception today. I will completely condone not telling my fellow South Dakota Magazine columnist, Roger Holtzmann, about the zucchini in my meatballs.

Mr. Holtzmann has a strong disdain for zucchini, or as he calls it,”ghastly white sludge.” He fears being forced to eat a baked good containing the added moistness and nutrition of zucchini and even goes as far as promoting legislation to criminalize sneaking the vegetable into chocolate cake.

I, obviously, don’t agree with him. I bake cakes, cookies, muffins, breads, and pies with shreds of zucchini. I sautÈ slices and ribbons and serve them alongside my grilled chicken and steaks. I slow cook purees with warm spices to make “fruit” butters. I haven’t met a zucchini that I didn’t like, and I have now taken it past the baked goods and side dishes on to a meatball delight.

Usually, my go-to meatballs have the added nutritional bonus of spinach. We love them with a plate of pasta and topped with my chunky homemade sauce. This summer, I have replaced the spinach with a zucchini recipe that we enjoy just as much. I am sure that Roger will want me drawn and quartered for what he will deem to be a travesty against mankind.

As with the spinach, zucchini adds additional moisture to the lean beef and makes a more tender meatball. Garlic, basil, and parsley flavor the mixture, along with onion. The veggie-loaded meatballs are the perfect summer pairing for mouthwatering garden sauce and a pile of spaghetti. You probably just don’t want to tell Roger.

Zucchini Meatballs

Adapted from Buck ‘n Run Ranch Blog

1 pound ground round
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
1/2 cup grated zucchini, liquid squeezed out and discarded
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Do not over mix, or the meatballs with be too dense. Divide the meat mixture into 12 portions and roll into meatballs, about golf ball size. Arrange the meatballs on a sheet pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat your favorite pasta sauce in a large pot and start water boiling for pasta. Finish the meatballs by simmering in the pasta sauce while the pasta cooks. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serves 4.

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


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Warning: May Contain Zucchini

By Roger Holtzmann


Each year the state of South Dakota produces approximately 470 pounds of zucchini for every man, woman and child. This unwelcome bounty is a big problem. Lovers of this foul fruit of the vine, which I most assuredly am not, can only eat so much of it fried, baked or fricasseed. This causes them to seek out ways to use it in other recipes. Muffins. Bread. Chocolate cake.

Zucchini aficionados are often good people, but they get some kind of sick pleasure from using that ghastly white sludge in recipes, then bragging that you can’t even taste it. Each fall people like me live in mortal fear that we will be offered an innocent-looking baked good and accidentally ingest some.

We need a law that would make it a felony to use zucchini in baked goods and not inform potential eaters of the same. It would also be illegal for anyone to encourage consumption of a zucchini-tainted concoction by saying,”Try some! You’ll never even taste it!” or the equivalent.

My personal preference would be to subject offenders to some kind of medieval torture for each offense, but I realize that justice must be tempered with mercy. A week in jail for each loaf of zucchini bread or zucchini chocolate cake produced sounds about right.

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Trial and Error at the Community Garden

By Rebecca Johnson


Community gardening has a long history in the U.S. It began in the 1890s in Detroit then the government promoted community gardens during World War I to supplement food supply. Gardens helped the unemployed during the depression and the federal victory garden campaign during World War II was used to show patriotism and build morale. Interest dropped off a little after the war, but there was a resurgence in the 1970s and community gardens have been growing ever since (pun intended).

Our Yankton Community Garden started in 2009. It’s sponsored by the Healthy Yankton Committee with grants from the South Dakota Department of Health and the Avera Health Community Service Fund. It’s great for people who don’t own a yard or don’t have the space. Our yard is too shady to grow vegetables, so this is the 4th year my husband and I have gardened in the plots on the west side of town.

We lease two 12′ x 18′ plots for $20 each. Volunteers till the plots at the beginning of the season and water is free–just bring your own hose. Each plot is marked with a 2 x 4 painted with a folksy quote or saying, like”God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done,” or”You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.” My husband’s favorite is”I was determined to know beans.”

We began our first garden without any real horticultural skills. And we’re no master gardeners today, but here are a few things we’ve learned while digging in the dirt.

  • Though“Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbors Porch” day implies otherwise, zucchini is not foolproof. My first zucchini plant got vine borers. I performed plant surgery, slicing the base of the plant to dig the offending grubs out, but the poor thing never fully recovered. Now I watch for moths that lay their eggs on the stems and apply organic pesticide accordingly.
  • “Water evenly” or your zucchini and beets grow in funny shapes and your tomatoes get”bottom rot.” I’m still not really sure what”water evenly” means, though. Does that mean water every other day? Apply the water evenly to the ground? Don’t stand on one foot while you water? Please tell me below.
  • Gardening makes you really interested in the weather. I start a lot of casual conversations with”Did it rain last night?” or”Have you heard if it’s supposed to storm?” I attribute this to my quest to”water evenly.”
  • Weeding is very satisfying, but if you squat to weed for a long time you will get a serious head rush when you stand up. Sit or bend over.
  • When planting, leave more space between plants than you think you’ll need. And even if it seems wasteful, thin plants early and generously. I’m still learning this one. Our melons are slowly taking over and they’re nowhere near finished growing. Sigh.
  • Always bring a bag or bucket to your plot once mid-summer hits. Even if you think nothing will be ready to pick, your garden will surprise you with a small harvest.
  • Last but not least, if your dog poops in your compost pile forget about using it to fertilize anything meant for human consumption. This one’s not quite community garden related, but helpful nonetheless.

I’m sure my list is unimpressive to the expert gardener, but if you’d seen our first attempt you’d know we’ve come a long way. What are some of your gardening tips? Do you garden at home or rent a plot?

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After School Treat

By Fran Hill

During my childhood, I was always starving after school. Maybe it was my picky taste buds that only nibbled at the school lunch; maybe it was that I chatted too much during lunch break and didn’t have time to eat; maybe it was as simple as my growing body and mind needing nourishment. Regardless, I was famished when the 3 p.m. dismissal bell rang. After school treats were a must in order to tame my growling tummy and muddle through homework before dinner.

In my book, the perfect way to make the grade for an after school snack is with a plate full of homemade cookies. Late summer gardens are taking off after the heat of July, and zucchini is once again piling up on kitchen counters. It only makes sense to pull out a recipe that uses that bounty to satisfy hungry students.

Zucchini Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies bake up tender and almost lacy. The cookies absolutely let the zucchini shine. The cream filling leans toward my favorite cream cheese frosting and couldn’t be more delicious of a pairing for the lightly spiced cookies. I declare this after school treat an A+.

Zucchini Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Cookies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely grated zucchini
1 cup old-fashioned oats

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat 1/2 cup of butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix in grated zucchini and oats. Refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

Using a medium cookie scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment to avoid sticking, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before placing on wire rack. Cool on a wire rack. (The cookies are tender and crumbly when fresh from the oven. I let them cool on the rack overnight in order to dry out a bit and firm up for ease of spreading the filling.)

Beat together 1/4 cup of butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread 1 heaping tablespoon of filling onto the flat side of one cookie, and sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store loosely covered, with waxed paper between layers of cookies. Makes approx. 2 dozen.

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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Fear No More

By Fran Hill

In small towns all around the state, doors were locked yesterday. Cars, houses and garages were shut up tightly. I heard rumors that a few small businesses even did pat downs before allowing entrance. The residents of our state were not fearful of terrorists or burglars. They weren’t panicked by a common criminal. The boogeyman that had everyone in our normally quiet neighborhoods on their toes was much more real. August 8th was National Zucchini Day.

Yes. Zucchini and the fear of someone celebrating”Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day” sparked uneasiness and angst among South Dakota’s citizens. Perhaps, they didn’t know about the plethora of recipes from South Dakota Magazine‘s past zucchini cook-off? Brownies, cake, cookies, chili and a quiche-like pie were offered up for that judging. Quick breads with blueberries, side dishes sautÈed with cherry tomatoes, and condiments stewed into a cinnamon”apple” butter (and many more recipe ideas) are covered on my blog, On My Plate.

It is clear that I am not afraid of the green (or sometimes yellow) garden vegetable. I welcome it into my home. Shredding it into desserts is delicious. Roasting, grilling, and sautÈing it with garlic, chiles or sometimes exotic (to my Midwestern kitchen) spices is delightful. Sweet to savory, zucchini is the chameleon of food. It can be anything you need it to be, and shouldn’t be feared. It should be embraced and loved.

I love to pair garlic with zucchini (actually, I love to pair garlic with pretty much anything); adding cream and some Parmesan cheese is an outstanding method to create Zucchini Alfredo. Choose small zucchinis that are tender, don’t require peeling, and have no large seeds. I use a mandolin slicer for ease of prep, but a plain old kitchen knife would do the job with just a little care. Crafting”noodles” of thinly sliced zucchini is pretty genius, in my book. Of course, it isn’t the same as a big plate of pasta, but in the heat of summer, who wants the misery of a belly full of carbs? I bet some creamy, lightly garlicky, beautiful Zucchini Alfredo will change your mind about the garden’s most feared vegetable.

Zucchini Alfredo

2 small zucchini
1/2 tablespoon olive oil (Honestly, I eyeball this.)
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
Splash of dry white wine (I have used Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio…whatever not too sweet wine you may have.)
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream (You want enough for sauce, but not enough to drown the zucchini.)
2-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (NOT the green can, please.)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Additional grated Parmesan cheese, basil, or herbs of choice for garnish

With a mandolin slicer, slice the zucchini into thin ribbons, roughly just under 1/8″ thick. You want the slices to be thin enough to become pliable like noodles, but not so thin that they disintegrate into mush during the quick sautÈ and thickening of the sauce. Cut the ribbons of zucchini into 1/4″ strips, similar to fettuccini noodles.

In a large heavy skillet or braising pan, heat the oil and butter together. Add the garlic and briefly sautÈ until fragrant. Be careful not to burn; burnt garlic isn’t nice. Add the zucchini noodles and stir gently to coat with the garlic-infused oil. Add the splash of wine, again tossing the zucchini to coat and allowing some of the alcohol to cook off. Add the heavy cream and the parmesan cheese. Push the zucchini to the edges of the pan and allow cream to reduce slightly and thicken for sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Stir carefully, as to not break the zucchini noodles, to coat the zucchini with the sauce.

Serve topped with additional grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. 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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Frittatas for Mama

By Fran Hill

I don’t have children, but don’t say that in front of my pups. They may have fur and four legs, but my two dachshunds believe they are my babies. Just as it would be with human children, in my house life often revolves around those little guys’ wants and needs.

Honestly, I may think that I am taking care of them, but they really do look out for me in their own ways. Ace is pretty demanding that I get a little exercise by throwing his tennis ball, and Sissy tends to my emotional stability by creating downtime to rub her belly. We are a good family.

On Mother’s Day, they even remember me…with a little help from my husband. The pups have surprised me with a supply of paving stones, strawberry plants and a new mower. They know that spring draws me outside to spruce up the yard, garden and patio, and their gifts often feed that passion.

While I love those gardening gifts, I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I wish the dogs could really feed me. I would love breakfast in bed, or a lazy brunch on the patio. It is no secret that I have a soft spot for stacks of blueberry pancakes, mugs of tea, bowls of fruit salad, strips of crispy bacon and eggs. Poached? Scrambled? Omelet? How about a frittata? How about Mini Zucchini Frittatas? That would be a very happy Mother’s Day.

Mini Zucchini Frittatas

(adapted from Gourmet)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into half-moons
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (PLEASE grate your own. No green can.)
5 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375F. Heat oil in a large skillet and add zucchini with salt and pepper; sautÈ just until tender. Whisk chives, zucchini, and 1/2 cup of cheese into eggs. Divide mixture evenly among 6 (well-greased) muffin cups. Bake for 14 minutes, until tops are puffed and middles are set. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve. Serves 6.

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