Zucchini - A Swollen Ovary

By definition zucchini is a summer squash which often grows to nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. It is a hybrid of the cucumber. Along with certain other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green. A related hybrid, the golden zucchini, is a deep yellow or orange color.  In a culinary context, the zucchini is treated as a vegetable, which means it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment.

Nutritionally, the zucchini fruit is low in calories (approximately 15 food calories per 100 g fresh zucchini) and contains useful amounts of folate (24 mcg/100 g), potassium (280 mg/100 g) and vitamin A (384 IU [115 mcg]/100 g. 1/2 cup of zucchini also contains 19% of the recommended amount of manganese.  Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of the zucchini flower.  Interesting way to view your food, right?

One of my favorite ways to enjoy the proliferation of zucchini is to pickle them. Today's Kitchen Project involved making Zuni Style Pickles.  I start by washing and slicing medium zucchini with a handy bread and butter slicer, a handy tool for "crinkle cut" veges.

Next, I tossed the zucchini with a bunch of thinly sliced onions and shallots, leaving them to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

For the pickling juice combine the following in a non-reactive pan and heat to low rolling boil:
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar                                                             3/4 cup white wine vinegar                                                                  1/2 cup sugar
1 teas Tumeric                                                                                    1 teas sea salt                                                                                     Pinch of chili pepper flake
1 tbls  Mustard Seeds

Tightly packing the zucchini and onions into pint mason jars, pour the pickling juice to fill the jar.

Screw the lid down and refrigerate for a couple of weeks.  Many recipes say they will last a few weeks but I've managed to enjoy them up to six months after processing. I like to serve these as condiments with grilled hamburgers or on a cheese and cracker plate as a snack. Enjoy!!

Simple Pleasures of Summer

After spending the majority of the day in the garden, yesterday's heat put a real damper on my desire to cook anything .  However, we had some fabulous leftover grilled veges that needed to be used so I hit the web for some new ideas.  Seems the heat affected my creativity in the kitchen some, too!

The original preparation for the veges included tossing the chunks in olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and a little lemon juice.  We used zucchini, yellow squash, cancer fighting broccoli, cauliflower, red bell peppers,selenium rich portobello mushrooms and onions for the vege mix.  In future I will add eggplant and roasted garlic to the group for an added boost of flavor.  You can never have enough GARLIC afterall.....

Putting the veges directly on the grill for the deeper color that comes from the char is my personal preference.  Of course you can also use a basket if you prefer no grill marks.  We originally enjoyed these veges with tasty braised beef that was slow cooked with red wine, a lot of shallots and creamy polenta.  This was the perfect solution to a dinner party that included both vegetarians and carnivores!

Since the challenge was to use all the leftovers quickly I decided to make a puree soup.  Even on a warm night it was a simple, totally satisfying and filling meal.  I used my fav tool in the kitchen,  VitaMix, filling it 3/4 with veges, added 2 cups of vege broth, a little cream for smoothing out the texture of the puree then heated up to room temperature.  Garnished with a dollop of sour cream, grated parmesian and a krispy kale chip, it was an elegant finish to beautiful vegetables.  There was enough left to freeze for another quick and nutritious meal!

Along the way I ran into a recipe from Fit Bottom Girls that I want to try the next time we entertain. 


Roasted Vege Bruschetta on Crusty Bread, doesn't that sound good?




The simple pleasures of summer! 

Opening This Week: 

  Larry's Produce 

Get out the canning equipment, time to build our pantry with fresh goodness from local farmers!