It was more like a heavily frosted pancake. No recipe as it wasn't something I want to repeat!
Showing posts with label Zucchini. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zucchini. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Lime Zucchini Cake
Chocolate zucchini cake tastes overwhelmingly of chocolate, which I love. But I thought I would challenge myself to make a cake in which zucchini was more apparent. I'm not sure if I'll make a second attempt as this one was very very heavy. It may work better with regular wheat flour instead of gluten free.
It was more like a heavily frosted pancake. No recipe as it wasn't something I want to repeat!
It was more like a heavily frosted pancake. No recipe as it wasn't something I want to repeat!
Friday, August 1, 2014
Zucchini and Pumpkin Blossoms
Zucchini and pumpkin blossoms are delicious lightly battered, fried until golden, sprinkled with sea salt and served with lime. The stems are very handy for battering them and putting in the pan so keep them until the end.
Chick pea flour is essential as it gives it a lighter crispier batter that just clings to the flower.
Batter
Half corn flour and half chick pea flour by volume (ie. 1/2 cup each) Increase if you are cooking many flowers.
Salt to taste
Enough water to make a runny batter.
Dip blossoms in batter and rotate to coat all sides. Add to hot oil in pan.
Turn the blossoms once they are golden on one side. Remove from the oil when they are golden and drain on a paper towel. Salt them immediately and squeeze a dash of lemon or lime over them.
Note: It's important to snip off the stems. otherwise your blossoms look like battered rodents and your pictures are blurry because you and your family cannot stop laughing! Enjoy.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Zucchini Moussaka
There has been an atomic explosion of zucchini in the gardens which has called for some creativity. Zucchini are best eaten when they are smaller, but I've managed to turn a few large ones into a suitable moussaka dish.
Zucchini Moussaka (Serves 8 – 12)
60 mL olive oil
2 large zucchini
8 minced garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick
10 mL dried oregano
1 kg ground lamb
60 mL tomato puree
300 mL water
300 mL red wine
Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Potatoes for the bottom, sliced and roasted until tender but not quite cooked
Béchamel
1 L milk
120 g butter
120 g gluten free flour mix (starch and flour mixture)
100 g parmeggiano
4 eggs, separated and egg whites beaten till stiff
Nutmeg, to grate or 5 - 10 mL
Zucchini - Salt zucchini and let them drain in a colander for about an hour. In the meantime, start the meat sauce as you will use any excess fat from the meat to gently fry the zucchini.
Meat – Heat 30 mL oil in frying pan and cook onion until soft. Add garlic, cinnamon stick and oregano and cook a further few minutes. Stir in lamb. Turn up heat and brown lamb well, cooking until mixture is quite dry. If the lamb gives off a lot of fat, like mine did, drain the lamb and reserve the fat. You will use it for cooking the zucchini and potatoes. Push the meat to one side of the dish and add the tomato paste. Cook for a minute or two to reduce the acidity. Stir in the water and wine, bring to a simmer, then turn heat down low and cook for 30-40 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season and stir in parsley.
Zucchini - To fry the zucchini, use a non stick pan a a small amount of the fat. The trick is to fry it until golden marks appear in order to bump up the flavour of the zucchini in the dish. When the zucchini has been cooked, put it back into the collander to drain. Overgrown zucchini give off a lot of water and it's best to drain as much as possible.
Potatoes – Pour some of the fat from the meat into a plastic bag and add salt and pepper. Toss in the sliced potatoes and roast in 450 degree oven. Use the same pan as the one for the final moussaka to save on dishes!
Béchamel – Melt butter in saucepan. Stir flour into butter and cook for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warm milk. Cook until you have a thick sauce, then stir in cheese until melted. Take off heat and allow it to cool slightly, then add in egg yolks and stir well. Fold in beaten egg whites. Salt to taste and add nutmeg. Add a large generous spoonful to the meat mixture to smooth it out.
Arrange Dish – Layer potatoes on the bottom, then zucchini then meat. There should be enough for two zucchini layers. Repeat and top with béchamel and sprinkle with cheese and some nutmeg. Bake for about 45 (hour if larger) minutes until well browned, then leave to cool for half an hour before serving.
Gluten Free Flour Mix - I mix half starches, such as rice and corn and half flours such as millet, corn or brown rice flour to make a total amount.
Zucchini Moussaka (Serves 8 – 12)
60 mL olive oil
2 large zucchini
8 minced garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick
10 mL dried oregano
1 kg ground lamb
60 mL tomato puree
300 mL water
300 mL red wine
Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Potatoes for the bottom, sliced and roasted until tender but not quite cooked
Béchamel
1 L milk
120 g butter
120 g gluten free flour mix (starch and flour mixture)
100 g parmeggiano
4 eggs, separated and egg whites beaten till stiff
Nutmeg, to grate or 5 - 10 mL
Zucchini - Salt zucchini and let them drain in a colander for about an hour. In the meantime, start the meat sauce as you will use any excess fat from the meat to gently fry the zucchini.
Meat – Heat 30 mL oil in frying pan and cook onion until soft. Add garlic, cinnamon stick and oregano and cook a further few minutes. Stir in lamb. Turn up heat and brown lamb well, cooking until mixture is quite dry. If the lamb gives off a lot of fat, like mine did, drain the lamb and reserve the fat. You will use it for cooking the zucchini and potatoes. Push the meat to one side of the dish and add the tomato paste. Cook for a minute or two to reduce the acidity. Stir in the water and wine, bring to a simmer, then turn heat down low and cook for 30-40 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season and stir in parsley.
Zucchini - To fry the zucchini, use a non stick pan a a small amount of the fat. The trick is to fry it until golden marks appear in order to bump up the flavour of the zucchini in the dish. When the zucchini has been cooked, put it back into the collander to drain. Overgrown zucchini give off a lot of water and it's best to drain as much as possible.
Potatoes – Pour some of the fat from the meat into a plastic bag and add salt and pepper. Toss in the sliced potatoes and roast in 450 degree oven. Use the same pan as the one for the final moussaka to save on dishes!
Béchamel – Melt butter in saucepan. Stir flour into butter and cook for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warm milk. Cook until you have a thick sauce, then stir in cheese until melted. Take off heat and allow it to cool slightly, then add in egg yolks and stir well. Fold in beaten egg whites. Salt to taste and add nutmeg. Add a large generous spoonful to the meat mixture to smooth it out.
Arrange Dish – Layer potatoes on the bottom, then zucchini then meat. There should be enough for two zucchini layers. Repeat and top with béchamel and sprinkle with cheese and some nutmeg. Bake for about 45 (hour if larger) minutes until well browned, then leave to cool for half an hour before serving.
Gluten Free Flour Mix - I mix half starches, such as rice and corn and half flours such as millet, corn or brown rice flour to make a total amount.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Zucchini Heaven
I am awash in a sea of zucchini. It is a modern miracle because no zucchini has followed me home from the grocery store recently and my garden is a barren wasteland thanks to some fat neighbourhood raccoons. My suspicions are turning to some of the most kind generous and sneaky neighbours on this side of the Rockies.
After some long lazy summer days, we had been chatting with our neighbours and catching up with each other’s lives. In one of these casual conversations I innocently mentioned that my family and I love zucchini. Not long afterward zucchini began anonymously appearing on my doorstep. One behemoth weighed five pounds! We are thinking of saving it for Halloween and carving it instead of a pumpkin or adopting it as the youngest member of our family.
There are only two approaches to cooking zucchini. The first is a favourite among zucchini lovers. It not only enhances zucchini flavour, it puts zucchini on centre stage. The secret is to brown, grill or fry the zucchini at high heat and salt it so the flavour is accented. The second approach is the slight of hand where you sneak grated zucchini into other dishes and deny that it ever existed.
Zucchini gratin, zucchini fritters, stuffed zucchini and battered zucchini cause my family to drool with anticipation. Chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini muffins and chili with zucchini are my way of making healthy food that I’m sure my children appreciate. To be honest, I’m forced by the sheer magnitude of the zucchini wave lapping at my doorstep to invent new and interesting ways to serve zucchini. I’m resorting to sneaking it into every dish and hoping that no one notices.
As he was handing over a few zucchini, one of my neighbours admitted to me that his opinion of cows has been elevated to new levels since he discovered that…NOT EVEN COWS WILL EAT ZUCCHINI…. since he is obviously not a zucchini lover, I sent my daughter over with chocolate zucchini cake in an anonymous brown paper bag marked with a big “Z”. We also have new neighbours moving into their home this week. I’m thinking it would be mighty neighbourly of me to share the bounty.
For others in zucchini distress, I’m including one of our favourite methods of serving zucchini. Feel free to experiment as much as you like; zucchini is a forgiving palette. Just make sure your oil is at the right temperature and fries everything to a golden colour.
Zucchini Fritters
1 lb of grated zucchini 1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder 2 chopped green onions
Handful of fresh sage – chopped (whatever herb you like best)
1 egg
oil for frying
salt
wedges of lemon
Mix together the first six ingredients. Pour oil to a 1 cm depth into frying pan and heat on the stove top. Test the oil temperature by putting in a small drop of zucchini batter. If bubbles form around the mixture and it puffs and becomes golden; your oil is hot enough. Drop dollops of zucchini into the oil and flatten them slightly to make small patties. Turn over once they are golden on the bottom. When they are golden brown, remove them to drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle them with salt and serve with wedges of lemon.
If you are wondering, yes, I still love zucchini. I’m thankful for each one that appears on my doorstep. However, just in case anyone is interested, what I REALLY love is seafood and chocolate.
After some long lazy summer days, we had been chatting with our neighbours and catching up with each other’s lives. In one of these casual conversations I innocently mentioned that my family and I love zucchini. Not long afterward zucchini began anonymously appearing on my doorstep. One behemoth weighed five pounds! We are thinking of saving it for Halloween and carving it instead of a pumpkin or adopting it as the youngest member of our family.
There are only two approaches to cooking zucchini. The first is a favourite among zucchini lovers. It not only enhances zucchini flavour, it puts zucchini on centre stage. The secret is to brown, grill or fry the zucchini at high heat and salt it so the flavour is accented. The second approach is the slight of hand where you sneak grated zucchini into other dishes and deny that it ever existed.
Zucchini gratin, zucchini fritters, stuffed zucchini and battered zucchini cause my family to drool with anticipation. Chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini muffins and chili with zucchini are my way of making healthy food that I’m sure my children appreciate. To be honest, I’m forced by the sheer magnitude of the zucchini wave lapping at my doorstep to invent new and interesting ways to serve zucchini. I’m resorting to sneaking it into every dish and hoping that no one notices.
As he was handing over a few zucchini, one of my neighbours admitted to me that his opinion of cows has been elevated to new levels since he discovered that…NOT EVEN COWS WILL EAT ZUCCHINI…. since he is obviously not a zucchini lover, I sent my daughter over with chocolate zucchini cake in an anonymous brown paper bag marked with a big “Z”. We also have new neighbours moving into their home this week. I’m thinking it would be mighty neighbourly of me to share the bounty.
For others in zucchini distress, I’m including one of our favourite methods of serving zucchini. Feel free to experiment as much as you like; zucchini is a forgiving palette. Just make sure your oil is at the right temperature and fries everything to a golden colour.
Zucchini Fritters
1 lb of grated zucchini 1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder 2 chopped green onions
Handful of fresh sage – chopped (whatever herb you like best)
1 egg
oil for frying
salt
wedges of lemon
Mix together the first six ingredients. Pour oil to a 1 cm depth into frying pan and heat on the stove top. Test the oil temperature by putting in a small drop of zucchini batter. If bubbles form around the mixture and it puffs and becomes golden; your oil is hot enough. Drop dollops of zucchini into the oil and flatten them slightly to make small patties. Turn over once they are golden on the bottom. When they are golden brown, remove them to drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle them with salt and serve with wedges of lemon.
If you are wondering, yes, I still love zucchini. I’m thankful for each one that appears on my doorstep. However, just in case anyone is interested, what I REALLY love is seafood and chocolate.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Greek Zucchini Salad
August really should be zucchini month because they multiple like rabbits and appear spontaneously.
Greek Zucchini Salad
4 small zucchini
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped finely
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Small clove garlic, finely minced or crushed
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese or strong salty cheese such as pecorino
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cut zucchini into paper thin slices. It helps if you have a mandolin but just watch your fingers if you don't. Combine lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Drizzle over the slices of zucchini. Garnish with mint. Toss to combine. Add feta cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper to adjust seasonings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
