We harvested our first zucchini yesterday!

They came out of nowhere – as zucchini are wont to do. Wednesday, we had nothing but flowers. Friday, there were 2 huge zukes – with many more coming.

Being the gluttons for punishment that we are, we planted not one, but TWO zucchini plants.

As with our 2 eggplants from our Pennsylvania days, we shall be getting very creative.

Our first zucchini went into Zucchini Bread, because – cake. A simple, very basic recipe from the New York Times that never fails to please.

 

 

Zucchini Bread

adapted from NY Times recipes

  • 1/4 cup / 57 grams unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 1 3/4 cups / 225 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • heaping 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • heaping 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4  teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/8 cup/ 83 grams brown sugar
  • 3/8 cup / 76 grams sugar
  • 3/8 cup / 90 milliliters neutral oil
  • 3/4 pound zucchini, unpeeled and grated on a box grater

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-x4-inch loaf pan with softened butter and line with parchment paper.

Melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter starts to brown and smell like hazelnuts, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a whisk to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot; set aside.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in a large bowl.

Whisk together eggs, light brown sugar, sugar and canola oil in a medium bowl until no lumps remain and eggs are well blended.

Using your hands, squeeze out as much water as possible from the zucchini. Add zucchini and browned butter to the egg mixture, whisking to blend.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to slowly incorporate until no dry spots remain.

Divide batter among prepared pans, smoothing the top. Sprinkle both with demerara sugar, if using, and place in oven. Bake, rotating once, until bread is golden brown on top, pulls away from the sides and springs back lightly when pressed at the top, 50 to 60 minutes.

Let cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the loaf pan.

I didn’t brown the butter because I didn’t feel like it. I’ve done it in the past but I don’t think it makes that big of a difference.

Personal taste. Your results may vary.

The other zucchini became our dinner side.

 

It’s a really quick sauté we did as a standard vegetable dish when I worked at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe back in the ’70s and have been making ever since.

Zucchini and Tomatoes

  • Zucchini
  • Tomatoes
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Basil
  • Olive Oil
  • S&P

Chop zucchini and tomatoes into chunks. Slice onions into either strips or 1-inch pieces. Mince garlic, and chiffonade basil.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté briefly. Add zucchini and cook until it just begins to soften. Add minced garlic and tomatoes.

Continue cooking until tomatoes begin to break down and zucchini is al dente.

Stir in basil and salt & pepper, to taste.

It really is one of the easiest – and tastiest – ways to cook a zuke!

We have plenty of recipes for zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes. The tomatoes are veeeeeery slowly starting to come in and the eggplant is growing, but mocking us in their lack of flowers.

We shall be getting zucchini-creative very soon!