zucchini gratin Archives - Good Food St. Louis

That Zucchini Time of the Year

July 20, 2021

In the 70s, during my hay day as a gardener, I was “Jean, The Zucchini Queen.” In the dense, hard soil on our Ozark farm—that I affectionately dubbed The Clay Pit—zucchini was one of the plants that grew with gusto.

After being overrun with squash one season, I learned that a few, well-tended plants could feed the family, our neighbors and relatives. But now, like Blanche DuBois, I depend on the “kindness” of others. If they let me down, there’s always Soulard Market.

Captain Zucchini is Back

Several years ago, I coined Captain Zucchini, an action figure, who returns from Miami Beach each summer to bring gifts to good little gardeners throughout the land. My friend, Jamie, brought him to life in the drawing on the left.

The be-goggled, cape-swirling veggie man brings green edibles and people together for health and happiness. The garden superhero hawks himself under the motto: “We Deliver”—curbside, doorstep, wherever, night or day.

Not Just for Zucchini Bread Anymore

When cooking with the versatile, green vegetable, think beyond zucchini bread. (Though In this post, I’ve included a recipe here for an old favorite, that calls for pineapple and nuts.)

If Your Don’t Like Zucchini . . .

While looking at dozens of zucchini breads on line, I read a comment left by a woman’s who had made one of the recipes. It made me laugh so hard, tears ran down my leg.

She wrote: “I love this recipe. Since I didn’t have any zucchini, I substituted applesauce. It was the best Zucchini Bread, I’ve ever made!! Thanks for sharing.”

Zucchini Pineapple Bread

Don’t Overlook the Side Dishes

There’s also a number of ways to serve zucchini as a side dish. Here’s a couple of easy recipes you’ll want to try ASAP. And who better to call on for a recipe than Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.

Ina’s Zucchini Gratin

Zucchini Gratin

In her cookbook Barefoot in Paris, she offers a recipe for Zucchini Gratin , a spin on a French dish that uses potatoes. Good move, Ina. Some recipes are versatile enough to work with a variety of fresh vegetables.

You’ll notice that the onions are cooked first and for about 20 minutes, just enough to get a bit of caramelization. That’s where the flavor comes in, so don’t short change that step.

Zucchini Boats

Zucchini Boats. Aren’t these cute!

Boil several small, whole zucchini until tender, but not mushy. Slice in half long wise; scoop out pulp and mash together with some ground ham or browned sausage. Add a bit of sautéed onion and mushrooms, if you like, along with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

Place mixture into shells and top with bread crumbs, such as Panko, and shredded cheese. Drizzle with a bit of melted butter. Bake 5 minutes at 375 degrees until cheese melts.

Zucchini Eggplant Pasta

Zucchini Eggplant Pasta

This is one of those recipes that uses the vegetables languishing in the recesses of your refrigerator. Simply sauté -chunks of zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant, a lonesome onion, remains of a good cheddar, and add a handful of cooked noodles. The carnivorous can also include ground beef to the sauté.

Getting Saucy

The tomato sauce brings the one-skillet meal all together. When I use a store-bought sauce, it’s always Rao, because it has repeatedly been acclaimed for its light, fresh, homemade flavor. I agree wholeheartedly.

My favorite is the Arrabbiata variety, that has a bit of kick from the red pepper and garlic. Not too much, mind you, just enough to add a dash of pizazz. Their Marinara is milder.

Welcome back, Captain Zucchini! We’ve missed your fresh green goodness.

Garden-to-Table Vegetables

August 27, 2019

Look at what arrived in my farm kitchen!!

My nephew, Bob, is a serious gardener. When he came to the farm this past weekend, he brought along tubs, coolers, and baskets full of fresh vegetables. The bounty included squash, okra, tomatoes, onions, melons, corn, peppers, all in several varieties, as well as bread and butter pickles.

This melon weighed in at about 15 pounds!

The corn, from Gurney Seed, has been their best seller for the last ten years. It’s called “Gotta Have It.” One taste and you’ll agree the variety is well named.

This beauty is quite a handful. One slice is all you need for a BLT.

Vegetable Forward Menu

The farm kitchen has become the living room of the house.

In preparation for what trendy chefs call a “vegetable forward” menu, my dinner guests gathered in the kitchen to cook a number of new recipes—as well as some old favorites.

Kitchen Nostalgia

Remember Breaded Tomatoes? Ahh. . . the taste and smell took me back in time. Back to those blistering hot August days in my mother’s crowded kitchen, where we’d shuck corn, batter the okra for the skillet, and slice up the garden tomatoes ripening on the kitchen windowsill.

Lucy proves there’s more than one use for all those colorful peppers. Hmm. . . if she could just sing Wagnerian opera, she might have future on the stage. 🙂

By oven-roasting garbanzo beans, you can turn the protein-rich beans into a crunchy, nut-like topping for salads or snacks. (More on this in a later post.)

My neighbor, Susanne, enhanced the meal with this Tomato-Basil Pie topped with bread crumbs and Gruyere cheese. She said it’s a long-time family favorite that she tweaked from a Southern Living recipe. Really delish and perfect for the season.

The salmon entree ready for the grill. The fish held its own among all those vegetables, staying moist and flavorful from being cooked on wooden planks.

Pure Comfort Food Simply Prepared

Bob and Peg enhanced this recipe for Oven-fried Okra, seen here ready for the oven. They used a coating of finely crushed pecans rather than the traditional flour/cornmeal mixture. It was exceptional good. I didn’t miss the deep frying at all.

Bob picked corn the night before to make sure, he beat the raccoons to the harvest. Here’s the simple recipe that we used for Sauteed Fresh Corn.

We cut the kernels from the cob and cooked them briefly with butter, salt and pepper. Actually, the corn was tender and sweet enough to eat right from the cob.

Breaded Tomatoes, a summertime treat.

I used the squash to make one of Ina Garten’s recipes: Zucchini Gratin. (Photo: Wives with Knives)

The transformation of garden vegetables to a sumptuous summer buffet.

A plate of plenty! (From left clockwise) Sauteed corn, Strawberry-Lettuce Salad, Bread anad Butter Pickles, Tomato-Basil Pie, Oven-Fried Okra, Sliced beefsteak tomato, Breaded Tomatoes, Sauteed Chanterelle Mushrooms, and salmon (center).

I love this photo! I’ve named it: “The Mushroom Whisperer.” Robin savors the aroma of fresh chanterelles, that she and mushroom savant Ken Gilberg found earlier in the day. They ended up with about four times this amount! More than enough for dinner and plenty to bring home.