Zucchini Boat

It's the end of the garden season.  I had only one zucchini plant, and I tried to pick them when they were small.  One or two got away from me - hid under the big leaves. Here's one next to an apple for size comparisons.  Cut a couple of slits in the zucchini and cook it in the microwave until it is soft.  Let it cool.

I started with a variety of stuff from the vegetable bin.  Some sliced onion, chopped peppers, and a few carrots. Sautee the vegetables with a lttle olive oil until they are softened.

 Next I cooked a pound of ground beef.

When the zucchini is cool enough to handle, slit it in two. Discard the seeds and pulp.  Scrape out the cooked zucchini and add it to the sauteed vegetables.

 Mix the vegetables and the ground beef.  Fill the two halves of the zucchini with the mixture.  Some small tomatoes on top add color and flavor.  Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Add a topping of cheese and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

Quick pepper, onion, and sausage soup

For quite a while I carried around the notion that soups had to be long simmered.  Soup was an all day affair.  But, I was wrong.

This soup uses boxed chicken broth and canned beans. It is not really a set recipe, more of a "fridge soup".  It started as a recipe from a camping magazine.  The main ingredients are peppers, onions and sausage.



Procedure:
*Brown 12 ounces (or more) of sausage.  This time I started with sweet Italian sausage, but I've used smoked sausage, or chorizo sausage.

*Reserve some fat and slowly cook thinly sliced onions until softened and slightly carmelized..

*Add sliced peppers. I used small sweet peppers.  I have used bell peppers and added hotter varieties.  Depends on what's on hand.

*Add 1 quart chicken stock.  Homemade stock is always best, but I seldom have it on hand. One of the characteristics of homemade stock is a high gelatin content.  Gelatin from the bones will often cause refrigerated stock to tighten up like jello. A bit of unflavored gelatin adds body to boxed stock.  I added one envelop when I added the stock. It's nice, but not necessary.

*Extras - I had about 6 ounces of cooked mushrooms from the night before.  They went in the pot. Sometimes we have an extra baked potato, it would have been a good addition.  Nancy likes more beans and would have added a second can.  Try something.

*Simmer until heated throughout.

Zukes!

This year I did not grow any zucchini.  My neighbors did. They have kept us supplied with zukes, little tomatoes and hot tabasco peppers.  Finding new things to do with the vegetables can be a challenge.

One standby is a stew/casserole of zucchini, tomato, and onion mixed with some meat.  We have done that with Italian sausage, pork sausage, smoked sausage, hamburger, and even chicken.  The zucchini is so heavy with water it is helpful to roast the veggies first.  Spread some on a cookie sheet and roast for an hour at about 400 degrees.

  Add some sausage and cheese to the mix. Or,  add the veggies to soup broth or a casserole.

Use a grater or food processor to shred whole zucchinis. Put the shredded zucchini in a strainer or colander and add some salt.  Let the water drain out for an hour.  Squeeze out remaining water.  In a bowl mix the zucchini, an egg and enough flour to make a thick batter.  Season with minced onion and hot pepper.  Fry until browned.

If you have additional zucchini place it a grocery bag, wait until dark, ...(you know what to do)

Deep fried squash

My wife is out of town, but before she left she told me to eat my veggies.  There is lots of squash in the garden.  What to do...

Squash fries, a nice side for bunless hamburger sliders. Does lettuce, tomato, and a pickle(d cucumber) count as a salad?

Cold night stew

Probably every amateur cook  has heard of Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon.  It's a stew with beef and carrots cooked in a red wine broth. Following her recipe exactly is a lot of work with a lot of ingredients.  This variation was easy and satisfying on a cold winter night.

A note: cooking shows sometimes pretentiously advise cooks to "never use a wine you wouldn't drink".  It's implied that using cheap red wine (CRW) will not taste good.  These same people will moan about how the complex flavors of wine will be destroyed if the wine is allowed in an environment that is more than 80 degrees.  I use the cheap stuff for cooking , but then I'll also drink it.

Recipe #49  CRW Beef Stew

1-1.5 pounds beef chuck
1 pound carrots
1 diced onion
1 rib of celery - diced
1/4 cup flour
1 or 2 cups red wine
1 can beef broth (or two cups water)
salt and pepper
Herbs de Provence
Mashed potatoes 2-4 servings
1 package frozen pearl onions (10 ounces)

Cut the beef into uniform chunks.  Brown the meat in a little oil.  Lots of brown stuff (fond) on the bottom if the pan leads to good flavor so don't crowd the meat.  I browned mine in three batches. 


Remove the meat and cook the diced onion and celery.  Scrape up the fond.  Add the meat back into the pot and stir in the flour.   Keeping stirring until the flour disappears.




  Add carrots.  Add the wine, broth, and/or enough water to cover the ingredients. Let the pot simmer for a couple of hours until the meat is tender.  This can be done ahead of time and the pot reheated.

Heat a bit of oil in a non-stick fry pan and add the pearl onions.  Stir them around the pan until they brown.





Put a mound of mashed potatoes in a bowl. (I used left-overs, but the combination was so good I would do it even if I had to cook some potatoes.)  Ladle stew on/around the .potatoes.  Put a couple of tablespoons of the hot, browned onions on top. Eat.

Roasted squash soup

Fall is here.  The cooler weather means a change in cooking styles for me.  Soups and stews and slow roasted meat are all on the menu.

Last night we made a pot of roasted squash soup.  Thanks to neighbors we have lots of fresh squash and tomatoes.   There is a lot of possible variation for this recipe, use what you have.  I recently roasted a small turkey and made stock with the bones.

Recipe # 47  Roasted Squash Soup with Turkey

3 to 5  fresh squash - yellow and/or zucchini
2 handfuls of grape tomatoes
carrots
onions
2 quarts turkey stock (or chicken stock)
cut cooked turkey or chicken
garlic
fresh basil
oregano
rosemary
olive oil
salt and pepper

The sequence: cut, seasoned and roasted.

Peel and seed the squash. Spread cut squash on a cooking sheet. Add the rest of the vegetables.  Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and mix to coat. Season to taste. Put the sheet into a 425 degree oven. Roast about 30 minutes or until vegetables start to brown. Stir after 20 minutes.

When the stock is hot and the vegetables are done add a quarter to a half to the pot and blend with a immersion blender.  This will thicken the broth and provide a favorable base to the soup.  Add the rest of the vegetables and cooked-cut chicken or turkey to the pot and heat through.

Eggplant Parmesan

My friend Ronn brought some eggplant from his garden. Along with the eggplant, he included fresh basil and oregano. Ratatouille is a great use of eggplant, but so is the classic Parmesan.

This is a no-fry variation of the recipe. Think of it as a vegetable lasagna.

Recipe # 39 Eggplant Parmesan

1 or 2 small eggplants
1/4 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 cups red sauce *
12 oz mozzarella cheese (fresh ball)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

Peel and slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Salt the slices and set aside for about an hour. The salt will draw out the excess moisture and reduce the bitterness. Rinse and shake dry.

Coat the slices with flour, dip in a beaten egg, and coat with crumbs. Lay slices on a greased baking sheet. Cook at 350 for about 10 minutes. Turn slices over and cook for another 10 minutes until browned.

In a casserole dish place a layer of sauce on the bottom and cover with eggplant slices. Next cover each eggplant slice with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Cover with red sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Repeat layers until everything is used up. Sprinkle cheese on top and add a few basil leaves to finish it up. Return the assembled dish to the oven. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce bubbling.

Use any red sauce, jarred or homemade. While I was waiting for the salt to work on the eggplant I made this easy sauce.

* Easy Red Sauce -

2 eight ounce cans of tomato sauce
2Tbl olive oil
chopped onion
chopped carrot
chopped celery
chopped garlic
oregano and basic.

I used about two tablespoons each of celery, carrot, and onion. Add one garlic clove, or more if you like.. Saute vegetables in the oil in the bottom of a small sauce pan. Don't rush it, cook for at least 10 minutes until the onions are soft. Add the tomato sauce and simmer for an hour.

Ratatouille - the Recipe

Last week I reviewed the movie Ratatouille. The movie features a dish made for a food critic. The dish brings back memories of his childhood in the countryside. It is a vegetable stew prepared in farm kitchens, with fresh vegetables. Like our own pots of chili, each family had its own variation. There are hundreds of recipes available, but the basics are simple. It is hard to do this dish wrong.

Recipe #8 - Ratatouille

1 small eggplant
2 small zucchini squash
2small or 1 medium onion
2-4 tomatoes
2-4 cloves of garlic
Some bell pepper or hot pepper
Olive oil
Thyme, basil, salt pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Some recipes call for separate cooking of the vegetables, sautéing them in sequence. But keeping the Grand Life tradition of easy recipes, I opted for a one pot -one time cooking scheme. Start with roughly equal amounts of the basic vegetables. Slice the zucchini into quarter inch rounds. Cut other vegetables to a similar size.

Coat an oven proof pan with olive oil. Distribute the vegetables in alternating layers. Add a little chopped garlic and spices to each layer. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the mixture. Cover the pan with a piece of parchment paper or a loose lid.

Put the pan in a 400 degree oven for about an hour. Stir the mixture at the halfway point. As the vegetables cook, the volume will reduce and they will release their liquid. Flavors of the vegetables will combine and compliment one another and the vegetable broth ties together the flavors of the stew.

There is room for variation in the cooking time. As the cooking time increases, more broth is released and the vegetables become softer. Some cooks prepare this dish entirely on the stove top.

My wife liked this dish very much. She said it fit into her comfort food category. I usually opt for steak over vegetables. I’m not much of a squash or eggplant fan, but this was a good combination. I added a grilled lamb shoulder chop to complete the dinner. With so much fresh produce available, I plan on repeating this several times this summer.

Roasting the harvest

Here's a quick and easy dinner. Gather up some garden harvest.

Recipe #37 Roasted vegetables and sausage

1 pound smoked sausage
squash - zuchinni or yellow or a mix
sweet onions
peppers
corn
tomatoes

Add a dash of olive oil and mush it around the veggies until they are coated. Spead the veggies out on a baking sheet. Season with a little salt and pepper and whatever else you like. Add chunks of sausage. Roast at high heat 425- 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. Stir and continue roasting another 10 minutes. Veggies should be slightly browned on the outside, but tender on the inside. The smoked sausage will add a nice overlay of flavor.

Fidget Pie

Meat pies are part of traditional British cooking. Fidget Pie was once a common fall dish. It uses fall produce, apples and potatoes and ham.

Meat pies are often made to use up leftovers. In that case, recipes amounts are merely suggestions. For fidget pie, use roughly equal amounts of ham, apple and potatoes, but don't be too fussy about it. I did not weigh ingredients.

Recipe #35 Fidget Pie

1 pound ham
1 pound apples
1 pound potatoes
1 small onion
1 prepared pie crust
chicken bullion cube / stock
apple cider
salt, pepper, sage, and nutmeg

Slice the ingredients. Place a layer of potato, apple, onion, and ham in the dish. Season each layer with a bit of salt and pepper. Original recipes also call for nutmeg and sage. Alternate additional layers until the dish is full and the ingredients are used up. The dish shown is a 1 1/2 quart casserole.


Cut a ring of dough and place it on the rim of the dish. This will help secure the top.

Make a slurry by mixing 2 tablespoons of flour in a cup of stock or bullion or cider. The liquid will thicken to a gravy as the pie cooks.





Cover with the top round of dough. Cut a hole in the center to allow steam to escape. Add bits of the remaining dough to make a decorative pattern.

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour. Remove when the top is nicely browned.

Beets and Greens

I never ate greens as a kid, my mom doesn't like them. I've learned to cook them and I like them.

One easy source of greens are the tops of some common garden root vegetables. Turnip greens, radish tops, and beet greens are all edible. The can be boiled, steamed, or sauteed. I like to use a little bit of bacon drippings to saute the greens.


I bought a bunch of beets for $1.19. We ate the root portion as a side for one meal, and the greens for another.


After washing the leaves I removed the stems. The stems are edible, but take longer to cook. After chopping the stems add some diced onion and cook the pieces in a small bit of bacon fat until they are soft. At that point add the leaves and cook until wilted.

The degree of cooking varies with taste, some like crisp greens, some like very soft greens. Stir to coat the leaves with a little fat. Season with salt and pepper. Some like a bit of sugar and or vinegar. Experiment to see what you like.