End of Summer Small Bites

Rome-Florence-Prata-Bologna-Ravenna-Perugia-Rome. With lots of stops in-between. It's heady stuff and I am way behind my time. Clothes to sort, hair to dye, plays to edit, learn to speak Italian and lots of late summer vegetables to use up. I have Mister Meatballs's roasted-green-and-red tomato sauce recipe memorized. (Yes, you'd like it.) I suspect my 20-something children will not be gardening.

This slightly sweet, a wee bit savory zucchini snack cake from Mary Ann Esposito is the perfect recipe for using up late summer zucchini and pleasing the nibblers in the house. Called "Zucchini Cake Viareggio Style," by Ms. Esposito, she does mention that when you take it from the oven don't be surprised if you see that it is well-cooked, like a well-worn shoe. And indeed it is. It is also scrumptious enough that I had to keep it out of sight because I was in danger of nibbling it into extinction before anyone else could partake.

 Zucchini Snack Cake Ingredients - serves 8
(From Tastes of Italia, August 2011)
butter and flour for pan
1 pound small zucchini
salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Butter and flour a 9x12x2-1/2 or 7x11-inch baking dish and set aside. 
2. Cut zucchini into thin rounds. Layer them in a colander and sprinkle salt between each layer. Place a "weight" (I used cans) on the zucchini and let it sweat for 1 hour. 
3. Rinse and dry slices and proceed.
4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
5. In a large bowl whisk melted butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in milk, salt and flour until a better forms.  Fold in zucchini. 
6. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Drizzle top with olive oil. 
7. Bake for 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool a few minutes and cut into squares. 
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

It has restorative powers. I was able to bake this while learning how to say "I don't speak Italian," do laundry, answer e-mails while prepping the roasted green tomato sauce.

My tomatoes are finally coming in. What date is today? My plants clearly have not read their gardening books. They just march or ripen to the beat of a different drummer.

End of season plum tomatoes? Hollow them out and stuff them with bread crumbs, pitted Kalamata olives, Parmesan,some tomato pulp and oregano mixed with a little olive oil. Salt and pepper top taste. Bake them in a 375-degree oven till softened and the stuffing bubbles (about 30-35 minutes).  Make sure you use the Kalamata olives - they add tang and nuance to contrast the sweetness.

And my wonderful stand-by. Zucchini carpaccio. Best with small-medium zucchini. Save the big honkers for bread or soup.

Thinly slice your zucchini (important). Make a simple vinaigrette with lemon and olive oil or some champagne vinegar and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss zucchini with your vinaigrette. Shave some Pecorino cheese over it. I did have more blossoms - so I sliced them thinly and tossed with the zucchini. You can also add thinly sliced leeks, red onions or shallots for some pungency.

I am printing all of your suggestions for Italy. Husband and I are wanderers so I may not make it to all the restaurants. If you know of certain foods in the different regions I must try - please let me know. (Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria and Lazio).

I will try to visit you before I leave. Keep your forgiveness light open if I don't - I kept thinking I had all this time and I don't. Meanwhile, my 20-somethings have assured me that they will have a weekly kegger and the police will be called to our home once a week. Ciao for now. See you... in October.

All Things Zucchini

I have a love of this time of year, when the zucchini in the garden resembles "Audrey 2" from Little Shop of Horrors and takes over my world. It's abundance makes me feel rich in possibilities. The sheer act of shredding zucchini for fritters forces me to pause and think how I can speed up "The Golden Goose" (actually it's a duck) section of my play. Chopping zucchini for soup opens up a sliver of creativity. Doing somethung mundane releases the brain to the improbable and possible.
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The sheer ability to walk across my yard for dinner is a huge smiling nod for the simplicity of summer. I took a page out of many bloggers' postings for inspiration. The zucchini morphed from a raw zucchini salad to fritters to soup.
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Taking a page out of Ciao Chow Linda's book Zucchini Carpaccio

Linda studded hers with pine nuts and herbs. I played with herbs, lemon zest and black olives.
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Zucchini Carpaccio - serves 4
2 medium zucchini - thinly sliced
lemon salt
zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
1/2 cup of chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley
1/4 cup arugula
1/2 cup your favorite sliced, black olives
extra virgin olive oil
shavings of ricotta salata
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Put your sliced zucchini in a colander lined with paper towels. Add your salt. Let drain for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. (You may omit this step - if I have time I will dry out the zucchini with the salt so it soaks in more of the lemon and oil). Place zucchini in serving bowl. Zest a Meyer lemon over it. Then cut it in half and squeeze out the lemon juice. The Meyer lemon juice has a sweet taste. Toss in your herbs and sliced olives and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Toss well. Shave ricotta salata over all and serve.
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The zucchini fritters were inspired by Reeni from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice.

Zucchini Fritters - serves 4 (Makes 8 small fritters)
4 small zucchini
salt
1 egg
2 small cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped Italian parlsey
2-3 zucchini blossoms (washed and dried - if you have)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4-1/2 cup canola or olive oil (I used canola oil)
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Again optional: but you can shred your zucchini and salt them. Put them in colander lined with paper towels and let them drain for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Whisk egg in large bowl. Add shredded zucchini (I simply shred with a vegetable peeler - it allows me to "space out" for a time.) Add flour and herbs. Cut your zucchini blossoms into the mixture. Grate your Parmigiano into the mixture. Combine well. Heat olive oil till a drop of water thrown into the oil sizzles. Drop one heaping tablespoon of mixture into the oil. Fry about two at a time. Fry 1-2 minutes per side - until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche. I know they're deep-fried! But they're only two bites! Two per serving.
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And as a confirmed soup-a-holic, even in the heat of summer - I crave soup. For the zucchini soup, I added a potato for heft, herbs for tang and and savory and milk for smoothness.



Zucchini Soup - serves 4
4 small zucchini or 2 medium zucchini
2 tablespoons Earth Balance Butter
1/4-1/2 cup chopped red or white onion
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 quart chicken broth
1 large potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup basil
1/2 cup Italian parsley
2 cups whole milk
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Shred a few thin zucchini threads for garnish. Chop all your vegetables - they do not need to be uniform or very small - they will be pureed. Melt butter in medium-large soup pot. When butter foams add your chopped onion and garlic. Saute 2-3 minutes till the onion softens. Add your chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add your potato and simmer for five minutes. Add zucchini and herbs and simmer another 10 minutes (Until potato and zucchini are soft.) Cool for a few minutes.
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In 2-3 batches, pulse soup mixture with some of the milk in a food processor till smooth. Return to pot, add remaining milk and simmer five minutes. Serve with ribbons of zucchini, dollops of Greek yogurt and/or croutons. I wish I had a zucchini blossom to float in it!

I get enough drama at the theatre. But Mother Nature thought I needed more. The Twin Cities seemed to be tornado alley last night. The skies did their version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll." We hovered in the basement till all was clear. With the cat. And the dog. We were lucky - just downed branches and no one went to Oz. Did I tell you that I have a healthy respect for Nature? Its bounty, its fury and its beauty.