OMG, More Zucchini....A lovely salad

Yes, we still have zucchini.  You would think after several days of 100+ degree temperatures that the buggers would at least slow down production.  Not so.

After eating this salad, I don't want the zucchini to ever stop and may seriously buying it (*gasp*) out of season at the grocery!!

I've mentioned the cookbook "Plenty" before and one taste of this salad will be explanation enough as to why I love it so much!  Of course I had to substitute a few items in the original recipe due to living in a rural community, but I'm going to assume they made it taste BETTER!!

The other perk of this salad is the grilled zucchini that gives it a substantial feel and grilled flavor.  Perfect for the vegetarians in your life, or as a filling luncheon salad. 

I didn't completely peel the hazelnuts after oven toasting to give a little color to the salad and keep a rustic look going on!  I also used my vegetable peeler on the Parmigiano-Reggiano to have a nice cheese curl and a larger piece of cheese.

ZUCCHINI & HAZELNUT SALAD

1/3 cup hazelnuts

3 small zucchini, sliced on bias about ¼ inch thick

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt & pepper

1 Teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 ¼ cup lettuce, sliced, I used romaine hearts

¼ cup basil leaves, torn

3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast 12-15 minutes until nicely browned.  Rub off skin, or leave on and roughly chop.

In a small bowl, toss zucchini with 2 Tbs. olive oil, salt and pepper.  On grill over high heat, lay out zucchini slices and cook 2 minutes per side, making sure you get nice grill marks.  Place in a mixing bowl and toss with balsamic vinegar.

Allow zucchini to cool, then add remaining olive oil, hazelnuts and basil.  Mix lightly, taste and adjust seasonings. (I added a bit of additional balsamic at this point too!)  Place small pile of lettuce on plate, top with zucchini mixture and a few pieces of shaved Parmigiano cheese.

Delicious Zucchini in Parchment

I've missed everything about blogging lately!  I've missed being in this "space"!  I promise there's a very good reason and I'll share it soon, but until then, I am knee deep in Zucchini!!! 

I fall in love again, every early summer, with zucchini.  For about 3 weeks.  Then the buggers sit around looking all wrinkly and I feel guilty for not using them up. 

Until now, until this recipe. 

This is the recipe that will make you turn on the oven in 100 degree heat, fuss in the kitchen when there is no time and thank your lucky stars when your neighbor or co-worker asks if you would like a zucchini.  Even the zucchini that are the size of toddlers taste great here (just peel them first!)!

Enjoy.

ZUCCHINI BUNDLES

4 cups zucchini, chopped into 1 inch pieces

5 red baby potatoes, sliced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

8 Tablespoons Chives, minced

4 Tablespoons Parsley, minced

4 Tablespoons Olive oil

8 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

2 Tablespoons Anise Liquor (optional, I used Absinthe)

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut 6 squares of parchment paper about 10X10 inches.

In a large bowl, blend all ingredients except zucchini and potatoes.  Stir until well combined.  Add vegetables and toss gently to coat.  Place 1/6^th of the mixture onto square of parchment, gather edges and tie with cooking twine.  Place bundles on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.  Allow to cool a few minutes and serve a package per person.   Yields 6 packages.

PLEASE use the anise liquor....I promise it's worth the minimal bottle cost.  You can substitute any combination of fresh herbs to suit your tastes!

BTW; The picture is a little deceiving for the fact you cannot see the sauce that is created in the packet since I didn't stir the vegetables.  A lovely, creamy, rich sauce awaits under the slice potatoes and zucchini!!

 

Roasted Tomato Soup

Sometimes I just don't know what to make for supper! The nights when nothing sounds good and you just can't get up the energy to think about one more thing...it's tomato soup and grilled cheese! Our daughter, Julia is 17 and vegetarian, and this is one of her personal favorites! Late summer in Michigan has us wallowing in tomatoes so I use fresh now, but the canned are great for this recipe too! I like to puree mine, but if you prefer chunky soup...feel free! Like most soups, this tastes better the next day for lunch and freezes well for about 3 months. This is a smallish batch that feeds 4 comfortably or you can double it easily.

Grilled cheese is interesting for us...we make them from every kind of cheese we have in the fridge (American slices are not real cheese!) and add whatever we want. The beauty and downfall of owning a cheese shop is that just what you need you don't have at home, so improvise! We like to sprinkle the cheese with herbs, add roasted peppers, mustard or jam before frying. Melted cheese is somehow magical and comforting! I am fine with any sort of bread we have around.

1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes, drained or 4 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Heat oven to 450 degrees, pour tomatoes into 13X9 pan, drizzle with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Roast about 15 minutes (20 for fresh) until caramelized.

1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

While tomatoes are roasting, in a large saucepan over medium heat, saute vegetables in EVOO until softened about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, butter and stock and simmer 15 minutes until vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat and add cream and basil and blend with immersion blender until desired consistency. You can garnish with extra chopped basil, croutons or some crumbled blue cheese (Roquefort is delicious!) You can also substitute about 1/4 cup blue cheese for 1/4 cup of heavy cream for a different spin! Enjoy!