Cook-Off 63: Summer Squash

[Shelby]

Different recipe for zuke bread.  I haven't cut into it yet, but from the feel of it, I'll like it much better.  It's a lot lighter.

 

[huiray]

One of the simplest zucchini dishes but one of the most satisfying to me.  Zucchini simply sautéed with LOTS of garlic (I used about half a head for 5 medium zucchinis) and sea salt. 

 

 

About half of the stuff plated, plenty of garlic beneath the zucchini slices.  I had this for dinner w/ more freshly broiled turmeric chicken wings (last of the marinated wings from the fridge) and white rice.

[FauxPas]

Shelby, I thought Saveur had a few good suggestions in this collection:

 

http://www.saveur.com/article/-/Delicious-Summer-Squash

 

I liked the frittata, the Tian and the marinated zucchini, but maybe you have already seen these? 

[Shelby]

No, I haven't seen that.  Thank you, FauxPas!

[CatPoet]

HAve you tried  fake cheese/ curd  cake  with squash?  I translate the recipe if you want too

[Shelby]

Sour cream zuke bread.  VERY good.

 

[Jaymes]

HAve you tried  fake cheese/ curd  cake  with squash?  I translate the recipe if you want too

I'm extremely curious about this. What is "fake cheese curd"?

[CatPoet]

False curd cake.

900 ml diced summer squash

4  tablespoon flour

4 egg

1/4 teaspoon  almond extract.

100 ml sugar

25  almond,  skin removed and ground.

500 ml  milk or half&half

 

 Boil up some water and cook the  squash until it is soft and can be mashed. Turn the oven on to 200C  In a bowl whisk the remaining  ingredients  until smooth. Add the squash and stir.  Bake for 45 min until golden and set (should be like quiche and not sponge cake)  serve luke warm with  jam and whipped cream.

 

 

 

A real curd cake is made with 5-8 liter milk and rennet and takes it fair time to make, so this is  quicker option. I have tasted one that was yummy, the rest I have had has been made by horrible cooks.

[Shelby]

Aaaaaand, here is the basket today.

 

 

[David Ross]

You have such wonderful things coming from your garden. In fact, that made me think of an idea. How about pickled zuchinni? I'm thinking a sweet pickle type of brine like my Aunt Bertie used for watermelon rind pickles?

[Jaymes]

 

False curd cake.

900 ml diced summer squash

4  tablespoon flour

4 egg

1/4 teaspoon  almond extract.

100 ml sugar

25  almond,  skin removed and ground.

500 ml  milk or half&half

 

 Boil up some water and cook the  squash until it is soft and can be mashed. Turn the oven on to 200C  In a bowl whisk the remaining  ingredients  until smooth. Add the squash and stir.  Bake for 45 min until golden and set (should be like quiche and not sponge cake)  serve luke warm with  jam and whipped cream.

 

 

 

A real curd cake is made with 5-8 liter milk and rennet and takes it fair time to make, so this is  quicker option. I have tasted one that was yummy, the rest I have had has been made by horrible cooks.

 

 

This is very intriguing, and doesn't sound like anything I've ever had before.  I really appreciate your taking the time to post it.  I've just got to try it!

Edited July 28, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[Shelby]

You have such wonderful things coming from your garden. In fact, that made me think of an idea. How about pickled zuchinni? I'm thinking a sweet pickle type of brine like my Aunt Bertie used for watermelon rind pickles?

That's a really good idea, but we just aren't big sweet pickle fans.  I would eat a few, but it would be just a few and only me.  My great grandma made something called stickles --see this link for similar recipe  http://mylidsaresealed.blogspot.com/2012/09/sweet-stickles.html --and I thought maybe the zukes would work for that, but it would have to be a tiny batch.

[CatPoet]

Jaymes, I am sorry for the mls,  in Sweden we uses deciliters like Americans uses  cups.  But I know how to convert to ml and people seams to understand that better then  dl.

[Jaymes]

Jaymes, I am sorry for the mls,  in Sweden we uses deciliters like Americans uses  cups.  But I know how to convert to ml and people seams to understand that better then  dl.

 

Not a problem.  I lived for a time in Europe and have no problems with the conversions.

 

I just really appreciate that you posted it.

[Smithy]

Shelby - or anyone else with a surfeit of zucchini - here's another recipe that may help, although I can't swear to its efficacy in reducing the backlog or one's waistline. :-) I stumbled across this in one of my little Saveur cookbooklets: Chocolate Zucchini Cake. The photo in the booklet looks better than the one on the web page: moist, very chocolate-y. Disclaimer: I haven't tried this recipe for myself...but maybe I'll have to when someone leaves zucchini on my doorstep. The photo in the booklet looks very, very good.

Saveur's Chocolate Zucchini Cake: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Chocolate-Zucchini-Cake

[Shelby]

Smithy, that will go in my rotation as soon as I get some buttermilk.  Thank you!

 

Are you guys sick of seeing my bread yet?  I kind of like posting everything here...it's like a diary that I can look at next year for ideas.

 

I really liked the sour cream zuke bread, but I ran out of sour cream. Sooooo, I thought to myself for a bit and decided to sub a cup of Hellman's mayo for the oil.  It's good!  Of course you don't taste the mayo, but you get a good texture. 

 

 

Picked another four today--one is kind of a big guy.  He was hiding from me.

[CatPoet]

Jaymes: I found out you need less almond extract then in the recipe....  I think it is  based on an older form of extract.

[FauxPas]

Are you guys sick of seeing my bread yet?  I kind of like posting everything here...it's like a diary that I can look at next year for ideas.

 

Not sick of seeing it at all! I love seeing the variations. Bring 'em on! 

[huiray]

Shelby, just wondering - you appear to pick your zucchini bounty when they are "developed".  I don't know how many plants you have but you do seem to end up with generous amounts of relatively large/"typically mature" sized zucchinis.

 

Why not pick some of them (if not most) while they are still babies, with or without the blossoms still "fresh" on them?  There are various things one can do with baby zucchinis and with the blossoms and/or with the baby zukes+blossoms attached... I have shown some examples here in this thread and on the dinner & lunch threads, and there are other ways of enjoying these tender delicacies.  One does not need to wait till the zucchinis are "fully grown"... and the quantity/volume of material one needs to use up or dispose of RAPIDLY diminishes...  :-)

[CatPoet]

 

Not a  perfect False  curd cake  but  my oven keeps opening the door  during baking and  also using lactose free milk makes everything a bit non perfect. I got no edge this time, normally it is a golden  cake with a golden edge.  The spots comes from the almonds, I didnt have time to skin them.

 

 

Served  luke warm  and with whipped cream and  gooseberry goo.  YUMMY!!!

My husband said it was the closes you can get to a Swedish  ostkaka  ( yes I know that translate  to cheese cake, but it more like a  Yorkshire curd tart  then an American Cheese cake and it is made of curds and not cream cheese).   When I told him it was zukes , he just looked at me and said, I hate  zukes and I said I know, he then thanked me for not telling him before hand because this cakes has to be made again.

 

The difference I did, I mixed it semi smooth   and not mashed it,   that made a more ostkake texture for me and I had less almond extract .  I guess the extract in the 80 ties was way milder.  And  I also chopped some of the almonds because curd cake from my area has both grind and  chopped and that is what I am used too. And as always I half the recipe.

Edited July 29, 2014 by CatPoet (log)

[Jaymes]

 

Not a  perfect False  curd cake  but  my oven keeps opening the door  during baking and  also using lactose free milk makes everything a bit non perfect. I got no edge this time, normally it is a golden  cake with a golden edge.  The spots comes from the almonds, I didnt have time to skin them.

 

 

Served  luke warm  and with whipped cream and  gooseberry goo.  YUMMY!!!

My husband said it was the closes you can get to a Swedish  ostkaka  ( yes I know that translate  to cheese cake, but it more like a  Yorkshire curd tart  then an American Cheese cake and it is made of curds and not cream cheese).   When I told him it was zukes , he just looked at me and said, I hate  zukes and I said I know, he then thanked me for not telling him before hand because this cakes has to be made again.

 

The difference I did, I mixed it semi smooth   and not mashed it,   that made a more ostkake texture for me and I had less almond extract .  I guess the extract in the 80 ties was way milder.  And  I also chopped some of the almonds because curd cake from my area has both grind and  chopped and that is what I am used too. And as always I half the recipe.

 

I'm having a hard time relating this to anything with which I'm familiar.  Is the texture "cake-like"?  Or more like a pudding?  Or a quiche? Or what?

 

Obviously, I'm just going to have to make it.

[Shelby]

Shelby, just wondering - you appear to pick your zucchini bounty when they are "developed".  I don't know how many plants you have but you do seem to end up with generous amounts of relatively large/"typically mature" sized zucchinis.

 

Why not pick some of them (if not most) while they are still babies, with or without the blossoms still "fresh" on them?  There are various things one can do with baby zucchinis and with the blossoms and/or with the baby zukes+blossoms attached... I have shown some examples here in this thread and on the dinner & lunch threads, and there are other ways of enjoying these tender delicacies.  One does not need to wait till the zucchinis are "fully grown"... and the quantity/volume of material one needs to use up or dispose of RAPIDLY diminishes...  :-)

I know, I know....it just seems like one evening they are too tiny and by morning they are grown-ups lol.  

[CatPoet]

Jaymes  It is more pudding like..  A bit like creme brulé  in texture. It is soft and creamy  and slightly grainy but in a nice way.  It feels like when a quiche has set when it is done. If it is like sponge cake then it wrong.

[loki]

Had fried zucchini today.  Reminds me of county fairs and some fast food joints that would make this.  They did not serve with soy-vinegar-ginger sauce though. That was so long ago that Ranch was not even an option...

 

 

Fried Zucchini

 

Batter

1/3 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup flour

Beer - not hoppy or bitter (I used a Wit beer) - part of a bottle

 

Large zucchini (seeds are starting to develop but not stringy yet - I love this stage) cut into large 'fingers' - about 1/2 X 1/2 X 4 inches - 20 or so (you may only need half a zucchini for this)

Peanut oil to deep-fry

Salt - to taste

 

Batter:  Mix cornstarch and flour.  Add beer, about 1/2 cup and mix.  If not battery enough add more.  Should be like pancake batter (whipping cream) consistancy.  Not too thick, not too thin.

 

Frying

Dip zucchini chunks in and add to peanut oil at about 375 F. I used a wok.  Fry till done - about 5 minutes. The batter should just coat the zucchini - not be too thick and doughy (add more beer if necessary - or more flour if too thin). Remove and sprinkle with salt.

 

Good with a soy-vinegar-ginger sauce (with a little sugar), or other dipping sauces of your choosing.

 

Another favorite.

 

Zucchini with Parmesan 

 

Small Zucchini this time - about 4-5 inches - cut in half - about 6

Parmesan Cheese - grated - 1/4 cup

Olive oil - 2 TBL

Salt - To taste

 

Blanch zucchini till nearly tender - about 4 minutes in salted water.  Remove and put in cold water (no need for ice).  Dry and put on a heat-proof tray cut side up.  Sprinkle with Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil (not all), and sprinkle with salt).  Place under broiler - not too close - and cook till cheese starts to get crispy. You can do this in a 400 F oven too. Take out and drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve.  Had this at an Italian/American restaurant and was blown away at how good zucchini could be!

[huiray]

Zucchini-tomato-beans sauce, with radiatore.  Details here.