In Season - Zucchini

We are most familiar with zucchini as the bland, over steamed companion of chicken at the wedding dinner. Zucchini is mellow, mild and sometimes mushy. It’s like the nice guy at work that you would never date. It is self-effacing, never taking all of the credit. Zucchini is the edible equivalent of those practical black shoes.

This is, in fact, what makes zucchini ideal for comfort foods like breads, muffins, and stews. Zucchini knows how to be a team player. Zucchini can surprise and delight when awakened by the right spice or when paired with a more vivacious companion. It can be buttery, as in the Zucchini Mash recipe below. It can be cinnamon-browned
and sweet, as in moist Zucchini Cranberry Bread. It can even be spicy, as in my ultimate comfort food, Thai Red Curry. Please let me know what you think after you try these recipes.

Zucchini-Cranberry Bread

I altered this one slightly from the one I found on cookinglight.com. I love dried cranberries so I added those. I replaced lemon rind with lemon zest. And egg replacer be gone!

TIME

1 hour, 30 minutes

Time actively spent in preparation: 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup canola oil
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups shredded zucchini (12 ounces) ¼ cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Butter for coating loaf pan

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through baking soda) in a large bowl.

Combine eggs, canola oil, lemon zest, and vanilla extract in a large bowl; add sugar, stirring until combined. Add zucchini; stir until well combined. Add flour mixture; stir just until combined. Stir in cranberries and walnuts.

Divide batter evenly between 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with butter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

YIELD

2 (8 X 4-inch) loaves. I actually got 3 (6 x 3-inch) inch tea loaves.

Thai Red Curry with Tofu or Chicken

TIME

40 minutes

Time actively spent in preparation: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 (14 oz. can) Coconut Milk Regular or Lite (divided)

1 Tbs. Red Curry Paste (or to taste)

1 Tbs. brown sugar

Lime juice

1 tsp. sesame oil

Jasmine rice

Vegetables of your choice (Zucchini, yellow summer squash mushrooms, eggplant, bean sprouts ,red and green peppers, snap peas, and water chestnuts are all good.)

Chicken (Optional- The chicken should be lightly precooked in peanut or sesame oil)

Tofu (Optional – The tofu is best when first pan fried in oil for crispiness and texture.)

Fish sauce

Basil leaves, chopped

In a wok or large skillet, heat half a can of the coconut milk. Stir in red curry paste and cook until well blended. Add the remaining coconut milk, brown sugar, and a squeeze or two of lime juice. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the jasmine rice, according to package directions. Add 1 tsp. of sesame oil to make it less likely to stick to the bottom of the cooking pot.

After the curry has simmered for 5 minutes, add any vegetables you would like, as well as the slightly cooked chicken. Generally add more solid, harder vegetables first, and then add softer vegetables (like mushrooms) later. Cook until vegetables are tender. Then add tofu, if you are using it. Stir in fish sauce (a very little goes a long way) and fresh basil. Add salt to taste, but taste first, as fish sauce adds a lot of salt. Serve with cooked jasmine rice.

YIELD

5 servings

Zucchini Mash

Click here for the link to the epicurious.com recipe for this creamy, buttery side dish. It’s a good match for some other comfort food like pork chops.