Summer Zucchini and Tomatoes

Summer always makes me think of my lovely mother, who left this earth some time ago…while she was here one of her passions was gardening and growing veggies in the summer. Tomatoes were her favorite and so I always think of her when I think of homegrown tomatoes. If you have not had one, try a tomato fresh from the garden at your local farmer’s market or health food store…it may not change your life, but it could change your palate…. you will never enjoy a tomato as much as when it is fresh picked.

As another summer wanes we are blessed with an abundance of zucchini and tomatoes. This summer I did not plant much of a garden because of the drought. Luckily a dear friend shared her generous crop with me and brought me two huge zucchini and two bags of various sized tomatoes.

I started thinking about how I could use the tomatoes and zucchini together and came up with a variation of eggplant Parmesan, substituting zucchini and creating a lighter version and making a quick sausage tomato sauce. You can easily leave out the meat for a vegetarian version.  This combination is a winner for combining these two summer favorites….and a hit with my friends.   Recipe follows:

Fresh Zucchini Tomato Parmesan

Ingredients for Layers:

2 large or 4 medium zucchini – chop half of the zucchini in thin slices and dice the other half.
¾ - 1 cup good quality bread crumbs
2 eggs (each beaten separately, one for cheese and one for breaded zucchini)
Olive oil
Pinch oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper
8 ounces mozzarella, shredded
8 ounce container ricotta
½ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

Ingredients for Sauce:
32 ounce can crushed tomatoes
8-10 fresh tomatoes, diced (I prefer to leave peels on)
1/2 teaspoon each, oregano, basil, thyme – if using fresh herbs use a bit more diced finely
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium diced onion
2-3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 sweet Italian chicken sausages
2 hot Italian pork or chicken sausages

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, prepare a large rimmed baking sheet by brushing it with oil.  Put bread crumbs in one shallow bowl or rimmed plate and add pinch of spices.  Put 1 beaten egg in another shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in egg and then crumbs and place on baking sheet. Drizzle  slices lightly with a little more olive oil. Put in oven and bake 15 minutes. Check and bake another 15-20 minutes until light golden and fork tender (poke with fork or point of knife).

Meanwhile prepare sauce – in a large (3 quart) saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Slice sausages lengthwise and remove meat from casings – crumble into pan and using wooden spoon, cook on medium heat till pink color is gone and meat is small crumbles. Add diced onion and garlic and cook till onions are softened and translucent. Add spices and tomato sauce. Bring just to boiling and turn down to low – add chopped tomatoes and cover – let simmer while the rest of the ingredients are being prepared.

Combine mozzarella and ricotta cheeses with one beaten egg in a bowl.  Mix well.

When all ingredients are done you are ready to build your parmesan.
Using a 9 x 13 inch oblong rimmed baking dish layer ingredients in the following order:
Ladle sauce to cover the bottom of the pan,
Cover with slices of breaded zucchini,
spread some of the cheese mixture over the zucchini to cover it.
Ladle more sauce and layer with diced zucchini and any remaining slices of breaded zucchini,
spread with the remaining cheese.
Ladle sauce to cover the top and sprinkle with parmesan or romano cheese.
Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 30-45 minutes till bubbling.
Let sit about 10-15 minutes before serving.

A serving of the parmesan 

Enjoy with a green salad and a glass of your favorite Italian wine or beer if desired.

Mom 

Until next time… may you find enjoyment in food and nature,

Marla

You Can't Rush a Chicken ...what I learned this week

This Week I found out you can’t rush a chicken…even an experienced cook has her bloopers.  Thanks to my farm fresh veggies the meal was not a total disaster.

Once or twice a month I love to pick up a whole organic chicken (brined if I can find one) and slow roast it for a Sunday dinner and leftovers for a few days.  My foolproof recipe is to snip herbs from my garden (whatever suits my fancy that week…such as rosemary and oregano and maybe even some lemon verbena) and stuff it inside the cavity of the bird. I tie the tip of the drumsticks together with string and sometimes even tie the wings into the body and lay the chicken on a bed of chopped onions in a shallow roasting pan large enough that the chicken fits completely inside. Season with pepper (and salt if it is not brined) and squeeze one-half lemon and a light drizzle of olive oil over the top of the chicken.  Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, squeeze the other half of the lemon over the top and bake 45 minutes more till golden brown. Let rest 15 minutes before carving.  It is usually perfect and still juicy.

Yesterday I rushed the process – 375 for one hour and 15 minutes and then put in the refrigerator and added 30 more minutes later because it was not done…. The chicken was chewy and tough. I was so disappointed. I couldn’t even give it to my dog because she is allergic to chicken.

My dog Roxy...she is prettier than the chicken 

Luckily my vegetables turned out gorgeous and delicious.  I had green beans, broccoli, carrots, baby summer squash (round zucchini and yellow patty pan) and a few stalks of skinny asparagus left from last week's trip to the farmer's market that I did not want to go to waste.  Here they are (the chopsticks are for practice….when it comes to hitting a golf ball and eating with chopsticks I am a perennial beginner….always in need of more practice)…Recipe follows.

Yummy Summer Mixed Veggies

2 carrots – thinly sliced

Handful asparagus – chopped in 1 or 2 inch pieces

Broccoli broken into florets and then sliced in 1 inch pieces

Green beans chopped in 1 or 2 inch pieces

Summer squash cut into 1 or 2 inch cubes

Dill seed (about 1 -2 teaspoons)

Coarse sea salt and pepper

1 cube vegetarian bouillon (I use “Not Chick’n” from the health food store)

½ cup water

In a 10 or 12-inch sauté pan put a generous tablespoon or more of olive oil and gently heat while cleaning and chopping the vegetables.

Chop all vegetables and put in a large colander to wash them off. When oil is heated put veggies in pan and add water; turn to medium high heat. when water starts to boil add dill seed and crumble bouillon cube over the top and stir to mix it in. Cover pan for about 5-8 minutes or until the vegetables are bright colored and still crisp. Uncover and turn off heat. Give a stir. 

Eat as a side dish or over your favorite pasta or rice.

Note: If you are not a fan of dill you can use cumin seed or any of your favorite herbs.

Until next time… may you find enjoyment in food and nature,

Marla

Sweet and Sour Cabbage - Unstuffed

Inside Out Rolled Cabbage

I have been buying the most beautiful slightly sweet tasting fresh cabbage at a local farm stand that is actually known for their strawberries. …The best-kept secret is the other veggies that are sometimes available here are deliciously fresh too.  Wherever you live fresh cabbage is readily available this time of year so I hope you can find a nice fresh head for this recipe.  Besides being delicious, cabbage is amazingly good for you. 

I have been making lots of cabbage dishes these last few weeks and wanted to do something different. My Austrian Grandmother made delicious sweet and sour cabbage rolls and I was thinking of them this weekend. However, after catching up on some overdue trimming and weeding in the garden, I did not feel like going to all the trouble to make the cabbage rolls.  I came up with this dish to get the same flavors in one pot with a little bit of work and most of the time spent simmering the ingredients together on the stove. I also used turkey instead of beef for a lighter version of this dish that I usually crave for cold weather.

Inside Out Cabbage Rolls with Rice

1 large or 2 medium sweet onions

1-pound ground turkey

1 small to medium head of green cabbage

1 good size juicy lemon

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper

1 Bay leaf

1 can chopped tomatoes in juice (16 ounce)

Olive oil

About 3 quart size large rimmed sauté pan with lid

Rice – White or Brown, from scratch or pre-made

Before you start the cabbage if you are making rice from scratch – put on your rice. You can also use microwave rice if desired – Trader Joe's has a good organic brown rice that takes 3 minutes and it is delicious - you can find it in the freezer section. I keep some on hand in case I don't have time to make rice from scratch. 

I made an old world pilaf with this dish – it is different types of rice with some beans and lentils  that comes pre-packaged from the health food store – It takes about 45-50 minutes – I started it before I sautéed the onions and both dishes were ready at the same time.

Put about 1-2 tablespoons in large sauté pan. Heat on medium.

Meanwhile chop the onions in large dice. Put onions in pan and cook a few minutes till they start to turn translucent. Add ground turkey and stir breaking up the meat and mixing with the onions and let the turkey brown and the onions soften.  While onion and turkey is cooking, core the cabbage and rough chop – cut in wedges and then cut the wedges into strips and then cut those in smaller pieces.

Salt and pepper the onion and turkey mixture and add a bay leaf. Add the canned tomatoes with juice, the juice from the lemon, the brown sugar and the apple cider vinegar.  Mix together and add one-half cup more liquid if desired (water or some stock) – you want it juicy to steam the cabbage and make a sauce but not too wet.

When the mixture starts to boil add the cabbage, cover and steam for about 30 minutes on medium low heat. Check and stir periodically to make sure the cabbage is getting mixed in with all of the flavors.

Enjoy!

Until next time… may you find enjoyment in food and nature,

Marla