Red Goose Gardens

Zucchini Fritters

From SmittenKitchen.com: Adapted from Simply Recipes

Yield: About 10 2 1/2 inch fritters

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste
2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying

To serve (optional)
1 cup sour cream or plain, full-fat yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinches of salt
1 small minced or crushed clove of garlic

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have a baking sheet ready.

1.  Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor. The latter is my favorite as I’m convinced it creates the coarsest and most rope-like strands and frankly, I like my fritters to look like mops.

2.  In a large bowl, toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring out the zucchini in one of the following ways: pressing it against the holes of a colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water, squeezing out small handfuls at a time, or wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing away. You’ll be shocked (I was!) by the amount of liquid you’ll lose, but this is a good thing as it will save the fritters from sogginess.

3.  Return deflated mass of zucchini shreds to bowl. Taste and if you think it could benefit from more salt (most rinses down the drain), add a little bit more; we found 1/4 teaspoon more just right. Stir in scallions, egg and some freshly ground black pepper. In a tiny dish, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir the mixture into the zucchini batter.

4.  In a large heavy skillet — cast iron is dreamy here — heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet only a few at a time so they don’t become crowded and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of your spatula. Cook the fritters over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you find this happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed. Repeat process, keeping the pan well-oiled, with remaining batter. I like to make sure that the fritters have at least 10 minutes in the oven to finish setting and getting extra crisp.

5.  For the topping, if using, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, zest, salt and garlic and adjust the flavors to your taste. Dollop on each fritter before serving. These fritters are also delicious with a poached or fried egg on top, trust me.

Do ahead: These fritters keep well, either chilled in the fridge for the better part of a week and or frozen in a well-sealed package for months. When you’re ready to use them, simply spread them out on a tray in a 325 degree oven until they’re hot and crisp again.

 

Summer Squash Pizza with Basil & Feta

1 small zucchini squash, very thinly sliced

1 small yellow squash, very thinly sliced

3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 ball of pizza dough (preferably whole wheat)

1 1/2 cup of grated Mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup of crumbled Feta cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/4 lemon

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1.  Toss the squash slices with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, then thoroughly drain off any excess liquid.

2.   In a small bowl, whisk together the other two tablespoons of olive oil with the Parmesan cheese, garlic and dried basil.

3.  Sprinkle the cornmeal over a cutting board.

4.  Roll the dough ball out into a round or a rectangle, depending on your baking pan and how thick you like your pizza crust.

5.  Transfer the crust to a baking pan.

6.  Brush the pizza crust with the olive oil and Parmesan mixture.

7.  Sprinkle the crust with the Mozzarella cheese and top with the sliced squash.

8.  Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

Sprinkle the pizza with the Feta, chopped fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

 

Zucchini Alfredo

Adapted from Food Network Magazine March 2010

1 lb package fettuccini noodles   

½ cup chopped basil

3 TBLS vegetable oil

5 cups shredded zucchini

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup milk

1 chopped onion (or green onions)   

salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces cream cheese, cubed   

1 tsp Cajun spice (or another spice of your choosing)

grated Parmesan cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350

1.  Cook noodles.

2.  Sauté garlic and onion then add basil.

3.  Mix in zucchini, and cook 10 minutes, until some of the moisture has evaporated.

4.  Pour the milk into the skillet, and stir in cream cheese until melted.

5.  Season with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

6.  Mix in noodles.

7.  Spread in baking dish and sprinkle cheese on top.

8.  Bake on 350 for 20 minutes.

 

Zucchini Cakes (In the spirit of crab cakes)

Adapted from The Life’s Ambrosia’s recipe

1 large zucchini, grated

1 large egg

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Salt/pepper to taste

1 tbsp Adobo spices

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

 

1.  Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing.

* There will be a LOT of excess liquid, so I suggest you squeeze over the sink.

2.  In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

3.  Heat a large pan on medium, and spray with Pam. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2-inch (diameter) patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown.

4.  Finish the cakes off in the oven — stick them on a baking pan and broil them for 1-2 minutes.

* Note: I skipped this step when I made my cakes, so the sides were still kind of soft — not really a problem in terms of taste, but if you want a nice crust to form on the sides too, finishing them off in the oven should do the trick.

Serve hot, alone or with a creamy dressing.

 

Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

From "A Dash of Sass" Cooking blog

2 cups zucchini, grated
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Chips)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper leaving 1 inch of the paper hanging over the edge to create handles. Grease parchment paper. Set aside.
2.  Grate zucchini. Press with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Fluff with a fork, set aside.
3.  In a large bowl, beat together oil, eggs, agave or honey and vanilla. Add zucchini.
4.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
5.  Add dry mixture to the wet/zucchini mixture. Stir to combine. Add chocolate chips.
6.  Pour batter into prepared pan.
7.  Bake 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.  Remove from pan using parchment paper handles.  Serve chilled for a fudgy brownie or warmed for a gooey, cakey brownie.

 

EatingWell.com has tons of great recipe ideas! Enjoy!