Zucchini Cordon Bleu

Slice a zucchini lenghthwise. Place on a pie pan skin side down and drizzle olive oil on top. Generously sprinkle with cracked black pepper. Add strips of thinly sliced ham. Put zucchini/ham into the oven and turn it to 400 degrees. When it reaches that temp, let it bake for 5 minutes.

Take it out and add slices of jarlsberg cheese. Put under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and brown. C’est tout.

 

It’s good served with Tabasco Chipotle sauce for a spicy zip.

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Balsamic Slaw

Cut half a red cabbage into medium-thick shredded strips. Place in a large bowl. Add long-cut medium-thick strips of carrots. About 3:1 cabbage to carrots. Add 6 thinly sliced scallions, white ends with some of the green.

Add 1/2 cup + to taste Balsamic vinegar. Fini brand is great. Add 1 tbs. Dijon mustard. Season with celery salt and a generous amount of ground black pepper.

Toss thoroughly with 2 forks and serve at room temperature with your favorite grilled steak or burger.

Brussel Sprouts 2 Ways

Roasted

Trim & cut brussel sprouts in half lengthwise. In a bowl, toss the sprouts in a little olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder & ground black pepper. Place sprouts on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, until brown and crispy. They will be soft and sweet inside.

Carmelized

Trim brussel sprouts, cut very large ones in half, otherwise keep whole. In a large saucepan, cover the brussel sprouts with cold water and add a dash of sea salt. Cover and bring to boil. Uncover and let boil down until all the water is gone. Add 2+ pats butter and ground black pepper and stir the brussel sprouts on medium high heat until butter is brown. A softer nuttier taste than roasted.

4 Zucchini – 2 Meals

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

 

 

2 medium zucchini
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp. salt

Into a colander, grate zucchini (peeled or partially peeled) on medium holes of box grater. Add diced bell pepper and salt. Let stand in colander for 10 minutes to render moisture. Wring out water with cheesecloth or paper towel.

Mix together:

1/3 cup all purpose flour
kosher salt
ground black pepper
pepperoncini flakes
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves minced garlic

Add grated zucchini and diced bell pepper and blend well.

In a large skillet, with olive oil to coat and a little butter on medium high heat, ladle the mixture into round mounds with a tablespoon and fry on both sides until golden brown & crispy on the outside. Let cool. Refrigerate to reheat later.

 

 

Note: If I had scallions, I would have added them, thinly sliced as well.

 

 

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut 2 zucchini crosswise in half. Trim off the ends. Slice lengthwise into thin flat strips. Slice 6-8 mushrooms.

In a small bowl, beat together 1 cup ricotta and 1 egg, dry basil to taste. Slice 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese.

Use a non-stick loaf pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with your favorite marinara sauce. Add half the zucchini strips, half the mushrooms. Season with dried oregano and ground black pepper. Spoon half the ricotta in dollops over the zucchini & mushrooms. Add half the mozzarella cheese. Pour marinara sauce on top to cover all the vegetables and cheese.

Repeat layering the rest of the zucchini, mushrooms, season again. Add the rest of the ricotta in dollops and mozzarella. Top with another covering of marinara sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let set or refrigerate covered for next day reheat.

 

 

 

Note:  Could brown ground beef in a skillet, let cool and then add it as a meat layer. Also, leftover cooked veal or pork chop cut into small pieces.

 

Carmelized Rutabaga

Cut the skin off a medium to large rutabaga (yellow turnip). Chop into 1″ sized pieces. Put into a large saucepan and cover with cold water and season with salt. Boil uncovered until the turnips are soft and there is no water left in the pan. Add 2-3 large pats of butter and stir on medium high heat letting the turnips brown in the butter. Add generous amount of ground black pepper.

Serve as is in chunks, or hand mash.

Roasted Zucchini

Trim and quarter zucchinis. Place in a bowl and coat with olive oil. Season with garlic powder, sea salt, pepper. Roll zucchini pieces until coated on all sides with spices and olive oil. Place zucchini in a pie plate or baking sheet skin side down and shred parmesan or asiago cheese on top of each piece.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast zucchini until golden brown on top & cheese bubbly. About 15-20 minutes depending on thickness.

Use same method but without the cheese as well for a lighter side dish.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Chop the following into medium-sized chunks: 1 large purple carrot, 1 large red carrot, 2 medium white carrots, 1 medium orange carrot, a few stalks of celery, 1/2 medium red onion. Cut half a small cabbage into shreds. Drain a can of black or white beans. Open a small can tomato paste. 2 boxes Pacific chicken broth.

In a large stock pot, brown the carrots, celery and onions in a little olive oil. In the middle of the pot, brown a small can of tomato paste. Stir into the vegetables. Add 2 boxes chicken broth plus water to cover. Season with garlic, ground black pepper, celery salt to taste. Add the black beans and cabbage. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until all vegetables are cooked through and tender.

Garnish with shredded jack cheese and serve with hard crust bread.

Savory Couscous

In a small casserole dish mix together 1 1/2 cups couscous, 1/3 cup crushed capers and 1 small zucchini peeled and finely chopped. Season with oregano, basil, garlic powder and pepperoncini flakes to taste.

In a small sauce pan, boil 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1/4 stick butter. When stock and butter are boiled, pour into the casserole dish over the couscous, zucchini and capers. Swish around and cover the dish. Let sit off heat for at least 10 minutes.

Uncover and fluff with a fork. Serve as a side dish with fish.

Zucchinetti Colitti

In our family, they rhyme.

Clean and pat dry several zucchini squashes. Trim ends. Slice lenghthwise into thin flat pieces. Then slice each piece into long thin strips. Like spaghetti.

In a skillet, heat olive oil and brown a small chopped red onion and a couple rough chopped Crimini mushrooms. Season with garlic powder, oregano to taste. Deglaze with half a cup dry red wine. Add 1 can whole San Marzano tomatoes. Chop and stir. Add basil and red pepper flakes. Stir. Reduce sauce by half on low heat. Add the zucchinetti strips and stir until coated with sauce and slightly soft.

Serve with grated cheese and lemon zest.

 

Can add any chopped meat in the browning process if desired for a heartier meal.