Grate zucchini
Zucchini and walnut loaf
You know how, at this time each year, most of us have too many zucchini and can’t seem to give them away for love nor money as everyone else is in the same boat? Well, this year our crop of zucchini was a disaster and I can tell you, it’s worse not having any at all. I seem to dream of the 101 things that I would be doing with them, had I some to do things with. Feast or famine….inspirational at the very least.
Our family has been making zucchini cake forever and it is still a good way to use up any surplus. These taste wonderful, freeze well, stay moist, can be eaten plain for good health or tarted up with a pat of butter or a light lemon icing. Use cream cheese icing if you want to go all the way.
Zucchini and walnut Loaf
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
2½ cups grated raw zucchini
2 cups of raw sugar
4 eggs
11/3 cups canola or grape seed oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1½ cups of walnuts
½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 cups of wholemeal flour
2 cups of white flour
Grease and line two loaf tins with baking paper. Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Mix together in another bowl the eggs, zucchini, sugar, oil, walnuts and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix thoroughly. Turn into the loaf tins and bake at 180°C for 1 hour or until they test cooked. Remove from the oven and leave a little before turning out onto a rack to finish cooling.
A friend from the USA recently sent me the DVD of Julia Child’s The Way To Cook. There are many amusing bits, and she nearly drove my husband mad when I made him watch 17 ways to cook beef, lamb and pork as one after another succulent joint was retrieved from the oven and beautifully carved in front of us (maybe next time we will have dinner BEFORE watching). In one recipe she strains the cooking juices and flavour vegetables from the roasting dish and seems surprised to see the muslin bag containing the herb bouquet she had added three hours earlier now looking a little worse for wear. “And there’s that ‘thing’,” she declares in her distinctive high-pitched voice. “…looks like a dead mouse…and after straining we simply reduce the liquid a little and...”.
As a vegetable she serves sautéed grated zucchini and it takes just minutes to cook.
Julia Child’s Grated Sautéed Zucchini
1½ lbs zucchini (about 3 cups, grated).
Scrub zucchini under running water. Shave off the ends but do not peel. Grate and toss in a colander with half a teaspoon of salt and let it sweat for 20 minutes. Squeeze by handfuls to remove excess moisture. Heat two tablespoons of butter in a non-stick pan and add a tablespoon of finely chopped shallots. Sauté for a minute and add the zucchini and toss over a high heat for a minute or two, until just tender. Serve on a heated serving dish. Serves 4.
Grated zucchini can be added to so many dishes without fussy children (especially those who have an aversion to anything green) even knowing. Hamburger patties, muffins, fritters, quiche, soups, pasta sauces, pizza toppings, meatballs or meatloaf, frittatas, pilafs, risottos or this zucchini slice. The added bacon will win them over! This is from an old Australian Woman’s Weekly cookbook, not very fancy but extremely reliable, and this recipe is fantastic for a picnic.
Zucchini Slice
375g zucchini
1 large onion
3 rashers of bacon, lightly fried and chopped
1 cup of grated cheese
1 cup of self raising flour, sifted
½ cup of canola or grape seed oil
5 eggs
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grate unpeeled zucchini coarsely, finely chop the onion and add to the bacon in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix together well. Pour into a greased and baking-paper-lined lamington tin (16cm x 26cm).
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Cool and cut into slices. Serve with a crisp salad or coleslaw.
Fiona Feasey
