Curried Zucchini Soup

What am I doing cooking out-of-season vegetables? There have been dark days of winter when I challenged myself to cook almost exclusively with local produce, and I have to say that it changed how I shop and how I cook, generally for the better. I became interested in the seasonal cuisines of other parts of the world with similar climates. The result is that so-called Mediterranean-inspired food was not in the picture during late fall and winter. No eggplants or zucchini, tomatoes or peppers, unless they’re home-canned or dried. In those dark days, nary a summer squash would enter the house. Except for one thing.

I have an urge, born of innate frugality, to “rescue” slightly tired vegetables from the clearance area of our local organic produce market, affectionately known as the “soup bin” and also from a local grocery store. Who could pass up six organic zucchini for under a dollar, even if they have a few nicks? I recently was served a curried zucchini soup somewhere when I was traveling and I thought how nice it would be to make some, if only I’d remember that moment in July. But no, those ‘”seconds” in the market were too good to pass up and fulfilled my hankering for this slightly spicy soup.

This is a delicious soup that belies the simplicity of its ingredients and preparation: onions sautéed in vegetable oil, curry spices added to blend, chopped zucchini and a little potato cooked with water until tender, and blended.  Served as is, it was light and spicy, With the addition of a little cooked rice and yogurt, it became a heartier soup that felt appropriate in the winter.

Curried Zucchini Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp (to taste) good quality curry powder

3 medium or 5 small zucchini, scrubbed and cut into chunks

1 small white or yellow potato, peeled and cubed

Water (about 3-4 cups, more if needed)

Salt to taste

Optional: a cup or so of cooked rice

Optional: a spoonful of plain yogurt per bowl

Optional: herb garnish

In a medium-large pot over medium heat, saute the onion slowly in the oil until translucent. Add the curry powder and stir to combine, cooking slightly. Add the zucchini and potato and continue to sauté until the surfaces are well covered. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat so that the liquid simmers. Partially cover the pot. Cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 15 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or process in a food processor). Add salt to taste.

Serve as is, garnished with herbs, or place cooked rice in the bottom of a soup bowl, ladle on the soup and top with a spoonful of yogurt (or heavy cream).

Serves 6.

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Summer Squash and Tomato Tian

As summer winds down, the oven goes on. A Provence-inspired tian is perfect for the season. Neat layers of sliced zucchini, crookneck squash and plum tomatoes nestle atop a bed of onions, all seasoned with fresh herbs – rosemary sage and thyme—and topped with olives. Beautiful and aromatic 

A tian is basically a layering of vegetables whose juices meld together while baking.  The word comes from the name of the vessel that traditionally held the vegetables (like the tagine of Moroccan cuisine). This is in contrast to a gratin, a word that comes from the French term for scrape. Perfect, since its characteristic is a topping of grated cheese and/or stale bread. This dish would be a gratin if topped with cheese or bread, and it would be delicious prepared that way.

Like most composed dishes, this requires some advance planning, but is equally fine tossed together as a jumble. I have frequently made this for parties and picnics since it can be assembled in advance and cooked at the last minute. It can be served hot or at room temperature.  And the leftovers are even more delectable, a great base for a poached egg for a simple lunch or supper (or in my case, a savory breakfast). 

The complexity of the dish is not just visual. It comes in part from the layering of vegetables whose juices meld during cooking. But the real source is the advance sauté of the onions and squash with a mixture of herbs. First, sliced onions are lightly cooked in olive oil and chopped sage, rosemary and thyme. (I like to halve the onion crosswise and lengthwise, then slice it lengthwise into half moons, or quarter it and slice it crosswise.) The onions are then placed in the bottom of a baking dish. I used an enameled cast iron but a terra cotta or ceramic dish is probably more traditional. Then squash slices are lightly sauteed the same way, until slightly brown but not mushy. This is essential to the character of the dish. You can layer them the way I did or simply toss them on top of the onions, tucking slices of tomato here and there and topping with olives. I add a few sprigs of thyme on top before baking and a few more as garnish.

The method came from Deborah Madison’s superb vegetable cookbook, The Savory Way. This is one of my favorite cookbooks not only because of the inspired cookery but also because of the graphic design. Good paper, nicely bound, well composed, decorated throughout with woodcuts. It’s a real pleasure to use.

Summer Squash and Tomato Tian adapted from Deborah Madison, Savory Way

Adjust the quantities according to the size of your baking dish. The amount of vegetables below will fill baking dishes of approximately 7×11 inches or 8×12 inches.

3-4 small-medium zucchini or summer squash, or a combination

4-6 plum tomatoes of roughly the same diameter

1 large yellow onion, preferably a sweet one

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp each sliced sage leaves, thyme leaves, chopped rosemary leaves

5 tbsp olive oil, divided

Salt

4-6 pitted Kalamata olives, quartered vertically

Additional sprigs of thyme

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the vegetables. Slice the squash into ¼-inch thick rounds. Slice the tomatoes into the same size pieces. Quarter the onion and slice it vertically into half moons. Chop or slice the garlic. Divide the herbs into two parts.

In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil and add the onions, the garlic, half the herbs and a little salt. Cook slowly until the onions have wilted but don’t brown them. Place the mixture in the baking dish.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the pan and add the squash, the remaining chopped herbs and a little salt. Saute over medium high heat for a few minutes until slightly wilted. A few pieces will be lightly browned. Arrange the squash rounds in row in the baking dish, interspersing them with the tomatoes. (You can do this neatly in rows or more informally.)

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil on top, add the sliced olives, a little salt, and some sprigs of thyme, reserving some for the final garnish. (The dish can be made ahead to this point.)

Bake, covered with foil, for about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Serves 4-6.

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Potato, Zucchini and Pepper Tian

That’s just a fancy name for scalloped potatoes. Except that these really are special. I didn’t know what to call this. “Casserole” would send my husband over the edge, thinking of the concoctions his mother fed him as a child.

What I like about this is how the addition of salt and olive oil between layers, and baking covered with foil, turns a layering of simple vegetables into an almost unctuous (in a good sense) mélange.  Like much of my cooking, this is more method than a recipe, and the ingredients are not precise.  Simply layer thinly sliced potatoes and zucchini, sprinkle with a little olive oil and salt, and add a scattering of sliced red peppers and fresh thyme leaves. Repeat the layers, arranging the potatoes and zucchini neatly, and sprinkle with more salt, thyme leaves and olive oil. Cover tightly with foil, and bake in an oven heated to 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Tomatoes can be substituted for the peppers, sliced onion can be added, fish can be baked on top after the potatoes are partially cooked, and you can vary the herbs.

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Zucchini, Corn and Red Pepper Pancakes

A quick meal on a hot summer night, vegetable pancakes whip up in no time. Zucchini pancakes are of course the classic, another in a long line of tricks to use up the bounteous harvest. Here I combined them with corn kernels, red pepper and basil. Served with corn on the cob and sliced nectarines, they were just the right supper for an evening in the garden.

Zucchini, Corn and Red Pepper Pancakes

2 medium zucchini (about 3/4 lb)

Salt

½ c fresh corn kernels

¼ c finely diced red pepper

1-2 leaves Genovese basil, shredded

1/3 c flour

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

Butter and/or vegetable oil

Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Place the shreds in a colander and lightly salt them, setting aside to drain for about 30 minutes or so. Squeeze in a towel to get as much liquid out of them as possible.

If the corn is tough, shallow-boil it for a minute in a little water and set aside to drain thoroughly.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Heat a cast iron griddle on the stove over medium heat so that it is uniformly hot when the batter is ready.

Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the drained zucchini, corn, red pepper and basil. Fold in the flour mixture until no traces of flour remain.

Add a little butter and/or vegetable oil to the heated griddle. Spoon on the zucchini batter to form 2-2½ inch cakes and cook slowly over medium-low heat for a few minutes until the bottom is browned and the top is starting to dry. Flip to brown the other side and remove to a plate. Keep them warm while you prepare the rest.

Makes about twelve 2½-inch pancakes.

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Zucchini, Peas and White Fish in Thai Red Curry Sauce

We were hot and hungry. We wanted quick and simple comfort food in the stunning heat of summer, something seasonal and light but spicy, done in 10 minutes, 15 tops. With the last of the shelling peas, young zucchini, a local white fish called hake, and Thai basil in my garden that needed pinching, I figured I could throw together a quick curry. My pantry provided the rest: coconut milk, fish sauce, raw cane sugar, bottled Thai red curry paste and some of its ingredients to give it oomph. The ingredients for red curry are no mystery and are attainable. I just didn’t have them all on hand and didn’t feel like venturing into the heat to find them. I thought the bottled red curry paste was a little flat, so I added dried lime leaves, lime juice and a little ground hot red pepper. I have ginger (though not Thai ginger called galangal) and lemongrass growing but not ready to eat. Otherwise, I could have done the curry from scratch.

This curry couldn’t be simpler or more immediate. You can prepare the vegetables while the curry paste and coconut milk are simmered to the point of getting acquainted, so to speak. Other seasonings are added and then the vegetables, in order of the length of time it takes to cook them (here, peas first, then cubed zucchini). After a couple of minutes, the fish (or shellfish) is added to poach gently for a couple of minutes and the mélange is finished with a handful of Thai basil leaves that wilt almost immediately. I like to serve this on rice noodles or bean threads, which soak in hot water while the curry is being cooked. Rice works too but you have to start it before everything else.  

Zucchini, Peas and White Fish in Thai Red Curry Sauce

1 14-oz can coconut milk (light is fine and is what I used)

2 tbsp bottled Thai red curry paste

Optional or alternatively: chopped lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal (Thai ginger), hot red pepper (i.e., the ingredients of Thai red curry)

2 tbsp Thai fish sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar (I use Demerara or organic raw cane sugar)

1 c shelled peas

1 small zucchini, cut into ¼ to1/3-inch cubes

½ lb white fish (cod, hake etc.) or raw shrimp or even scallops

Optional: soy sauce or salt or additional fish sauce

Optional: red pepper

Optional:  freshly squeezed lime juice

¼ c Thai basil leaves or to taste

Rice noodles, bean threads, or rice

Place half the can of coconut milk in a large sauté pan and whisk in the curry paste to blend well. Add the remaining coconut milk and the optional extra curry seasonings if using them and blend well. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the fish sauce, brown sugar, and peas. Simmer for 2 minutes and add the zucchini. Simmer for 2-4 minutes or until the zucchini softens just slightly, then add the fish. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Taste the broth and add something salty, something hot or something citrusy. This will largely depend on the flavors of the Thai curry paste or its ingredients. Add the Thai basil leaves to wilt and serve immediately over rice noodles, bean threads or rice. Note that the rice noodles and bean threads can be soaked in boiled water while the curry is being assembled and will be ready at the same time.  Rice needs a longer cooking time and should be started while you assemble the ingredients.

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Springtime Pasta and Beans Two Ways: Zucchini with Lemon, and Spinach with Spring Onions

These are not your mother’s pasta fazool. But true to the peasant origins of the traditional Italian dish, they both use seasonal ingredients along with pantry staples. Just what we need as the earth reawakens in April, and spinach and spring onions are found in the market or garden. I made two version of this during the week, both with snowcap beans, a flavorful two-color cannellini, organic whole wheat pasta, and a dollop of ricotta cheese.  Traditionally, pasta e fagioli would be made with short stubby pasta, but since I was creating long stands of zucchini, spaghetti felt like the better option. 

The first one combined strands of green zucchini and lemon zest, and was overtly the more flavorful of the two. The second was made with sliced spring onions sautéed lightly in butter and spinach. Wash spinach leaves well, shake out excess water and wilt them in the water that clings to the leaves. Again wring out the excess water and chop the spinach into ribbons to add to the pasta. I added a little lemon zest and a lot of cracked black pepper to the spinach version to spark it up a bit. 

One trick with whole wheat pasta, which has a tendency to resemble shredded cardboard, is to cook it thoroughly and, as soon as it’s drained, sprinkle it with a little salt and olive oil. I never feel the need to do with whole grains, so I’m guessing it’s because of the character of the pasta. For both of these dishes, I reserved a little pasta cooking water to moisten the mixture, though I used only a few teaspoons.

Since dried beans take a while to cook, I typically make extra whenever I’m cooking them. As I wrote a few days ago, these are large meaty beans that are as delicious by themselves as in combination with other ingredients. You can also freeze them so that they can be on hand pretty quickly. Alternatively, you could use good quality canned beans; I’m skeptical about the amount of salt and preservatives (usually for color) but they’re fine in a pinch. 

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Peppers Stuffed with Corn, Zucchini and Basil

The weather at the end of September has been warm enough for me to continue to appreciate the late summer and early fall harvest of peppers, eggplants, squash, corn and tomatoes, although the fall roots such as celeriac and beets are starting to be available. Peppers are the current season’s prize, arriving large and small, sweet and hot, with many shapes and colors. I could make a new pepper dish nearly every day. The current crop features a bunch of tiny types with colors that range from crimson to a red-green that resembles mahogany, together with every imaginable yellow and orange and green to boot.

I stuffed a variety of small peppers with a simple medley of corn, zucchini, shallots and basil that was bound together by a custard-like combination of milk and egg and sprinkled with cheese. There’s no formula here, except that I use 1/3 cup of milk per egg, adjusting the number of eggs to the amount of filling and number of peppers.

Peppers Stuffed with Corn, Zucchini and Basil

6-8 small to medium peppers

Vegetable oil

1 shallot or ½ small onion, minced

1 ear of corn, kernels removed

1 small zucchini, diced

A few leaves of basil

Salt and pepper

1 egg

1/3  c milk

Optional: small amount of grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Trim the peppers.  Cut the top off of those that will stand vertically and cut those that will lie horizontally in half lengthwise through the stems, leaving them intact. Carefully remove the seeds and ribs. Parboil the peppers for about a minute or so in the water and remove to drain and cool.

Saute the shallot or onion in the vegetable oil over medium heat until soft. Add the corn and zucchini and continue to cook, stirring, until tender but not mushy. Remove from the heat to cool slightly. Add the basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly beat the egg and milk together, fold in the cooked vegetables and spoon into the pepper shells. Top each with a pinch of grated cheese if using. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the custard is set and the tops are browned.

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Waste Not Want Not – Getting the Most from your Food: Corn Broth

“Waste not want not” is an old proverb, a drop of conventional wisdom that occurs to me frequently when I am dealing with food. I often see the catchy phrase used to promote recycling programs. While I’m an avid recycler, I more typically try to avoid the waste in the first place. As I’ve said in other posts, I had an epiphany a few years ago on a Monday morning in the fall when I was giving a driving tour of our town to a visitor. We were traversing a beautiful tree-lined neighborhood with interesting architecture, but our field of vision was completely distracted by a foreground of yellow and green recycling buckets, trash cans, and leaf bags continuously lining both sides of the street, breaking only at the driveways. I was so disgusted at the thought of all that trash that I immediately eliminated as much packaging as possible from our household, instead buying in bulk in re-used containers. My husband started a village of compost bins in the back yard for leaves, green trimmings and a few kitchen scraps, all of which decompose into food for our garden.

I take a similar approach to food going to the compost pile as I do the trash. I try to waste as little as possible and extract whatever nutritious or useful substance it may have before I toss it.  On Friday, I made a corn salad for a picnic and ended up with 2 dozen corncobs. The husks went straight to be ground up for the compost pile, though if I were a purist, some would have been swell for tamales. There was too much good corn residue on the cobs to waste so I covered them with water in a large stock pot, added a little salt, a chopped onion and a handful of celery trimmings, cut to a useful dice. The corn broth reduced at a simmer for an hour or so and I removed the cobs. I brought the liquid back to a boil and cooked it down a little. The result was a sweet and flavorful broth, some of which I turned into a corn soup and the rest of which went into the freezer.

Summer Corn Soup

2 ears corn

4 -5 c corn broth or vegetable broth

¼ c each diced red and orange bell peppers

¼ c diced red onion

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Herbs such as cilantro, basil and/or and parsley

Optional garnish: tiny cherry tomatoes

Holding the corncobs vertically, slice the kernels into a bowl. Run the back of the knife down the cobs to release any lingering corn milk.  Reserve the kernels. Cut the cobs into a few pieces and place them in a saucepan with the corn or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Remove the corncobs and discard (chop finely and add to compost).

Meanwhile, in a saucepan large enough to hold the finished soup, lightly sauté the peppers and onion in a little olive oil. Add the broth and reserved corn kernels and simmer until the corn is gently cooked, 5 minutes or so.  Season to taste. If you are using the cherry tomato garnish, add them at the end of the simmering process, along with the herbs, so that they soften and lightly cook.  Serves 4.

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Summer Squash, Chard and Leek Tian

The hot, humid, seemingly unbearable cloud of oppressive summer weather makes us seek simple and light vegetarian dishes that use seasonal produce and minimize effort.  Mostly, there are fruits, salads and chilled foods on our table these days but other than grilling, an occasional simple baked dish seems just right.

 I have a penchant for vegetarian dishes made with eggs, milk and sometimes cheese, as they are nutritious, delicious, pretty quick, and adaptable to whatever you have on hand. For me, this is a technique and not a formula since I use a proportional model. This particular go-round uses non-fat lactose milk with the gorgeous eggs from a local organic farm but cream or regular milk would work.  Also, the vegetables could vary widely. And you could add bread or rice to make a more substantial meal. But for me, summertime begs for simplicity …and seasonal flavor.

Summer Squash, Chard and Leek Tian

2 medium leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced

Olive or vegetable oil, or butter

1 stalk green garlic or 1-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 yellow zucchini or summer squash, thinly sliced

1 lb chard cuttings, green part only, washed and drained (reserve stems for another use)

1-2 tbsp snipped herbs (such as dill, lovage, or parsley)

2 extra large eggs

½ c milk or cream (lactose-free and nonfat milk are fine)

Optional: ¼ c grated cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Sauté the leeks slowly in oil or butter until tender. If using green garlic stalks (as I did), sauté them with the leeks. Otherwise, add the sliced garlic cloves at the end of the leek cooking cycle. Set aside to cool.

In the same pan, with additional oil or butter as needed, sauté the squash until lightly browned and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, cook the chard in a small amount of water until tender and remove to a colander to drain. When cool, squeeze to remove excess water and chop finely.

Lightly beat the eggs, add the milk, reserved vegetables, herbs, optional cheese, and salt and pepper. Pour into a baking dish that has been buttered or oiled.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until set but not dry. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

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Zucchini and Noodles in Green Curry Sauce with Thai Basil

Long strands of yellow and green zucchini lighten up a pasta dish, whether combined with spaghetti seasoned with lemon juice and zest, or here, served in a delicious, spicy and creamy Thai–inspired coconut milk sauce with green curry and Thai basil. The strands are also good as a salad lightly dressed with olive oil and vinegar, or steamed as a vegetable dish. If your zucchini is big and seedy, shredding the edges down to the core eliminates those less desirable sections, which can be stewed and combined with a vegetable stuffing. 

Zucchini Noodles in Green Curry Sauce with Thai Basil

1 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk (I used light)

1 tbsp green curry paste

1 lime, peel removed with a vegetable peeler, and juiced

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp fish sauce (optional)

Asian noodles (I used wheat lo mein noodles, but rice or soba noodles would be good)

2-3 scallions, white and light green sections, slivered vertically

1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Vegetable oil

1 green zucchini, shredded lengthwise

1 yellow zucchini, shred lengthwise

½ c Thai basil leaves

Place the coconut milk, green curry paste and lime peel in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve the green curry paste. Remove the lime peel and add the lime juice, brown sugar and optional fish sauce. Meanwhile, cook the noodles until al dente, drain them and add them to the warm coconut milk sauce. Lightly sauté the scallions and garlic and add to the noodle mixture. Reserve some of the raw zucchini, and add the rest to the coconut milk sauce, stirring to combine and lightly cook the zucchini (this can be done off the stove since the liquid should cook the vegetables. Add the Thai basil to wilt and, just before serving, add the reserved shredded zucchini.

Serves 4

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