Squash-O-Rama (Zucchini Bread)
We returned home from our road trip to Minneapolis to the first zucchini of the season. Yay! Of course by the end of the season I’m not sure I will still be cheering but for now, it is a welcome sight. Grilled and roasted tops the list in our house, BUT you can only roast or grill so many zucchinis. At the height of the season, we need to expand our repertoire on what the heck to do with all that squash.
1001 Ways to Use Your Squash, just kidding but I do have a couple that will keep you from pulling your hair out and screaming “Noooooo!” at the sight of another green courgette.
Zoodles! Replace a portion of noodles in your favorite pasta dishes with julienned zucchini. This cuts down all those dreaded carb calories and adds flavor and texture to summertime pasta dishes, a WIN-WIN if you ask me. Julienned zucchini ribbons don’t require much cooking, I toss zoodles in with just-drained pasta. The heat from the noodles is enough to cook the zucchini. Try this Tomato, Bacon and Arugula Pasta/Zoodle dish, quick, easy and delicious.
From Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook, a recipe for Turkey Zucchini Burgers can put a dent in any bounty of squash. Make em’ big and use them for burgers, make em’ small for a perfect happy hour appetizer.
Zucchini bread!!! When everyone is really tired of eating all that squash, this is the sneaky way to use up your store without your family knowing they are eating MORE zucchini.
There are thousands of zucchini bread recipes out there, not quite rock star banana bread numbers but enough to make your head spin. I’m going to make it easy for you…King Arthur Flour Zucchini Bread is moist, flavorful and damn delicious. Lightly spiced with cinnamon, sweetened with brown sugar, and finished with walnuts and golden raisins it’s a winner. Its so easy the title is Simple Zucchini Bread. You can substitute or add just about anything but the kitchen sink. I didn’t have raisins so I used KA’s Jammy Bits (little fruit flavor bombs), or you could use any dry fruit, like cranberries or apples. Don’t like walnuts? Use pecans or almonds. Instead of a loaf of bread, make muffins, just remember to decrease the baking time to approximately 20-25 minutes. Whatever you do, keep this recipe in mind the next time you are looking at a bushel of squash and wondering what to do with it.
Simple Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons boiled cider apple juice, orange juice, milk, water, or the liquid of your choice
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon optional
- 1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2 cups grated or shredded zucchini somewhere between firmly and lightly packed
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts toasted until golden
- 3/4 cup raisins or currants golden raisins preferred
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar for sprinkling on top optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the brown sugar, boiled cider or other liquid, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Whisk the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the flour, then add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients in the bowl, stirring or beating gently until smooth.
- Stir in the zucchini, walnuts, and raisins or currants.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it if necessary. Sprinkle with brown sugar, if desired.
- Bake the bread for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top (just under the crust) may seem a bit sticky; but so long as the toothpick doesn't reveal wet batter, it's done.
- Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely. For best results, don't slice until it's cool.
- Store the bread at cool room temperature, well wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Notes
- Shredded zucchini varies a lot in weight, depending on the season, the freshness of the vegetable, the fineness of the shred, and how firmly you pack it into the cup. Measure your zucchini by volume in this recipe, not weight; don't fret if your weight doesn't match the weight in the recipe.
- To toast chopped walnuts, spread them in a single layer in a baking pan, and toast in a preheated 350°F oven for about 6 minutes, or until they're golden brown and smell "toasty.
The sumac in the sauce, an herb that is both tart and fragrant further enhances the dish. It can be found at Whole Foods, any Middle Eastern store or online. Though you can increase the lemon in place of the sumac, try to find it. It has a fragrant, fruity dimension that the lemon does not that I think really sets it apart. We ate them with a bit of rice the first night and then stuffed in pita bread and topped with tomatoes and fresh grilled corn the following day for lunch. Yums. Really versatile and almost better the next day as the flavors have had a chance to blend.