Vegetables

Zucchini glut

| Green Card Gardener

 

Blanched zucchini for quiche

One of my creations to use up the bright yellow, buttery zucchini from the garden is zucchini quiche with goat feta. In previous years I baked and froze several quiches with zucchini straight from the garden. But this year I want to make it easier for myself (after all, it’s summer, and who wants to spend an entire Saturday afternoon toiling in a hot kitchen) so I decided to blanch the zucchini and freeze them in batches big enough for one quiche.

Zucchini Quiche with Goat Feta

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold butter

2 to 3 tablespoons ice water, as needed

Filling:

1 large (or two small) yellow zucchini

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon herbes de provence (mix of dried rosemary, basil, marjoram, and thyme)

3 eggs

8 ounces goat feta, crumbled

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

1. Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Cut in the butter and process until mixture resembles a coarse meal.

2. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, until you bring the dough together in a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic foil and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until slightly hardened.

3. If you are not sure the zucchini haven’t been treated, peel them. Cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds using a tomato shark or a grapefruit spoon. Slice very thinly.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the zucchini and the herbes de provence. Toss well and cook over medium heat until the zucchini are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir frequently especially towards the end to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

6. Roll out the dough to a circle to fit a 9-inch pie dish (not a deep dish), preferable one with a removable bottom, and trim the edges. Bake for 10 minutes.

7. Beat the eggs and add the feta and the cooled zucchini and mix thoroughly. Season with pepper. Go easy on the salt, as the feta usually adds enough saltiness to the dish.

8. Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees F. Bake the quiche until set and lightly browned on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm.

9. The quiche can be frozen and reheated in the oven at 300 degrees, or in the microwave.

Taking inventory

| Green Card Gardener

So there’s that one lonely jar of zucchini relish left over from 2009 (credit for the recipe goes to my friend Alice’s sister, Pam). In a few days I will be harvesting the first zucchini and I am determined to try out a new recipe this year – zucchini chutney for a change. Now the big question is: do we eat the last jar asap, or do I better hold on to it just in case the chutney won’t turn out that great?

In any case, here’s the recipe for that fabulous zucchini relish:

12 cups chopped zucchini, or a bit more (about 4 pounds; peel zucchini if not organic)

4 cups chopped onion

2 cups chopped green bell pepper

2 cups chopped red bell pepper

1 tablespoon dry mustard

5 tablespoons salt

2½ cups white vinegar

¾ teaspoon turmeric

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

¾ teaspoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon celery seed

6 cups sugar

1. Mix zucchini, onion and peppers in a large colander and set it over a big bowl of ice cubes in the fridge. Leave overnight.

2. The next day let cold water run over the mix and drain.

3. Bring all the remaining ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Add zucchini mix and cook for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile bring hot water to a boil in a large pot or a canning pot. The water needs to cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Before I owned a canning pot, I used a stockpot, which is fine, but to prevent the jars from bumping around and breaking, I put several dish towels on the bottom and between the jars.

5. Fill piping hot relish in sterilized jars placed on a damp kitchen towel (this prevents them from cracking). Wipe the rim of the jars with a clean damp paper towel. Close jars with brand new lids and bands immediately and process in boiling hot water bath for 20 minutes.

6. Remove from the water onto damp kitchen towels and let sit for 24 hours. Store in a dark and cool place.

Makes seven 1-pint jars