Extra Schmaltz!

This is a simple and hearty meal; basically a stovetop version of mac'n'cheese, but with a northern Italian style. Keep this one in mind for summer when you have zucchini to use up! 1 lb penne rigate Generous salt for pasta water 3 small zucchini, sliced into thin strips (about 3 c.) 1 clove garlic,* 5 oz sharp provolone, grated 2 c. milk 4 Tbps. butter, divided 1 Tbsp. flour *The garlic step is optional, and a little bit fussy, but gives you more flavor Slice the zucchini into strips about 2" long and 1/4" wide. Make a roux by heating 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a small saucepan until bubbling, and adding the flour, whisking until smooth and bubbling. Add the milk and bring to a bare simmer, whisking until it thickens ~5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted. Set aside. Boil the pasta in generously salted water and cook until al dente . Do not drain--try to time this to coincide with finishing the zucchini. *Fussy garlic step: heat the remaining b...

Couscous in Morocco is traditionally eaten on Fridays during lunch time, following the Friday mid-day prayers, similar to the idea of a Sunday roast after church. It's usually a family affair, and is eaten off of a giant central platter. If you're good, you can eat it with your hands, forming a ball of veggies, meat and couscous and popping it into your mouth. Otherwise, you can just use a large spoon. Also, it's often served with "rayb" Moroccan buttermilk as an accompanying beverage, but I tend to skip that. This recipe is based on Melanie's Moroccan family's recipe. You can make it with any meat you like, but she prefers chicken. The veggies here are just a suggestion - you can use whatever is in season. The microwave bit is not strictly traditional, but her family in the US really prefers the convenience of it to the more traditional double-boiler. The main 'technique' in this is that you're cooking the meat and veggies first, and usin...

This recipe is a perfect one for summer - it uses yellow summer squash which is always in abundance and ends up tasting very light.  It takes very little time to cook, and there's not really very much prep. The hardest part is getting the spices together, but overall there's not that much chopping or cooking. It was meant to be sort of a one-off recipe, but as soon as we tasted how well it turned out, I started writing it down to keep from forgetting it. Ingredients 1 tsp whole fennel 4 cloves 1 tsp whole coriander 4 green cardamom pods, lightly smashed 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicy) 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 onion, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 Tbsp cumin seeds 1 heaping tsp black mustard seeds 2 medium yellow squash cut into thin circles or half circles 1 can coconut milk 1/3 c. chicken broth (i.e. one muffin tin cube's worth, optional) 1 chicken breast cut into thin pieces ...

I got this recipe from a cookbook by Chef Ramzi , which contains a nice mix of Middle Eastern and international recipes. I have no idea if it's an "authentic" Middle Eastern recipe, but it uses ingredients and techniques from that region. It's also really easy, uses simple ingredients and is quite tasty. Ingredients 1 small onion, cut into thin strips 3-6 cloves crushed garlic (traditionally pounded in a mortar and pestle with salt) 2 zucchini, cut into circles 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1" cubes 2 medium tomatoes, cubed 1 c. water 1/2 tsp cumin (or to taste) 1/4 tsp cinnamon (or to taste) S&P Preparation In a heavy bottomed, wide sauce pan or dutch oven, saute the onion and garlic together on medium-high in about 3 Tbsp of olive oil until transparent, then add the eggplant and cook until it starts to get soft around the edges. Add zucchini and cook for another couple of minutes until they start to soften a little bit. Add the tomatoes and the spices, an...

How can we have so many recipes, and yet not have a family zucchini bread recipe? Part of the reason may be that it's a fairly modern phenomenon--I can't find a recipe for it in any of our older cookbooks. Another possibility is that the version in The Melting Pot is made entirely with whole wheat flour and honey instead of sugar--yuck! Another reason is that Aunt Etties recipe was ~90% nuts, which is also yuck in my book. Whatever the reason we don't have one yet, here's a good recipe that is unapologetically full of refined carbohydrates: Preheat oven to 350 1 1/2 c. flour ~2-3 c. grated zucchini (one 12" zuke) 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. garam masala 2 eggs 3/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. buttermilk 1/4 c. oil 1 tsp. vanilla Sprinkle the zucchini with the salt and place it in a colander in the sink. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Blend the wet ingredients together in a quart measuring cup. Squeeze the z...

The goal is light texture, crispy edges, hint of color. I developed this recipe to use up end-of-summer vegetables, such as zucchini and carrots, but it can be made just a deliciously with potatoes alone. Any dense and starchy vegetable will do, including potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, celeriac, etc... Whatever veggies you choose to use should make 1 1/2 quarts after you grate them, pack them down, and squeeze out the liquid. This recipe can easily be scaled up and is delicious served hot or cold (great in lunch boxes!), so I recommend making planned-overs. 1 large zucchini 3-4 russet potatoes, grated and tossed with lemon juice or ascorbic acid to prevent browning 1-2 carrots, grated 1 small onion, grated [OR substitute 1-2 leeks sliced thin and sauteed in butter until translucent] 2 eggs 1/2 c. matzo meal [OR for gluten free, sub 1/4 c. potato starch] 1/2 tsp. baking powder 4 Tbsp. butter or schmaltz 4 tsp. kosher salt pepper to taste 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (optio...

Forget about the dang pancakes already! This is something you have to taste - The recipe is taken, shamelessly and without editing, from the Joy of Gardening Cookbook with frosting from Grandma Gwen's recipe box. It is so incredibly delicious and if I am doing my arithmetic right, it is about 75% zucchini. (Just don't tell anyone that claims they don't like squash in any form). ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CAKE 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 2 cups sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 TBSP vanilla (yes, TBSP!) 2 cups flour 1/3 cup cocoa 2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour cream 3 cups coarsely grated zucchini (I left out the nuts, but you can certainly add some) Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9" round pans. Melt the chocolate and oil in a small saucepan over very low heat. Cream the butter until light; add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Add the melted chocolate and mix we...

This is a pretty exciting recipe because it uses power tools. I meant for this blog to be more of a collection of our favorite recipes, but it is also fun to add new ones along with photos (such as this one). This recipe was inspired by the arrival of zucchini season and by the tasty dishes I had in Jordan. I tend to steer clear of labor-intensive recipes that involve stuffing things, but I had to make an exception for the tender zukes clogging up my fridge and the crazy plan I hatched for breaking in my electric drill. I asked Alex to get me the zuke-hollowing tool that's common in the Middle East (where, alternately, you can buy vegetables pre-hollowed), but since he won't be back for ages I had to take matters into my own hands. In the end the recipe wasn't really that bad too make and I had fun doing it. I based it on two recipes I found online, one because it uses a pressure cooker (hooray!) and the other because it sounded tastier and was closer to the amounts I nee...