Cultivate fresh crop of squash, zucchini dishes

Now We’re Cooking

Just when we were made desperate by a garden running amok with squash, the plants started wimping out. One day, we came home and half the plants were splayed flat, the leaves yellow and limp.

I don't know the cause, but it's clear there will be no resuscitation. Thankfully, we still have some already-picked squash left to enjoy for a short time.

A number of people responded to my request two weeks ago for squash recipes. Hopefully, your plants are still chugging along; if you don't grow it, there's plenty of fresh squash to be had around town or at the supermarket.

Harriet Little of Summerville shares her longtime favorite. "I vary the proportions of yellow squash, zucchini and carrots, depending on what I have. The second is not exactly a formal recipe, but is my favorite way to prepare yellow squash."

Zucchini Hot Dish

2 pounds yellow squash/zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 cup carrots, grated

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (see cook's note)

1/2 cup margarine, butter or canola oil

Cook's note: For the breadcrumbs, Harriet says, "I like a mixture of spices, including garlic and oregano, but like to vary, sometimes using a Greek seasoning mix."

Steam, microwave, or cook squash and onions in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. Combine with soup and sour cream. Add carrots, margarine or butter, and half of the breadcrumbs. Lightly coat a 8x12-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread 1/4 cup of crumbs on bottom. Spoon in vegetable mixture and sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Suggestion: Make two dishes and freeze one.

Alma Collier of Harleyville sent a slew of appealing recipes from different sources. Here's one.

Sausage-Zucchini Boats

Yields 4 servings

4 medium zucchini

1/4 pound bulk pork sausage

1/4 cup chopped onion

4 cups fine cracker crumbs

1 slightly beaten egg

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon MSG (monosodium glutamate; optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon thyme

Dash of garlic salt

Dash of pepper

Paprika

Cook whole zucchini in boiling water until barely tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Cut in half lengthwise; scoop squash from shells and mash.

Cook sausage with onion; drain off excess fat. Stir in mashed zucchini. Reserving 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, add remaining ingredients except paprika. Mix well; spoon into zucchini shells. Place shells in a shallow baking dish; sprinkle with reserved parmesan cheese and dash of paprika. Bake in 350-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Kathee Hering of Summerville and her husband, Larry, also grow zucchini and have developed their own version of stuffed zucchini.

Stuffed Zucchini

2 medium zucchini (8-10 inches long)

1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage

1/2 small sweet onion, chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan and Romano cheese (optional)

1 (10-ounce) jar Ragu Chunky Garden Spaghetti Sauce

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon each dried oregano, basil and parsley (may use fresh instead)

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (8-ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut about an inch off of each end of the zucchini and poke with a fork several times to allow steam to escape. Place on a paper towel in the microwave and cook on high until tender, about 1 minute per side, checking for tenderness as you go.

While still warm, carefully cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out centers to within 1/2 inch of the skin and discard. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking oil and place zucchini shells inside.

Brown the sausage with onion and garlic in a large frying pan. Stir in breadcrumbs, parmesan and Romano cheeses, if using, spaghetti sauce, egg and seasonings. Mix well.

Fill shells, pour tomato sauce over top and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake about 10 minutes longer until cheese is melted, or broil to brown about 5 minutes.

For zucchini recipes, Pat Jarvis of Mount Pleasant recommends "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook" by Nancy Ralston, Marynor Jordan and Andrea Chesman. Pat says a personal favorite is Zucchini Moussaka from James Villas' "Town and Country Cookbook."

"I usually make this with ground beef, and use double the amount (2 pounds) to make it a more substantial dish."

Zucchini Moussaka

4 to 5 zucchini (about 3 pounds)

1/4 cup olive oil

6 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound lean lamb

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1 egg, beaten

1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled

Scrub zucchini under running water, cut in half lengthwise, and cut halves crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet to very hot; add the zucchini, fry very quickly on all sides until slightly browned (in batches if necessary), and drain on paper towels.

Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet, lower heat to moderate, add the onion and garlic, and saute for 1 minutes. Add the lamb or beef, cinnamon, nutmeg, parsley and salt and pepper to taste; stir well, and cook until lamb is nicely browned. Remove skillet from heat.

Heat remaining butter in a saucepan; add the flour and stir rapidly with a whisk over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring, then the egg, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a greased 9x13x2-inch baking pan, arrange a layer of zucchini, top with lamb mixture, sprinkle with 1/2 of the crumbled cheese, cover with remaining zucchini, sprinkle on remaining cheese, and pour on sauce. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Ruth Carter of Mount Pleasant writes, "My favorite way to fix zucchini comes from 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 2' (1970) by Julia Child and Simone Beck. It has been very popular with dinner guests over the years. The authors give a number of variations; the base recipe follows ... delicious and easy."

Grated Zucchini Sauteed in Butter and Shallots

4-6 servings

2 to 2 1/2 pounds zucchini

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

2 to 3 tablespoons minced shallots or scallions

Additional butter at serving time

Trim, wash, and grate zucchini. For each pound of zucchini (2 cups) add 1 teaspoon salt and let stand in colander for up to 10 minutes. Rinse, squeeze dry. Melt butter and olive (or canola) oil over moderate heat and stir in the shallots or scallions. Cook for a moment then raise heat to moderately high; when foaming, add zucchini. Toss and turn it frequently for 4-5 minutes. It is ready to serve when tender but can be covered and cooked over low heat a few more minutes.

Note: This can be prepared to this point up to several hours ahead. When ready to serve, reheat if needed, taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Fold in additional butter, if desired, turn into a hot dish and serve.

Ellen Stengel of Summerville says this is a tasty dish. It's a zucchini pie much like one in the cookbook "South Carolina — Always in Season" by my boss, former food editor Ann Mitchell, who is now Features editor. One change I would endorse is using fresh herbs if available. Ann's recipe, for example, calls for 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano and 1 medium garlic clove, finely minced.

Zucchini Pie

4 cups sliced zucchini

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons parsley

1/8 teaspoon each of garlic powder, basil, oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large can crescent dinner rolls

2 beaten eggs

2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese

2 teaspoons brown mustard

Saute zucchini and onions in butter until tender. Remove from heat and stir in spices and salt and pepper to taste. Line casserole or pie pan with rolls, working to seal and form a crust. Add cheese and mustard to beaten eggs. Spoon veggies over crust and pour egg and cheese mixture over veggies. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until eggs are set and slightly brown.

Remove pie from oven and let it stand 10 minutes before slicing.

How about zucchini for dessert?

Ann Bell of N. Charleston writes, "If you're tired of zucchini, try covering them up with chocolate! Friends gave me a bunch of zucchini and after five loaves of zucchini bread, I made these and gave some back to the zucchini-givers. They're very moist and delicious. I divided the frosting recipe in half and it was plenty with the sweet, fudgy brownies underneath. They freeze well, too."

Ann points out this recipe has no eggs.

Fudgy Zucchini Brownies

For brownies:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups peeled and shredded zucchini

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For frosting (full recipe):

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup margarine

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.

For brownies: In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla extract until well-blended and the sugar incorporates well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Mixture will be stiff.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven until brownies spring back when gently touched.

For frosting: Melt together the cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Pickles, Part 2

We return briefly to the request of Dennis Jarrell of Jacksonboro. He wanted canning recipes for peppers and cucumbers. Here's a relish recipe from the Ball Blue Book sent by Alma Collier:

Pepper-Onion Relish

Yield: About 6 half pints

2 quarts chopped sweet red peppers (about 16 medium)

2 quarts chopped sweet green peppers (about 16 medium)

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 1/2 cups vinegar

2 teaspoons mixed pickling spices

1 hot red pepper

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

Cover chopped vegetables with boiling water; let stand 5 minutes. Drain; cover again with boiling water and let stand 10 minutes. Drain. Tie spices and hot red pepper in a cheesecloth bag. Add spice bag, sugar and salt to vinegar; simmer 15 minutes. Add drained vegetables and simmer 10 minutes. Remove spice bag. Bring to boiling. Pour, boiling hot, into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/8-inch head space. Adjust caps. Process 5 minutes.

Thanks also to Lu Peagler of Ridgeville, Ann Strawser of Arlington, Texas, B. Fore of Meggett, Mary Sue Ellis of Edisto Island and Doris Tylee of North Charleston.

Who's got the recipe

--More people probably eat Spam than will admit to it ... so, come on out, we won't bite. We're looking for a few more recipes for Isabelle Rooney of Summerville, who noted that more people are using Spam to save money and that Spam is a good thing to have on hand in a hurricane supply closet.

--A Hollywood reader would like recipes for corn pudding with fresh corn off the cob.

Reach Teresa Taylor at 937-4886, food@postandcourier.com or write The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.