Zucchini Time!
Responding to a request from a reader, here are 2 zucchini dishes, one simple, quick, and easy. The terrine is more involved and definitely worth the effort. I’m convinced the terrine tastes even better with a flute of champagne (but then, doesn’t most anything?). What do you do with a bountiful zucchini harvest?
Zucchini Time Pasta Serves 4-6
Its zucchini time again. If you’re not trying to give them away to neighbors and friends then stick your head out your door and ask your neighbors, someone will only be too happy to share their zucchini harvest. This dish is colorful and looks exotic, it’s easy to prepare, and you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labor in 30 minutes or less.
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper
1 clove garlic
2 zucchini squash (about 1 pound)
one-half teaspoon chili flakes – optional
salt
1 pound linguine
chunk of parmesan cheese
Wash the zucchini, do not peel. Grate the zucchini on the largest side of a four-sided grater or use a mandolin, you will have zucchini ribbons.
Boil water for linguine in a large pot, the standard measure is 4 quarts of water to a pound of pasta. When the water boils add 2 tablespoon salt, linguine and cook according to package directions. Place your serving bowl in the sink under a colander, drain the linguine into the strainer and heat your serving bowl at the same time. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water. Return the linguine to the cooking pot,
While the water is heating and the linguine is cooking, slice the red pepper in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and slice in thin strips. Heat a large frying pan, add olive oil, peppers and sauté 3 minutes, then add garlic and zucchini ribbons. Add salt to taste, about one-half teaspoon, the chili flakes and cook 3 minutes longer.
Make parmesan cheese curls with a vegetable peeler. Place the peeler along the edge of the chunk of parmesan and pull toward you. Make a pile that equals about 1 cup.
Toss the vegetables with the linguine, add some of the pasta water (one-half to one cup), and top with the parmesan curls. You now have a sensational dish that tastes as good as it looks.
Vegetable Terrine
This terrine was inspired by a dinner served at a chateau in the Loire valley. One of our small traveling companions would announce in the morning, “We can blow through four chateaus today if we skip lunch.” He was quickly voted down by the rest of us.
After a long day of chateau-hopping and many miles traveled, we arrived at our digs for the next two days, a family-owned and-run chateau. It was during that wonderful season of the year in France that follows the intense heat of summer and just before the grape harvest begins. The temperature is pleasant, the tourist crush is over, the locals are resting before the intensity of the grape harvest begins, and everything seems a bit slow and unhurried, a great time to travel in France.
After exploring the gardens, orangery, and park, we showered, dressed for dinner and joined the other guests in the drawing room. Our host was pouring aperitifs or champagne. An easy choice for me. The champagne tasted delicious – dry and bubbly, the perfect lead-in to a fabulous dinner, Vegetable terrine was the first course.
Vegetable Terrine (Heat oven to 350 F.)
3 small yellow squash (3-4 cups)
3 small zucchini (3-4 cups)
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks
1 cup crème fraiche (see note below to make your own)
2 teaspoons salt & one-half teaspoon white pepper
one-fourth teaspoon nutmeg
one-half envelope gelatin (1 tablespoon) (optional)
few basil leaves for garnish
Without peeling, cut yellow squash in thin slices. Peeling the zucchini gives the finished dish a creamy white appearance; it will have green flecks if you choose to leave the skin on the zucchini – both have an appetizing appearance in the finished dish.
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat, add butter, squash and sauté for about 5
minutes, sprinkle with salt, mix well, cover, lower flame, and let cook until soft. Pour off any liquid, cool slightly, puree in a food processor.
Beat egg yolks, whisk in crème Fraiche* and squash, add nutmeg, salt, and white pepper to taste. When the mixture looks thin and I’m concerned that it won’t set up, I add a half package of gelatin. Follow package directions and mix it in at this point.
*Note: If you can’t find crème Fraiche, substitute 2 cups sour cream and 1 cup cream cheese. Whisk together until smooth.
Pour mixture into a buttered baking dish or mold. Place in a Bain Marie (a pan of hot water that covers about two-thirds of your baking dish). Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the terrine comes out clean. Leave in Bain Marie until ready to serve.
Sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
4 to 6 plum tomatoes – blanched, peeled, seeded, and chopped (aprox. 4 cups)
a few basil leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
salt & white pepper
Heat a sauté pan, add olive oil, garlic, and onion and cook for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, basil leaves, salt and pepper, cover and cook ten minutes. If the sauce is thin or needs a flavor boost add tomato paste. You can puree sauce or leave chunky.
Pool tomato sauce on a platter, invert terrine onto platter, and garnish with basil leaves.
