When Life Gives You Zucchini...
Heirloom Recipes and First-of-the-Season Zucchini
EK: Sometimes the universe hands you a gift. This week, I was handed two gifts. My neighbor, Matt, asked me if I like zucchini. I mean, who doesn’t like zucchini? So of course I said yes, and 10 minutes later, he rang my bell with a grocery bag that held the the largest solitary zucchini that I have ever cooked with.
EK: It’s hard for me to believe that this early in the season, he had already grown such a robust zucchini, but I had the proof! I immediately thought, that’s enough zucchini for zucchini bread—It was actually enough for 2 batches.
AU: Alright hot take: I DON’T love zucchini. I can take it or leave it. I love it battered-and-fried (but who has the time/patience) or roasted ‘til it’s crispy, grilled is fine. But I DO LOVE A ZUCCHINI BREAD! And it always reminds me of my grandmother, Mamá.
EK: I totally agree, and I honestly never loved zucchini bread until now! In fact, I can’t remember the last time I made zucchini bread, so before I spoke with you, I did a quick search for a good zucchini bread recipe.
A few hours later, when we were catching up (he had been visiting his family in Texas for his brother’s wedding), you mentioned that your mom gave you a wonderful family heirloom—your Grandmother‘s handwritten notebook full of recipes.
EK: I love old family recipes more than any glossy cookbook and Anthony started perusing it—with me—while we were on the phone. After a few minutes, he came to her famous zucchini bread recipe which he fondly remembered eating toasted and buttered. That was when I got my second gift of the day, and the recipe that I was going to make!
AU: Sometimes the universe just tells you what you need, and lo! A zucchini bread recipe from the 1970s appeared.
EK: As we were speaking, he rattled off the ingredients, including two that I had not seen in any of the other recipes that I had looked at online—lemon zest and crushed pineapple. I’m a sucker for anything with lemon zest in it, and I love what crushed pineapple does to my carrot cake, so I was sold.
EK: The recipe is very simple and straightforward. You don’t need a mixer, I used my Blending Fork, per usual. I also updated the method a little to reflect what I think makes a difference and used a little less sugar and salt than the recipe called for.
The only real prep work was shredding the zucchini. Because the zucchini that I was gifted was so mature, I peeled alternating strips of the skin as the bigger the squash, the tougher the skin. After I did that, I trimmed it, de-seeded it and cut it into four pieces which I shredded on the largest size of my box grater. You need 2 packed cups of the shredded veg for this recipe, and I had enough for another batch which I froze and will use later.
AU: Smart! Now let me ask you this: did you have to squeeeeeze the zucchini to try to remove water from it? It can be such a soggy vegetable.
EK: Nope! No squeezing required!! A kitchen miracle!
EK: I rubbed the lemon zest into the sugar to maximize the lemony flavor (as I do with all my recipes that call for citrus zest and sugar).
As I was working, I separated the wet and dry ingredients—the pineapple and the zucchini are part of the wet— and added my walnuts to the flour just before mixing.
The last step was to mix the wet with the dry to form a batter. At first the batter will seem very thin, but make sure you mix in all the flour and use a spatula to get underneath and scrape the sides. Wait a few minutes and the flour and liquids will combine and thicken as the flour hydrates.
EK: I used my favorite brand of disposable pans so that I could freeze one loaf or give it away. I buy these handi-foil pans that come with lids in bulk so that I always have them on hand. They are the perfect size for 2 loaves with a nice crown on top. They are sold as “Three loaf Pans & Lids” and most grocery stores carry them.
To achieve that beautiful top, I poured the batter almost to the lip of the pan, leaving only about a 1/2 inch at the top. I then sprinkled each loaf with a tablespoon of demarara sugar (“Sugar in the Raw”) to get that crunchy-crusty top that is soooooo good.
AU: Omg I can taste this photo!!! *salivating*
EK: This is my new favorite sweet “bread” snacking cake recipe and as much as I LOVE my Banana Bread recipe, this is a lovely change of taste that is perfectly suited to the warmer Summer months!
Anthony, I am so glad you went home for a visit and came back with a whole lotta recipes for us to explore!
AU: Me too! And it makes me so happy that Mamá’s Zucchini Bread lives on!!
**CONGRATS TO SAM FERGUSON!**
You’ve won a copy of Hugh Mangum’s incredible new cookbook “Barbecue” courtesy of Phaidon Press!
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Andrew - Ina Garten’s sauteed zucchini & onions with parmesan is good too. The zucchini isn’t mushy, which is the problem I have with it. Signed, another fried zucchini is the best zucchini person
Love this! Reminds me of the Zucchini Fries recipe I adapted from hit NYC restaurant Via Carota for easy home cooking! check it out:
https://thesecretingredient.substack.com/p/get-via-carotas-recipe-zucchini-fries