One Veg, Two Veg

Ooh, let's get the unpleasant stuff out of the way first, shall we? I mean, with a picture like that starting things off, I can hardly expect you to stay around for more than a second or two. So I'll be brief.

Grilled (or broiled, as the case may be, because I'm currently so enamored with my broiler - in the wall! Not low near the floor and close to creepy-crawlies and other horrors! Easy on my back! And therefore my new best friend! - that I am making everything I possibly can in there) radicchio, sliced thinly and dressed with a warm balsamic-honey-mustard dressing, contrary to what you might think, is actually pretty vile. I had such high hopes - I love radicchio and I love slaws, but this? Was a bitter, sweetish, slimy mess that Ben and I took one bite of and then politely shoved to the sides of our plates. I don't know if a different kind of dressing might have helped, or if keeping the radicchio raw could have salvaged this thing, but the fact of the matter is that we threw out the entire dish and I don't mind one bit.

(We had the juiciest, reddest tomatoes, thickly sliced and strewn with flaky salt and a zucchini frittata, cooled to room temperature, to keep us happy. Oh, and the tiniest sugared strawberries (in August still!) that we ate before bed while contemplating our couch situation. It is a situation indeed. The strawberries helped. But we're still nowhere.)

And because, as many of you know, summer wouldn't be anything if there wasn't a constant glut of zucchini clogging your crisper drawers and your shopping bags and your kitchen counters and your stovetop, we've been eating zucchini like they're going out of style - steamed and broiled and raw and frittataed. And even, now, stuffed.

You hollow out several halved zucchini, then fill them with a light and fluffy breadcrumb mixture that's seasoned with anchovies and basil (I did ours with olives and parsley, as Ben's an anchovy-hater and I have sworn up and down never to deceive him with a hidden anchovy, though I am totally convinced that if I did melt a little one here or there into our meal he would never know and would proclaim dinner a delicious, savory success, but I am a good person and an even better girlfriend (well, at times) and so I cannot and would not ever do such a thing, hence the olives). You then lay the stuffed zucchini on a pool of tomato sauce studded with capers and bake them in the oven until the zucchini are tender and juicy and the breadcrumbs are browned (have I impressed upon you the necessity of making your own breadcrumbs? You must. So much easier and better than the storebought, bagged kind.). We ate these last week with our first corn of the year (why have we waited this long? possible insanity) and lamented the fact that there weren't more.

If I may make one little note, it's that I would have packed down the breadcrumbs a little more - Russ says that you shouldn't because they get pasty, but in my estimation that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you leave them too light and airy in the zucchini, they then sort of explode on your plate later, leaving a shower of crispy breadcrumbs all over the place and you with your fork and knife, chasing them down like a rat catcher. But to each his own. Either way, you should probably double this dish, since they'll be gone in no time.

(You might end up with leftover breadcrumbs, so I advise you to keep them around, in the fridge is fine, and when you're in dire need this week of a simple, quick pasta dish, boil up some spaghetti, reserve that starchy pasta water, heat up the crumbs in olive oil and toss them all together, moistening the dish with pasta water and adding some grated Parmigiano for good measure.)

Garlic and Herb-Stuffed Zucchini
Serves 2

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling (optional)
1 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
3 tablespoons capers (or 12 pitted Nicoise olives)
Salt
1/2 pound baguette
1/4 cup loosely packed, coarsely chopped basil leaves (or parsley)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 salted anchovy fillets, rinsed, bones removed and chopped (or 10 pitted Nicoise olives)
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (or toasted almonds)
3 - 6 (8-inch) zucchini

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the olive oil and the onion in a large skillet over medium heat until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine, capers or olives and one-half teaspoon salt. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

2. Trim the crusts and cut the bread into cubes. Place in a food processor or a blender with the basil or parsley and garlic and grind to fine crumbs. Pour into a bowl and stir in the anchovies and pine nuts, or olives and almonds. Set aside.

3. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise and use a melonballer to carefully remove some of the flesh from the center to make a "canoe." Leave about one-fourth inch at the sides and ends and a little more at the bottom.

5. Pour the tomato sauce into a lightly oiled 5-quart gratin dish or substitute two smaller gratin dishes. Spoon the breadcrumb mixture into the zucchini, mounding slightly on top. If you don't like pasty breadcrumbs, do not press the breadcrumbs down too much. Arrange the zucchini in the gratin dish. Drizzle with olive oil if desired.

6. Bake until the vegetables have softened and the tops of the breadcrumbs have browned, about 30 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Comments

[Mercedes]

You are kind- I say sneak in the anchovy. This is how I convinced my veggie-resistant boyfriend that turnips, green beans, and beets really are good. Blatant deception. And no other choice when I'm making dinner.
Oh, and don't forget to add anchovy to that little spaghetti-breadcrumb dish too.

[deb]

No anchovy-sneaking! A fellow hater, I can taste them a mile away. I can, I can, I always can. Uh... anyhow, bummer about the radicchio though I do remember when grilled radicchio was all the rage a couple years ago, I couldn't stand it for similar reasons. The stuffed zucchini sounds delicious--I bought some round ones at the greenmarket this weekend and might try it tonight!

[Mary]

I vote for the anchovy. I was having a couch situation, too, except now that we found a flamboyantly flowered 70s pull out couch for $98, the situation has turned into a hunt for the perfect glass and chrome coffee table that will make our new living room look mod and not like grandma's house. Good luck with yours and happy broiling.

[Lydia]

I vote for no sneaking, unless absolutely necessary (now, what would qualify as an absolutely necessary anchovy?). I've been doing stuffed patty-pan squash all summer, and zucchini frittatas as well. My new favorite thing is to slice the zucchini lengthwise, toss in olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and throw it on the grill until it begs to be eaten.

[Andrea]

Another sneaky anchovy vote here. I've been adding it to vegs of all sorts lately and it just heightens the flavor so much.

[Anne]

I'm a bad wife. I actually sneak olives into things I serve Fred, a guy who only likes olives that aren't too, in his words, "olivey". Meaning he prefers the canned olives over anything else.

GORGEOUS picture of you, btw. Love it. And the stuffed zucc looks delightful. I'm with you on packing down the crumbs.

[Sarah]

mmm...i don't think that zucchini could look any more tempting.

[eg]

No fishies, please!

I have leftover breadcrumbs from making stuffed peppers, again, and this sounds like a great place to use them. About how many crumbs do you need?

I agree about squishing the bread a little, it is neater and adds a little something to the flavor.

Erin

[Luisa]

Mercedes - I just couldn't do it. Ben really, truly hates them. I'd lose all sorts of leverage if he ever found out, too! Ahh, love. A series of negotiations... ;)

Deb - those round zucchini are absolutely lovely. I especially like them stuffed with a meat mixture - I've got a recipe (of course) for them here somewhere, by Russ Parsons. Let me see if I can dig it up...

Mary - ooh, you will have send me a photo of your living room when it's done. I'm currently OBSESSED with OPLR (other people's living rooms) now that I have my very own. Our situation seems to be resolving itself (more on that later), but now we've got ourselves a desk situation and it's turning out to be more pernicious than the couch one. Sigh.

Lydia - an absolutely necessary anchovy, I think, would be in the cauliflower dish I made from Russ Parsons in the winter of 05 I think (it's on here somewhere). I forced Ben to try it, even. Next for zucchini, I'm going to try braised (a la LAT), I think. I'll keep you posted!

Andrea - it does, doesn't it? I think Ben will just have to live without it, though. I cannot tell a lie! :)

Anne - thank you!

Sarah - they were awfully good. Too bad there weren't more of them, though!

Erin - the recipe says about 1-2 tablespoons per zucchini half, though if you're into squishing, which it sounds like you are, you could probably get away with more like 3 tablespoons per zucchini half. Enjoy!

[Snoskred]

Hey, it's Snoskred again.

Sometimes when a dish is bad, it's just bad. I threw something out after a couple of spoonfuls just yesterday. :)

I sneak foods in too. From time to time, I've had to whizz things up in the food processor in order to hide them. The Other Half has been none the wiser.. :) Yay! It's just like, you know, we hide the shopping receipts, and tell them things cost less than they really did.. :)

I cannot sneak things into the shopping trolley though. That is where I fail. There is a red flashing neon sign thing that goes on.. The Other Half can spot it a mile off!

Every few months or so I like to drop by and let you know I'm still reading you via the google reader. I do want you to know that I love your work and enjoy your writing.

On this visit I have something else to mention. I've finally bought myself my own domain. I've also had a facelift. No, not to my actual face, to the site. ;) I made a new title graphic, changed the template, and a few other things. If you are reading my blog via a feedreader, you don't have to change anything as far as I know, you'll still be getting my posts.

If you're not reading my blog, and you have a spare second, maybe you can drop by and say hi and let me know what you think of my new layout! ;)

Snoskred - has a new home at -
http://www.snoskred.org/
please update your linkage, if you link to me! Thanks!

[Valli]

Both the anchovies and the Nicoise olives are salty but I'd vote for the olives. Then the dish is truly for vegetarians. A great way to use up those overflowing zucchinis...and I will pack my breadcrumbs a little tighter. Thanks for the tip!

[Lisa (Homesick Texan)]

I just bought my first corn this past weekend as well. I chalk it up to corn getting such a bad rap in all its other incarnations that we forget it's delightful to eat it in its natural state. And the corn is so sweet and juicy this year!

[Tea]

I love, love, love your writing here! You've given me a good early morning giggle, my friend--and for a non-morning person such as myself, that's priceless:-)

[deb]

Ooh, I'll take that Russ Parsons recipe! I'm kind of hoping the zucchini can make it to next Wednesday, as I fear I won't have a chance to cook them before we leave for Napa, which makes me so sad.

[eg]

Thanks!

I'm still going to have breadcrumbs left over, then. Hmm. I wonder what else I should stuff....

erin

[Victoria]

Have you posted your recipe for homemade breadcrumbs, and I don't remember? Because I want to make them.

Your new picture is great; the blog is fabulous; don't worry about the couch. You'll figure it out, I promise.

Keep having fun, cooking, and blogging. We all love you. (Too bad you can't sneak in a little anchovy.)

[Caroline]

Boy, I just love it when you post a dog recipe! I want to be so brave.. When things don't turn out, it just makes me want to cry sometimes.

I haven't had any zucchini this summer and realized from this post that I better get on it!

[Luisa]

Snoskred - indeed, sometimes there's nothing you can do about it. Best to just move on and try the next thing! Thanks for the update...

Valli - perfect for vegetarians!

Lisa - that must be it. It's also kind of a pain to lug home. Can my laziness really stand in the way of this enjoyment, though? That would be awful.

Tea - thank you! xo

Deb - I'm sure they'll be fine. They're hardy little things. Just squeeze the end of them and if they're still firm, and not spongy, they're fine. Still searching for that recipe...

Erin - tomatoes! Eggplant! More tomatoes! :)

Victoria - no, I used Russ Parsons's recipe for breadcrumbs that was embedded in the zucchini one (above). Thank you thank you! You are too sweet.

Caroline - thanks! And yes, get yourself some zucchini quickly! Can't let the summer go by without them.

[mary (another one)]

Interesting to hear your take on the broiled radicchio. I was just reading about grilled radicchio in the Zuni Cafe Cookbook and I was tempted to try it (Judy Rodgers sounds so enthusiastic about it), but this gives me pause. The zucchini, however, looks lovely and is on my list to try. I have a tendency to get into ruts with zucchini and just saute rounds of it in a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and lemon zest, which is good and all, but could stand to be rotated out for a bit.

[mbbored]

I think I made too many substitutions with this dish. I blame the limited selection of "exotic" ingredients available in NC (such as anchovies & capers) and my own williness to fudge recipes on a weeknight. Sardines didn't lend much of a fish flavor, and fresh bread crumbs, rather than the canned variety I used, probably would have been much nicer. My boyfriend did request this again, but with a creamy based sauce. Perhaps butter, wine, shallots, capers & maybe some lemon juice.