Zucchini Zucchini!

September in northern New England is bringing us nice sunny days and fall-ish cooler nights. It is also bringing us an abundance of the versatile zucchini fresh from local gardens. A friend recently gave me some zucchini from her garden along with some fresh herbs and I proceeded to make good use of this bounty in a pasta dish ripe with the flavors of garlic, tomato, fresh oregano and African blue basil, and of course zucchini. From Wikipedia: "In a culinary context, zucchini is treated as a vegetable, which means it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment. Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of the female zucchini flower." A low calorie food, zucchini is also nutritious containing folate, potassium, Vitamin A, and manganese. Zucchini can be grilled, sauteed with other vegetables, cooked in soups and just adds an interesting texture and flavor to whatever it accompanies. The contrast between the al dente pasta and the zucchini in this recipe is perfect - I hope you enjoy it as well.

Ratatouille on pasta:

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, cut
1 14 oz can whole tomatoes (coarsely chop all but 2 of the tomatoes, food process the last two with juice to a coarse puree)
1 medium zucchini, sliced in thin coins
2 T fresh basil, chopped
2 T fresh oregano, chopped
coarse ground pepper
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. thin spaghetti (I use Barilla Plus - a healthy whole grain pasta)
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat 1/4 c. olive oil on medium heat in a large saute pan. Add garlic and onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, zucchini, pepper and salt to taste (I use about 1 t. of each), stir up and cover - simmering on medium heat. Continue checking in and stirring every 5 mins. or so - zucchini will get soft and translucent. At this point, add the fresh basil and oregano, stir up and simmer another 5-10 mins. on medium low heat. Assuming you have boiled the pasta by now, transfer the cooked spaghetti into the veggie/sauce mix a little at a time, using large tongs to mix. You should be able to use all the pasta in this recipe and still have a good mixture of pasta to vegetables/sauce. Use tongs to plate the dish, fine grate fresh parmesan on top. Bon appetit!

Olive oil and bruschetta

Ask most anyone and they will tell you that one of their favorite appetizers is bruschetta (pronounced correctly as 'brus-ketta'). This Italian appetizer has a number of variations but the basic recipe is good bread, grilled with olive oil, rubbed with garlic and topped with a mixture of chopped tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, sea salt, and cracked pepper and then electively topped with finely grated parmesan cheese. Recently I made some bruschetta for some friends and discovered one very important lesson - the quality of the olive oil matters greatly. I had used a national brand from the grocery store and while it is not the cheapest oil going, it just did not have the rich buttery flavor of a good olive oil. So I did what I typically do when I need more input on a food item - I Googled for information. The first thing I found was this cool blog called I Love Olive Oil by a guy who pens himself Costas the Greek. I then went to my local Marshall's store and found a Spanish olive oil called Pons which I got for a great price. To finish up this tale, I today made a small batch of bruschetta using this oil and it was very yummy. Point is people, for this appetizer, for salads, for bread dipping, it really matters that you use good quality extra virgin olive oil. And then save the other stuff for cooking. Anyway, here is my recipe for bruschetta:

Rustic baguette or pane mediterranean style bread
Vine ripe tomatoes
Fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
Garlic clove, peeled
Parmesan cheese wedge

Chop the tomatoes and let them drain in a colander for about 30 mins. Meanwhile, brush the bread slices both sides with olive oil and grill in a frying pan or grill pan on medium high heat - grilling both sides until a bit crispy. Take the garlic clove, slice off the top, and rub it across one side of the hot bread slices and then place them on a platter or cookie sheet. Mix chopped tomatoes, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper to taste. There is no hard and fast rule here on the quantities - you want enough oil to taste it but yet you do not want to have the tomatoes swimming in oil either. The basil volume also is to taste. Spoon tomato mixture onto bread slices garlic side up. Fine grate fresh parmesan cheese lightly across top and serve.

Alice Waters

Alice Waters is an American chef who is tonight being featured on CBS's 60 Minutes program. She is a progressive foodie who is working on bringing the fundamentals of growing, cooking, and sharing healthy food to school-age children with the hope to integrate this important area into school curriculums nation-wide. Follow the link from my favs here (www.chezpanissefoundation.org/) to learn more about Alice and her foundation and to view a video of her project. In the meantime, stay tuned foodies for more food from me...I have been on hiatus a bit but am ready to get back to the business of food. Til then, peace.

--B.S.

Loving artichoke

There's a nice home and lifestyle magazine that comes in our daily newspaper here in Bangor, Maine, where I found this artichoke/parmesan spread recipe that I decided to make and bring to a holiday gathering this year. The combination of the tender artichoke hearts with the grated parmesan cheese mixed with the onion/garlic flavorings made for a very tasty spread that the party guests went gaga over. Artichokes are quite healthy, actually, providing a good amount of fiber as well as key vitamins and minerals such as folate, Vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium. I also love artichokes on pizza with red bell peppers, mushrooms, and kalamata olives - great combination. The cool looking artichoke - definitely an under-utilized food that I plan to visit more often. Let me know what you think and healthy and happy New Year 2009 to you!

Artichoke Parmesan spread on baguettes:

• 2 14 oz. cans artichoke hearts (plain, not marinated)
  
• 4 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2/3 cup real mayo
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 2 baguettes, approximately 3 inches in diameter (This is meant to be a two-bite appetizer.)

1. Drain and chop artichoke hearts. In a bowl, combine the artichokes hearts with the next five ingredients; mix well. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.
2. When ready to serve, cut baguettes into 1/2-inch slices. Place on a baking sheet and top each slice with some of the artichoke mixture. Sprinkle each piece with Parmesan cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is golden brown. Watch them closely. It will only take a few minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: approximately 24 to 36 baguette slices.