Have you noticed yet that I have a certain amount of experience with zucchini recipes? There is a Marge Piercy poem that I think perfectly sums up zucchini: Attack of the Squash People. I thought I had learned the lesson: One, no more than two, zucchini each planting break.
But then this year I discovered trombochino. I like climbers in my fortress fenced up-gardens – they maximise the use of space – and I really like trombochino. They taste pretty much like zucchini – a bit firmer and denser, like zucchini minus the middle bit. But I don’t know whether it is just this year – it has been a perfect curcurbit year, cooler and wetter than usual but with the long, light days of summer – but the trombochino are triffid-like taking over the garden. I leave bags of them in the roadside mailbox. The chooks refuse to eat any more.
This is the third in the Tuesday Night Vego Challenge series. It’s an old favourite. It uses about 4 medium zucchini. Eight if you double the recipe – it also makes good leftovers for lunch. Makes a small dint.
The Recipe:
Makes four large serves.
This can be done in half an hour but you have to really multitask at the beginning because most of the half hour is baking time.
- Oven on to heat up. You need a fairly hot oven.
- Kettle on to boil for water for pasta.
- Food processor out. You can do it all without a food processor, just with a grater and a blender or eggbeater, but I can’t promise half an hour.
Part 1: Pasta
Cook a cup of pasta in boiling water till just cooked. Don’t overcook it.
- Macaroni, shells, or small spirals work best.
Part 2: The Crumble
Crumb
- two slices of heavy wholegrain bread and mix with
- two dessertspoons of olive oil and
- a dessertspoon of grated parmesan.
I do this in my food processor. Leave the crumbs a bit coarse, not too fine.
Part 3: White Cheese Sauce
In a small pot, heat
- a cup of low fat milk with
- a cup of low fat cottage cheese and
- 3 bay leaves,
till the milk starts to rise. It will curdle – that’s ok. Fish the bay leaves out.
While the milk is heating, tip the crumbles out of the food processor and (you don’t need to wash it), blend
- 1 egg and
- 2 big dessertspoons of plain wholemeal flour.
With the blender going, add the hot milk-cottage cheese mix. Pour back into the small pot and reheat, stirring with a wooden spoon, till it thickens. This will take just a minute or two.
Part 4 – Grated Zucchini and Feta
Grate
- two packed cups of zucchini (or trombochino) and
- 100 grams of low fat feta cheese.
Slice enough tomatoes to cover the top.
Assembling:
Mix the grated feta and zucchini into the white cheese sauce and tip the lot into a small baking tray. I have a square, pyrex 21 cm dish that is perfect for bakes like this.
Cover the top with sliced tomatoes, then spread the crumble mix on top of them.
Bake in a medium hot oven for around 20 minutes till the top is golden and crunchy and the middle is hot all the way through.
Great on its own, or with a green salad, and makes good left-overs for lunch the next day as well.
Did your Tuesday Night Vego recipe feature zucchini too? Feel free to leave links in the comments.
oops, put the comment in the wrong post.
This looks so good. I’m going to try it tomorrow night, still have plenty of zucchini.Tonight s recipe for me is Chilli corn pie.http://purplepearorganics.blogspot.com/2012/01/chilli-corn-pie.html
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This looks so good – I wish my son didn’t have a dairy allergy. Tonight I made Liz’s Eggplant Masala http://500m2.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/tuesday-night-vego-eggplant-masala/ and originally from here http://suburbantomato.com/2011/04/eggplant/
That looks very yummy. My favourite “vegie” macaroni cheese uses cauliflower. Tonight though, we had a noodle stir fry. With no zucchini or pumpkin.
http://sarah.hudweb.net/2012/01/january-challenge-day-20-and-21.html
You know, I just don’t like macaroni and cheese. But I loved reading your recipe, especially the part about “you don’t have to wash it”.
That looks delicious. Will definately give it a go. I know my daughter would love it.
I am new to your blog. I had to try this recipe as it ticked two important boxes for this time of year, uses zucchini and uses tomatoes. It was delish. Thanks very much for posting this.
I made your bean burgers and added zucchini to them. This zuc mac cheese sounds good, but I ate pasta last night.
Oh, how I wish we had your green thumb, Linda. Our three zucchini plants have produced about ten zucchs in total, which is ten more than we managed last year. We’ve barely had any sunny days, just wet soggy overcast days all summer, and now the plants are down with powdery mildew. Sigh. The ones we grew were absolutely delicious though, but just one year, I’d like a glut. 🙂
Not green thumbs, just experience and dumb luck! My zucchinis aren’t glutting this year either – it’s too wet up here too. In fact I’m just about to go down and throw some rocks to fill the washout in our causeway. The trombochinos are the thing that is glutting this year, and I think it is because by climbing, they get up a bit out of the wet. Good drainage, lots and lots of organic matter, and warm weather with just enough rain. One year it will happen and you’ll find your zucchini thumbs!
Ohh, looks fantastic! Any zucchini recipe is a good recipe. One way I love zucchini is thinly sliced and marinated in some oilve oil with fresh smashed chilli and garlic and then strewn all over a vegetarian pizza.
People joke that this is the only time of year you have to lock your house and car in my town. Leave anything unlocked, and someone’ll leave a bag of zucchinis in there for you!
I’ve been dehydrating our excess, and am planning to add them to winter stews and casseroles. I haven’t done much dehydrating before, but I’m loving it for being such an easy way to store preserved food – no freezer/fridge needed, things don’t take up much space, and it’s very easy to do!
I’ve got some photos here for anyone interested: http://green-change.com/2012/01/25/dehydrating-zucchini/
Very tasty meal. Thanks for sharing!!
oooh this looks and sounds delicious!
And now you have me looking up trombochini in the see catalogue for next year!