When zucchini runneth over, cooks need recipes to match

Mar 23, 2024

It's good each week to see who opens the Fare Exchange conversation, and today it's Linda Green Johnson. She gathered armfuls of produce from her garden, came inside and wrote to you.

First came the request from her largess: "I hope others will share summer squash recipes."

(READ MORE: Zucchini surplus? 5 fresh ways to enjoy summer squash, from skillet lasagna to harvest bowl)

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

This came second: "My zucchini runneth over. I figured others may find themselves in the same boat, so I wanted to share this recipe. It makes absolutely the best zucchini casserole I've ever had. I always make an extra for the freezer.

"This is Zucchini Gratin by Ina Garten. Basically it is onions cooked tender and sautéed, zucchini in a rich buttery sauce and topped with a bread crumb and Gruyere topping. I do sometimes substitute Swiss and get almost the same results.

"Another little hint: After cutting myself several times grating cheese, I put a pair of my Atlas nitrile garden gloves in the knife drawer. I always wear one now when I grate anything and so far it has worked well."

Zucchini Gratin

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon for topping

1 pound yellow onions, cut in half and sliced (3 large)

2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup hot milk

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

3/4 cup grated Gruyere

1 tablespoon butter

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the 6 tablespoons butter in a very large (12-inch) sauté pan, and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini, and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk, and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8- by 10-inch baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere, and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small bits, over the bread crumb and cheese mixture, and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and browned. Makes 6 servings.

PEACH PIE

Coincidentally, when P.F.P. sent her peach pie recipe, she, too, credited Ina Garten, though using the brand name of her television series, books and store. However, we need the local stamp of approval provided by Ms. P. "I got peaches from the farmers market, and this recipe worked great. It is filed as an easy recipe, but I'm not so sure about that."

(READ MORE: What's a Georgia summer without peaches? Not so sweet)

Perfect Peach Pie

(From the Barefoot Contessa)

2 1/2 pounds ripe peaches (6 large)

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

All-purpose flour

1 recipe unbaked Perfect Pie Crust (recipe follows)

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Immerse the peaches for 15 seconds to 2 minutes, testing along the way, until the skins peel off easily with a small knife. (Riper peaches will be done sooner.) Transfer the peaches to a bowl of cool water to stop the cooking, and peel.

Cut one peach in 1/2-inch dice, and set aside. Cut the remaining peaches in 1/2-inch thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch, orange zest, orange juice and butter over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Add only the diced peach (not the wedges). Return to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is thickened and translucent. Combine the mixture with the wedged peaches and 1 to 3 tablespoons of the flour, depending on the juiciness of the peaches (more flour if the peaches are juicier).

Roll out half the pie dough on a floured board until it's larger than a 9-inch pie plate. Ease the dough into the pie plate without stretching it at all. (If you stretch the dough, it will shrink back to the original size.) Cut off the excess dough around the edge of the pie plate with a small sharp knife. Pour the peach mixture into the pie shell. Brush the edge of the dough with the egg wash.

Roll out the remaining dough until it's larger than the pie plate. Cut 1-inch strips of dough, and weave them together on top of the pie. Cut off the excess dough at the edge, and crimp the crusts together with a fork. Brush the crust with the remaining egg wash, and sprinkle generously with sugar. Place the pie on the prepared sheet pan, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the filling is bubbly. Allow to cool, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Perfect Pie Crust

(For 1 double-crust 9- or 10-inch pie)

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening (see note)

1/2 cup ice water

Dice the butter, and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube, and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board, and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Don't refrigerate the dough for more time or it will be difficult to roll out.)

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust — or make a lattice crust as described above.

Note: I prefer Crisco shortening, which I store in the refrigerator so it's always cold to make pie crust.

TO FINISH

More squash next week. Maybe more peaches? Definitely the garlic-laced yeast rolls, promised this week but we ran out of room. Maybe something altogether new. It's up to you. And thanks to you, Anne Hendrix, for recommending the Dutch Maid Bakery in Tracy City, Tennessee, for salt-rising bread, along with several Exchangers mentioned last week.

(READ MORE: Recipes to fill the kitchen with the scent of bread and cinnamon rolls)

REQUESTS

— Recipes to quash the squash

TO REACH US

Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.

Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750

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