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What’s The Point?

I love to cook, and I love to eat.

Cooking is very centering for me, including the chopping and the preparation, the smells, the flavor, the experimentation. I am learning that comfort foods do not have to be unhealthy, and the process of preparation can be a type of self-care.

Taking time to make the foods I really love is affirming.

I wrote this on a day that was four months to the day since my husband Paul passed. While I used to cook every night for the two of us, I fell out of meal preparation for the past couple of months because it was only me.

Tired and sad, I simply would eat a boiled potato, a boiled potato topped with butter and shredded cheddar cheese, microwaved, and topped with sour cream, a comfort food that cures all. I would follow it with endless Hershey Kisses for dessert.

Despite how much I love to cook, I heard myself say, “What’s the point?”

As I move through my phases of grief, my desire to return in practice and routine to the things I love has increased. The ‘joy of cooking’ (no pun intended) has returned. Last week, I drove to Vermont to visit our dear friends Tom and Jan. It was wonderful to be together. We shared time, stories, laughs, and recipes. A former Madison resident, my friend Tom learned to cook by watching endless cooking shows on TV. His favorite chef is Alton Brown. When a show highlighted a recipe that Tom did not have the ingredients for, he substituted and adapted, often creating his own inventions. One such dish was Tom’s Turmeric Zucchini & Onions. With a hint of turmeric, it was both delicious and super healthy.

Inspired Again

I loved hearing Tom and Jan’s banter about food preparation, and it inspired me to cook for myself again. Cooking different variations of zucchini was a great way to make use of a versatile vegetable in plentiful resource.

Zucchini, also known as courgette, is a summer squash in the Cucurbitaceae plant family that includes melons, spaghetti squash, and cucumbers. Usually harvested when still immature, zucchinis are their best when they are between 6 to 8 inches long. When they are this size, they are perfect for creating zoodles, stir-frying, or just chopped and eaten raw with a nice salad.

Pop your zucchini in the fridge crisper drawer whole, preferably in a plastic or paper bag with one end open for ventilation. The minimal humidity there will keep it from going bad. Stored properly, it will last one or two weeks, though you will see the skin shrivel as the days pass.

Rich in vitamin B, potassium, and iron, zucchini has a high amount of protein and fiber. Containing over 94% water, zucchini promotes healthy digestion. While there are lots of health benefits to zucchini, the best reason to eat zucchini is its versatility and ease of preparation.

Cut raw in salads, steamed, grilled, stuffed, fried, there are endless ways to prepare zucchini. At this time of year, zucchini is plentiful, so it is a great time to experiment and add to your repertoire. While I do own a spiralizer to make “zoodles,” I infrequently use it. My friend Cassie would disagree as she is a ‘zoodle devotee.’

During cooler months, or when I am in a pinch for time, I typically steam zucchini as a side dish. In summer, I love roasting it on the grill with summer squash, carrots, onions, and peppers. I roast vegetables in the oven at other times of year, but there is nothing like the smoky flavor a grill adds to vegetables. This year, I treated myself by purchasing a new grill with a griddle insert. I roast vegetables on the griddle with halved baby potatoes and add a few shrimp into the mix at the last minute for a complete meal.

Cooking For One

My sister Ginny has a terrific recipe for Zucchini Pie that she and her seven grandchildren just love. An all-in-one ‘pie’ she serves it warm for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. “Whatever suits you,” she said. With the plentifulness of zucchini at this time of year, she makes it often. Ginny makes it in advance and takes a piece or two at a time to heat up as needed.

One of my favorites is Stuffed Zucchini Boats. Easy to make, it is a meal all by itself or with a piece of corn or a salad. Once cooked, it can be frozen, and it tastes great. In a 13 x 9 Pyrex dish, I can fit four to six Zucchini Boats, enough for a dinner party.

While cooking for one can have an emotional impact for me, cutting recipes in half is easier than I thought. When I made Tom’s recipe at home, I used the top half of the zucchini and made the bottom half into two mini-Zucchini Boats the next day.

I think when I make Ginny’s recipe, I will halve it and make it as tarts lining a muffin pan with the pie crust or use puff pastry dough to make individual servings. It is easy to halve a recipe, and it seems like it takes a lot less time. Planning to have no leftovers is a new challenge, too.

Living in an area with so many wonderful fresh ingredients with endless opportunities to create dishes for myself and others has helped set me on a path to healing. Along with my canning, it is an affirmation of self. Through cooking, I feel better. With the product of my efforts, I can share a meal with friends, give banana bread to a neighbor, and bring jam and salsa as a host gift. Through this sharing, I reestablish my connection to community.

Tom’s Tumeric Zucchini & Onions

My friend Tom Cronan and his wife Jan recently served this with grilled steak and ‘smashed’ potatoes on a recent trip to their home in Queechee, Vermont. It was so delicious and part of an amazing meal, I made it as a side dish as soon as I got home. The turmeric was just enough to color and give the dish a warm, nutty flavor. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

Directions:

Add olive oil, zucchini, and onions to frying pan and sauté until just starting to soften. Add the turmeric, salt, and pepper, and cook until done but not soggy. Better to take it off too soon than too late. I halved this recipe for a single portion.

Leftovers? Bonus Recipe. Make a frittata. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a cast iron skillet, add butter and quickly sauté the dish back to life adding some chopped tomatoes, ham, or whatever suits you. Once it is warmed, add 3 eggs scrambled pre-mixed with a bit of milk. Pour scrambled egg mixture over the sauteed vegetables and give it a quick stir. “Roll the loose liquid around the pan. Add your favorite shredded cheese on top and placethe pan on a rack in the middle of your oven. Cook 10 minutes until it “rises”. Serve immediately. Make 4 servings. This is great with leftover roasted vegetables, and excellent with leftover ham.

Zucchini Boats

Makes four boats, can be cut in half for smaller portion size.

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray olive oil in 9x13 oven safe dish and set aside.

Saute garlic and onions in the melted butter and olive oil mix. Keep the heat low enough so that it does not burn (but a little browning of the butter add a smokiness which is nice).

Carefully wash vegetables and pat dry. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh of each half, taking care not to cut through to the skin. Chop the zucchini and add to the pan. Continuing stirring periodically until the zucchini just starts to soften.

Chop tomato and add to the pan, leaving loose seeds and liquid behind. Add basil, salt, and pepper and continue to saute until evenly cooked.

Place the zucchini shells in the oven safe glass dish. Add a drop of olive oil to each one and rub the interior of each shell to coat. Drain excess olive oil into saute pan if necessary.

Fill shells evenly will the zucchini/tomato/onion mixture. Top with the shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until top is slightly browned and cheese is melted.

Serve immediately.

A whole zucchini boat with a salad or an ear of corn is usually my whole meal and a great way to have a vegetarian dinner. If I plan as a side dish for company, I cut the finished boats in half, and let guests choose their portions. Recipe can easily be halved or doubled depending on how much is needed. It is definitely better freshly cooked, but I have cooked and frozen for later in an airtight container. Cook first.

Zucchini Quiche

My sister Ginny makes this Zucchini Quiche recipe and serves it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Ingredients

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 10” skillet, melt butter. Add zucchini and onions and cook until tender. Add seasonings (substitute fresh if you have them).

In a large bowl, blend the eggs and cheese. Stir in the cooked vegetable mixture.

Brush Dijon mustard in the bottom of pie crust. Pour into the zucchini mixture into crust.

Bake for 15-18 minutes. Serve warm.