Sautéed Zucchini with Bacon & Thyme
This simple recipe from the Homegrown Harvest cookbook is packed with flavor.
Ingredients:
1 pound zucchini
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pieces thick-cut bacon, cut into cubes or lardons
1 tablespoon freshly-chopped thyme
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Trim the zucchini and cut into cubes. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet, add the bacon and fry until golden brown and crispy.
2. Add the zucchini cubes and fry over brisk heat for 3-4 minutes, tossing them around in the pan from time to time, until the cut sides start to turn golden.
3. Add the thyme and plenty of black pepper, also adding salt, if needed. Season with the lemon juice and serve immediately.
Roasted Ratatouille Toasts
A delightful spin on the classic stew, this time slathered on toasted Pain au Levain bread as a starter!
Method:
1 heirloom tomato, roughly chopped
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, some sliced in half, others left whole
½ eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 zucchini or summer squash, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 sweet pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
⅓ cup olive oil
2½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 loaf Pain au Levain bread, sliced into ½-inch-thick slices
½ cup crumbled sheep’s milk feta
½ cup basil, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large roasting pan, toss the tomatoes, eggplant, squash or zucchini, pepper, onion and garlic with red pepper flakes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned and the tomatoes have released their juices. Stir the vegetables halfway through cooking, and then toss again once they have been removed from the oven.
2. Remove the vegetables from the oven and increase the temperatures to a broil. Lightly brush each slice of bread with olive oil. Place them on the upper rack of the oven and toast until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.
3. Top each toast with a generous portion of the ratatouille mixture, and then add a little crumbled feta on each. Garnish with the basil and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Grilled Summer Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich
This satisfying sammie is extremely adaptable: Tuck in some grilled chicken, add a little spicy salami or throw in even more veggies.
Ingredients:
2 heirloom tomatoes, thickly-sliced into rings
2 zucchini, sliced into long, thick wedges
1 Walla Walla sweet onions, peeled and thickly-sliced into rings
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed of green ends and thickly-sliced into rings
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Focaccia bread loaf
Lemon-Herb Mayonnaise (see recipe)
Method:
1. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Spread the vegetables out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange the vegetables on the grill grate and cook 3-4 minutes per side, until all the veggies are softened and slightly charred. Remove and set aside.
3. Cut a loaf of focaccia in half lengthwise, and spread both sides with the Lemon-Herb Mayonnaise. Layer on the tomatoes, zucchini slices, fennel and onions rings on one side, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then top with the other bread half. Cut into wedges and serve.