Tomato and Zucchini Recipes

More ways to savor the abundance of these summer vegetables!

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by Dani Yokhna

Zucchini pancakes

Zucchini
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Try this healthy addition to a breakfast treat!

Ingredients

  • 2 medium zucchinis, grated
  • ½ cup flour (white or wheat)
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Opt: 1 tsp. sugar

Preparation
Combine dry ingredients. Add to zucchini. Stir in egg. Cook on a greased griddle until both sides are golden brown. Serve as a side dish, like potatoes. Or, add sugar and serve as a breakfast pancake with butter and syrup.

~ Maggie Oster, Hobby Farms Contributor

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Grilled zucchini
A mouth-watering way to grill your zucchini!

Ingredients

  • Four small to medium size zucchinis, sliced in half lengthwise
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1-2 T. olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • Kosher salt, cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation
Place zucchini on a sheet of aluminum foil. Cover with olive oil. Sprinkle with cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Grill until cheese is melted and zucchini is soft.

~ Maggie Oster, Hobby Farms Contributor

Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie
Summer squash grows like gangbusters, so it must be watched daily for harvestable fruit. Keep it well-picked to encourage continuous production. Zucchini tastes best when it is 4 to 8 inches long, but can remain tasty even when quite large.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups thinly sliced heirloom zucchini, such as Cocozelle or Black Zucchini
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 T. butter or margarine
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsely, chopped or 2 T. parsley flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 T. fresh basil, chopped, or 1/4 tsp. dried basil, chopped
  • 2 T. fresh oregano, chopped, or 1/4 tsp. dried oregano, chopped
  • 2 large farmstead eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Muenster cheese
  • 1 8-oz. can refrigerated quick crescent-shaped dinner rolls
  • 2 tsp. mustard

Preparation
Combine the zucchini, onion and butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano. Mix well. Combine the eggs and cheese in a small bowl. Stir into the zucchini mixture. 

Preheat over to 375 degrees F.

Separate the rolls into eight triangles. Press over the bottom and sides of an ungreased 10-inch pie pan to form a crust. Spread the mustard on the crust. Pour the vegetable mixture into the crust.

Bake about 8 minutes or until the center is set. Cover the crust with foil and bake 10 minutes longer. Place pie on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

~ from Cooking With Heirlooms (BowTie Press; 2007) by Karen Keb Acevedo with Carol Boker 

Tomato Zucchini Crostini & Canadian Bacon

Tomato Zucchini CrostiniIngredients

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 cup zucchini, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup yellow summer squash, finely chopped
  • 3 T. shallots, minced
  • 3 T. fresh basil, chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 2 tsp. garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup Canadian bacon, diced
  • One loaf baguette-style French bread, cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices
  • Olive oil

Preparation
Combine tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, shallots, basil, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to broil, adjusting rack so it is 4 to 6 inches from the heat.
Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and Canadian bacon, and sauté until bacon is heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let garlic get too brown. Remove from heat and stir into tomato mixture.

Place bread slices on ungreased baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush tops with olive oil. Broil for 30 to 45 seconds or until bread is lightly toasted. Top each slice with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the vegetable-Canadian bacon mixture and serve.

TomatoesTomato Skewers
Here’s a super-easy but elegant looking side dish.

Ingredients

  • 10 wooden skewers
  • 40 cherry tomatoes
  • 40 very small mozzarella balls in water (bocconcini)
  • 1 bunch basil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
On skewers, alternate tomatoes, folded basil leaves, and mozzarella balls. You should end up with four tomatoes and four mozzarella balls on each skewer (or for quick appetizers, use 20 skewers with just two tomatoes and two mozzarella balls on each skewer). Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

~ Maggie Oster, Hobby Farms Contributor

Heirloom Tomato Salad
This quintessential summer salad lets the tomatoes do the talking. Avoid making this dish in any other season; the tomatoes just aren’t good enough. For best results, use only tomatoes fresh off the vine from your own yard, from a generous friend’s or from the farmers’ market. For a more substntial offering, you can top with fresh crubled goat cheese and serve with a French baguette.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. heirloom red, yellow or striped slicing tomatoes or various sizes and shapes
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 bunch basil, coarsely chopped (reserve about 10 sprigs for garnish)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Fresh black pepper, coarsely ground, to taste
    Fresh kosher sea salt, coarsely ground, to taste

Preparation
Cut the tomatoes into slices and place in two layers on a large plate. Sprinkle the tomatoes evenly with the red onion and the chopped basil. Generously dribble the olive oil over the tomatoes, followed by the vinegar. (The ratio should be about 1 part vinegar to 4 parts olive oil.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Prepare this salad about one-half hour before serving to allow flavors to meld.

~ from Cooking With Heirlooms (BowTie Press; 2007) by Karen Keb Acevedo with Carol Boker

Zucchini Samosas with Tomato Chutney
This is a tasty way to use up both your zucchini and your tomatoes! Samosas are Indian pastries stuffed with a vegetable or meat filling.

Ingredients

Samosa Filling

  • 1 large potato, cooked and mashed
  • 2 medium zucchini (or summer squash), cooked and cut into small chunks
  • ½ cup cooked peas
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 cup onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp. mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. minced ginger
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • juice from 1 small lemon
  • 3 T. butter

Pastry

  • 2 cups white flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 4 T. butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup yogurt (whole milk)
  • water
  • Oil (peanut or canola) for deep frying

Preparation
To prepare filling, heat butter in a skillet. Add garlic, onion, salt, and mustard seeds. Cook until onion is soft and translucent. Turn off heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

To prepare the pastry, sift flour and salt. Combine dry ingredients with butter and yogurt. Add enough water to make a stiff dough. Knead until smooth and elastic. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is about ¼ inch thick. Cut into 4-inch rounds. Place a mounding of tablespoon of filling in the center of each round. Wet the edges of the round with water. Fold over and press closed with a fork.

To cook, heat oil until a drop of water bounces off the oil. Fry samosa in small batches until the outside is golden grown and the inside is heated through. Serve immediately with tomato chutney and yogurt.

Tomato chutney

  • 6 medium tomatoes (ripe from the garden)
  • 1 clove garlic, diced
  • ½ tsp. turmeric
  • ½ tsp. mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp. fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp. cumin powder
  • 2 tsp. red chili powder (for extra spice you can add a dried red chili or two)
  • 2 T. canola or peanut oil

Preparation
Place tomatoes in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, or until skins start to crack and peel. Remove water, let them cool and peel off skins. Chop tomatoes. In a large skillet, heat oil until warm. Add all ingredients and cook until tomatoes are broken down. Cool in the refrigerator. Keeps for about a week.

~ Maggie Oster, Hobby Farms Contributor

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