Up Close and Personal, and Zucchini Tales

Hmm. There is a definite lack of posting in these parts. It's not that I don't like blogging, it's that I just haven't been enjoying food that much lately. Money is tighter than usual at the homestead, and to make ends meet DEH and I have been cutting corners with regards to food and alcohol. So, no Starbucks, no wine, no fancy-pants ingredients. I wish I could say that the tightening of our financial belts resulted in the tightening of my physical one as well (that is, if I wore belts). We've been eating sandwiches, frozen pizzas, processed foods, etc., and I feel terrible. I'm bloated, fatigued, and my face is resembling the pizzas we've been eating. So you see, there hasn't been much in my kitchen to get excited about besides the various messes the cats make.

I wrote the above paragraph about two weeks ago, saved it as a draft, and promptly forgot all about it. Things are slowly going back to normal back home after getting a paycheck or two, but we still cannot afford to be extravagant with our meals. I've had a bit of a boost in my zest for cooking, though, and it's all thanks to that ubiquitous garden conquer-er, the ZUCCHINI.

Why should this lovely green squash be saddled with the moniker "garden conquer-er" (or something more catchy, help me out here)? Anyone who has ever tried to grow "a tiny bit" of zucchini has quickly learned that there is no such thing. This plant is incredibly prolific, as one of my co-workers found out this summer. He brought in some of the zucchini from his garden to share, and I took a particularly large specimen home with me.
With a couple of items from my pantry, I made not one, but two tomato-based sauces from that zucchini (like I said, it was huge). The first one was served with spaghetti with Parmesan shavings, the second was used in lasagna (damn, that lasagna was good). The sauces were prepared using similar methods: cook the veggies, add tomatoes, add seasoning, simmer, salt and pepper to taste. (By waiting until the last minute to add salt allows you to control the amount of salt added, which comes in handy if you need to watch your salt intake.) Here is the first recipe:

Tomato-Zucchini Sauce #1:

2 c. chopped zucchini (about 1 small or 1/2 large zucchini)
1 (28 oz.) can fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. dried oregano
pinch of dried thyme
dash of crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Warm the oil in a medium sauce pan over low-medium heat. Add the garlic and gently saute for about 1 minute. Add the zucchini and continue to cook, until the garlic is lightly browned (be careful, burnt garlic is very bitter). Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained, and break any large pieces apart with your cooking utensil. Stir in the tomato paste. Once the tomato paste is incorporated, stir in the oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes. Increase heat to medium just until the sauce boils, then reduce heat again to maintain a simmer. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes, then taste. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with a sturdy pasta shape and shaved Parmesan cheese.

...and here is the second one.

Tomato-Zucchini Sauce #2:

2 c. chopped zucchini (about 1 small or 1/2 large zucchini)
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Sweat the onions and garlic in the oil over low-medium heat in a medium saucepan. When the onions are translucent, add the zucchini and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and saute for an additional minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and the tomato paste, stir to blend the paste. Add the rosemary, red pepper, basil and oregano, and stir. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender. Taste the sauce, and stir in salt and pepper, if needed.