Zucchini, Onions, and Tomatoes

Here's the very first zucchini dish I ever sampled.  It's simple and unpretentious, but it's tasty.

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Zucchini with Onions and Tomatoes

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1 large zucchini squash.
1 small Vidalia onion.
1 small can whole tomatoes.
Vegetable oil.
Salt.
Black pepper.

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Cut zucchini into quarters lengthwise, then cut each quarter crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.

Rough-chop (3/4-inch dice) the onion.

Drain the tomatoes, reserving the liquid, and chop into bite-size pieces.

Into a heavy skillet, pour enough oil to coat the bottom fully.  Place over MEDIUM heat and bring up to cooking temperature.

Cook the zucchini slices, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped onion and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

Reduce heat.  Add the chopped tomatoes and the reserved liquid.

Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Season to taste with the salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

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Depending on how large your "large zucchini" is, and on whether you like your vegetables crisp or on the softish side, and upon how much you like onions and tomatoes with your zucchini, you may want to lengthen or shorten the recommended cooking times as well as increase or reduce the recommended amounts of onion and/or tomato.  Recipes are only guidlines anyway, so feel free to experiment.  Hell, I experiment with recipes all the time, so I can't very well feel put out if you do, too.  What's good for the goose, you know.

Happy cooking!

And You Can Stuff Them, Too!

In Friday's post, I mentioned that I've been known to stuff zucchini.  This is not really traditional Southern fare, but it's really good.  Here's how I do it.

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Stuffed Zucchini:

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2 medium Zucchini squash.
1 recipe Meat Stuffing.
Mozzarella or Provolone cheese slices.
Aluminum foil.

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Slice each squash in half lengthwise.

Using a spoon, scrape the seeds out of each half, in order to provide room for the stuffing.

Optional step: For more tender zucchini, wrap individual zucchini slices loosely in foil and bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Spoon stuffing loosely into zucchini halves.

Cover stuffing in each zucchine half with cheese slices.

Wrap each of the individual stuffed zucchini halves in foil, loosely, in order that the cheese doesn't come into contact with the foil (and come off in the foil when you unwrap them).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes.

Carefully remove from foil and serve.

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Meat Stuffing for Zucchini:

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1/2 pound lean ground beef.
2 1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage links.
1 small can whole tomatoes.
1/4 C Italian-style breadcrumbs.
1/4 C Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
1 Shallot, minced.
1/2 t dried oregano.
1/2 t dried sweet basil.
Salt.
Black pepper.

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Remove casing from sausage.  Split the casing with a sharp paring knife, then remove the sausage meat.  Pull the sausage meat apart into bite-size (preferably smaller than bite-size, actually) pieces.

In a heavy skillet over MEDIUM heat, cook the sausage pieces until about half done (still showing a good bit of pink).

Add the ground beef.  Crumble it as you put it into the skillet.  This is easier if the ground beef is referigator-cold.

Just before the ground beef is fully browned, remove from heat and drain through a collander.  Rinse the meat mixture in cold water, in order to rinse off excess fat.  Allow to drain, but not too much, after rinsing.

Return the meat to the skillet, which you have removed from the heat.  Stir in the garlic, shallots, oregano, and (optionally) basil.

Drain the tomatoes, retaining the liquid.  Chop the tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces.  Add chopped tomatoes and retained tomato liquid to the meat/herb mixture in the skillet.

Cook mixture over LOW heat until half of the liquid has evaporated.  This step is necessary in order that the dry herbs get moistened and softened, and so the flavors of the dry herbs can permeate the mixture.

Allow to cool, then sprinkle breadcrumbs and grated cheese over mixture.  Stir well.

Makes enough stuffing for 2 medium-size zucchinis (4 pieces), and then some.

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Happy cooking!

And By the Way, Frying Works with Zucchini, Too.

It may seem strange that an Italian vegetable would be so popular in the Deep South, and yet this is so.  I don’t know how long this has been, but it must not be a very long time.  Nevertheless, I had my first experience of zucchini before I was ten years old.

Our next-door neighbor (and Nannie’s contemporary) came over one afternoon and asked if we wanted some free zucchini.  Her husband, she explained, kept a garden at their vacation home, and they were overrun with zucchini.  Now, Nannie had never heard of zucchini, so the neighbor-lady had to explain that zucchini is a squash, that it’s very good to eat, and that you could either bread it and fry it, or fry it unbreaded and then cook it with onions and tomatoes (I have since prepared zucchini many other ways, including stuffing it with an Italian sausage/ground beef mixture, but I suppose the neighbor-lady was not really that experienced with zucchini)  At any rate, Nannie graciously accepted the gift, and fixed us zucchini with onion and tomatoes the next day for dinner (the noon meal at our house, remember).  I’ve been enjoying zucchini ever since.

Anyway, here’s a recipe for breaded fried zucchini,

Breaded and Fried Zucchini

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1 medium- to large-sized zucchini squash, cut crosswise into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices.
Egg wash.
All-purpose flour.
Salt.
Black pepper.
Dried and crushed sweet basil (optional).
Vegetable oil.

Prepare the egg wash by breaking an egg into a shallow bowl and then stirring the egg rapidly with a fork until the yolk and white are completely mixed.

Prepare each slice of squash as follows:

1. Dip in the egg wash and coat the slice completely.  Then allow any excess egg wash to drain back into the container.
2. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and optionally, basil.
3. Dredge lightly in the flour.

If you’d like crunchier fried zucchini, try repeating steps (1) through (3), above.  If you do this, go easy on the seasonings each time, because you’ll be seasoning twice.  Alternatively, you could omit step (2) on the first go-round, and season only on the second, or vice versa.

Pour just enough oil into a large, heavy skillet to coat the bottom completely.  Place over MEDIUM heat and allow to come up to cooking temperature.

When the pan’s hot, place the breaded zucchini slices in the pan so that they don’t overlap.  You want to cook the slices evenly, and if they overlap in the pan, this won’t happen.

Cook both sides of the zucchini slices until they are a golden-brown, a little darker than you would summer squash.  Zucchini can be a bit more dense (i.e, weighs more per unit volume) than summer squash, and it takes longer to cook through.

Drain and serve immediately.

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Note: Please, please don’t think I’m such an idiot that I actually do steps (1) through (3) - egg-washing, seasoning, and dredging - for each and every individual slice of zucchini.  Steps (1) through (3) merely specify the order of operations.  You don’t have to do them exactly as specified, and I don’t.  What I do is, I egg-wash a batch of slices, then season the batch, then dredge the batch, and then repeat for the next batch, until I’ve done the lot.

Personally, I like the mouth-feel, the extra little something, that the zucchini skin gives to the finished dish, but this may not appeal to you.  If the notion of leaving the skin on the squash clashes with your sensibilities, then do not hesitate to pare the skin off your zucchini before you slice it.  You can remove all of the skin, or just part of it, as is often done with cucumbers.

Happy cooking!

While We're on the Subject of Squash . . .

. . . let's look at another way to fry it. 

I imagine that there are more squash recipes to be found in the Southeast than there are cooks in the region, and at least as many recipes for fried squash as there are cooks.  Squash just seems to be a popular food down here, except maybe among school-age kids.  Squash-hating may not be so prevalent among today's school children, but squash was almost universally disliked, and in some cases hated outright, by pupils in the Dougherty County, Georgia, public school system, of which I am a product.

Now personally, I do not remember a time when I didn't like squash.  When we had squash for lunch at school I was, as they say, in hog heaven.

Early on in my academic career, when the school cafeteria served squash, I'd have one or more schoolmates approach me with the intention of trading their squash for something on my tray that I didn't care for.  The problem with that was that there wasn't much I didn't like in the way of food, so there was usually nothing I was willing to swap for another helping of squash. I suppose I had inadvertently developed a reputation for liking squash, but since I liked everything else and usually declined to swap, this sort of propositioning became rather rare.  More often than not, though, I'd end up with an extra helping or two on days when squash was served.

There were always certain kids, you see, who couldn't stand the sight of the stuff, much less the idea of putting it in their mouths.  Such children called it names like squish in elementary school (and they waxed more and more descriptive, I'm here to tell you, as they advanced in grade level and their skills in the use of obscene and/or profane language improved).  Anyhow, I came to know who these people were, and on squash days, I'd stalk them.

My modus operandi was this:  I'd choose one particular squash-hater and schmooze them. Then, when it was time for lunch, I'd follow my intended victim to a table, sit down close to them, and start eating my lunch.  Then, just when lunch started to kick into high gear, I'd nonchalantly ask my victim, "Hey, you gonna eat your squish?"

I think it was probably the word squish, spoken with a tone and inflection intended to evoke unpleasant feelings in the listener, and timed for when the listener's mouth was full of food, that did the trick, but the why isn't important.  Regardless of the reason, it was the result that counted:  the squash-hater gladly parted with his or her portion of the abominable vegetable.  Yuk! take it and good riddance!  I believe they might have paid me to take their squash, if the thought had crossed their minds and they'd had the money.

Okay! okay!  Pardon my ruminations, but I couldn't help myself.  Remembering those days, so long ago now, always gives me a chuckle, and I do enjoy telling a story.  Now, to today's recipe.

Deep-Fried Squash

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4 C fresh yellow squash at room temperature, quartered lengthwise, individual quarters then cut crosswise into 1-inch slices.
1 C all-purpose flour.
1 large egg.
Table salt.
Black pepper.
Vegetable oil (for deep-frying).
Onion powder (optional).

Beat the egg lightly with a fork to mix the white and yolk.

For each piece of the squash, do the following:

• Dip into the egg. Coat thoroughly, then allow the excess egg to drain back into the egg container.
• Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and onion powder (if you're using it).
• Dredge lightly in the flour.

After confirming that there's suffficient oil in your deep fryer, and topping it up if there isn't, set the temperature to 350 degrees.

When the oil in the fryer reaches 350 degrees, carefully drop no more than a handful of the squash piece in the oil.  If it's more than a handful, the additional mass could reduce the temperature of the oil significantly.  This is not a good thing to have happen, because in order to cook in the lower-temperature oil, the food must remain in it for a longer time than normal.  The food can thus absorb more oil than usual, and it may become greasy.

Cook the squash until the flour breading is a light golden brown.  Cooking squash in a deep fryer doesn't take long, so be careful that you don't overcook it.

Remove food from deep fryer and drain.

Allow drained squash to cool, then serve immediately.

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Breaded squash can also be cooked in a skillet, but you'll need to use 1/4-inch slices rather than 1-inch, and you'll need to cook the squash slices in batches of no more slices than cover the bottom of the pan. You'll need only enough vegetable to cover the bottom of the pan. Keep an eye on your squash by turning frequently.  Your food is done when it takes on the light golden-brown color, as described above.

Either way you fry it - deep or pan - you may want to substitute a seasoned for the table salt.  That little extra flavor might be all it takes to convert a young squash-hater, should it be your misfortune to have one running around your house, into an enthusiastic squash fanatic.

Happy cooking!

South Georgia Country-Fried Squash

It’s just about the end of the summer squash season in Georgia, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t share this recipe.  I know I could have put it off until next Spring, but when I asked myself “why?,” I couldn’t come up with a good excuse.

If you’re from the South and you're partial to yellow squash, be it straight-neck, crook-neck, or ‘humungous’ - the sort I get free from a friend who’s an admitted “gardenin’ fool,” and can’t help growing too much for him to eat by himself - you’ll probably recognize this countrified concoction, if not by recipe, then by the flavor when you eat it.  Here’s how my Nannie made it.

Country-Fried Squash

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6 C fresh yellow squash, quartered lengthwise, quarters then cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices.
1 C (more or less, to taste) rough-chopped (½-inch or so pieces) yellow or Spanish onion.
1 T bacon grease.
Salt.
Black pepper.

In a large, heavy skillet (cast iron, preferably) over a LOW fire, sweat the onions in the bacon grease until the onions are translucent.  Then add the squash.

Stir the mixture thoroughly.  What you want is to coat the squash evenly with the onions and bacon grease.

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  What we’re doing here is softening the squash and getting the water in the squash to come out into the skillet.

Break the squash slices up.  A potato-masher comes in handy here.

Turn the fire up to MEDIUM and cook uncovered until the most of water boils off.  This concentrates the flavor of the squash and onion.  You’re done when water no longer pools in the skillet  You’ve reached this point when no water pools in the bottom of the skillet when you expose it by moving the contents aside.

Reduce heat to LOW and continue to cook, uncovered, until the squash begins to brown.  Be careful here, because things can get out of hand quickly if you’re not paying attention.  You can easily end up with burned squash.

Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

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Happy cooking!

Pork Barbecue: Kettle Cooking Method, Epilogue

A few notes and cautions with regard to the topic of barbecuing are probably in order, especially for the novice barbecuer.

Firstly, there's the question of how the barbecue is supposed to look when it's done.  The answer is black.  That's right, black.  If your shoulder's not black, something's wrong.  It should look like you've burned it.

You haven't really burned it, though.  The black color is the result of 10 to 14 hours of constant exposure to hardwood smoke.  The fat-cap is now a shriveled, black and nameless thing.  The surface of the meat on the side opposite the fat-cap has a nice, attractive bark to it.  The meat has a deep, red or pink smoke ring around the outside that you could see if you cut into it.  And, most importantly, the meat is moist, succulent, fall-off-the-bone tender, and delicious.

Secondly, it's possible, on account of the imprecise nature of our heat-control method, that your meat will look like it's done, but won't quite be, after the prescribed amount of time because your fire was not quite hot enough.  On the other hand, the fire may have been too hot, and your meat looks like it's done, and is done, before the prescribed time has elapsed.  Never fear.  We have ways of dealing with these situations.

For cases where we suspect we have one of the abovegoing anomalous conditions in play, there is what is known in barbecuing circles as the shake 'n' bake test.  To perform the shake 'n' bake test, you just grab hold of the exposed shank bone, which should be clearly visible and identifiable as bone by now, of the shoulder and give it a good shake.  If the meat loosens from the bone and looks like it's ready to fall off, the 'cue's done.  Contrariwise, if it don't, it ain't.  It's that simple.

I think it's always a good idea to shake 'n' bake when the meat looks done, just in case.  Remember, though, that the bone will be hot.  Protect your hand - by using tongs or pliers, or by wearing an oven mitt - so you don't burn yourself.

Thirdly, in case you're inclined to try to eat what's left of the fat-cap, don't.  It's as hard and tough and unappetizing as it looks, and it tastes about as bad as it looks.  Toss it, along with the bones, and pull and/or chop what's left.

Pulling pork, incidentally, is merely the act of pulling the meat apart into sections along the grain.  If the meat's too hot to pull with your bare hands, try using a pair of dinner forks in place of your fingers.  Just pull the meat apart into not-so-thick portions.

After you've pulled the pork, you may want to chop the pieces into more convenient lengths if they're too long to be easily managed.  Or, if you don't want to pull the pork at all, you can skip the pulling and just chop your meat up.  In either case, use a chef's knife or cleaver, and chop down, rather than cut back and forth.

Then, again, if none of the above tickles your fancy, there's always the sliced-barbecue route.  Just slice the meat across the grain, like you would a ham (you can do this either with the bone in, or with the bone removed).  A knife with a serrated blade, such as a special-purpose ham-carving knife, works best.

Finally, I realize that, for the uninitiated, kettle-barbecuing a pork shoulder that weighs 10 to 14 pounds may seem a little daunting.  Well, don't let it be.  Barbecuing is actually much less intense than roasting hot dogs on sticks over a campfire, where conditions can change rapidly.  You have to be alert and you have to pay close attention when you're roasting a hot dog.  Otherwise, you just might burn your weenie.

Barbecuing, by way of contrast, happens at a slower pace.  You do have to pay attention, certainly, but barbecuing is still a very leisurely undertaking.  In fact, the only problem you're likely to run into in barbecuing has to do with the time it takes.  You're liable to get so bored during the long hours of cooking time that you fall asleep and let your fire go out.  That minor hazard notwithstanding, barbecuing is an ideal pastime for any lazy person.  This fact no doubt explains why I'm so fond of it.

Happy cooking, ...er..., barbecuing!

Pork Barbecue: Kettle Cooking Method, Part VII – Y’all Want Some Sauce With That ‘Cue?

Now that the ‘cue’s in the kettle, we’ve got some time - from 10 to 14 hours, depending - that we can use to make some sauce.  I like my sauce for barbecued pork shoulder to be a bit thinner than the sauce I make for ribs, and I like it to be less sweet and a bit more tangy, too.  The idea with pulled and/or chopped barbecued pork shoulder is to put the sauce in, rather than on, the meat, and I find that a thinner sauce penetrates the finished meat more readily than a thicker sauce.  You may (and you’re welcome to) differ, but to me, it just tastes better that way.  At any rate, here’s my recipe:

Sauce for Barbecued Pork Shoulder:

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2 recipes dry rub.
1 C distilled vinegar.
1 C water.
1 C tomato catsup.
1 T. prepared mustard.
1 lemon, sliced thin.
1/4 C fresh or cold-pack orange juice (optional)

Add prepared mustard to the vinegar and mix thoroughly.

Dissolve dry rub in vinegar/mustard mixture.

Add the water and the catsup.

Add the orange juice if you’re using it.

Pour mixture into sauce pan and float the lemon slices on top of the liquid.

Simmer for at least 1 hour, preferably longer.  Makes about 3 cups of sauce.

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Pour over meat after the meat has cooled and has been taken off the bone, and pulled and/or chopped.  Do not apply sauce to the meat while the meat’s cooking.  The sauce can,t penetrate the fat-cap anyway, and will probably just carbonize, adding nothing at all to the final result.

Happy cooking (and eating)!