Happily, Arlington reader Della Phillips has scored a bulls-eye with her request for a certain zucchini bread.
In an Aug. 20 Forum column, she told us, “Mrs. Elma Edmuns of Everett very graciously gave it to me 30 years ago, and I have lost it. When baked, it was a creamy yellow — so moist, with a great taste. All I remember about it is that it included 1/4 teaspoon ground mace and the grated rind of an orange.”
If we eliminate the 1/4 teaspoon ginger, increase the mace to 1/4 teaspoon and substitute 11/2 teaspoons dried orange peel for the fresh grated rind in Della’s original recipe, this version shared by Marysville cook Janet M. Nichols is a dead ringer.
“I have made this recipe for years,” Janet says, noting she clipped it from a Seattle newspaper in 1974.
ZUCCHINI BREAD
1cup sugar
1/2cup oil
2eggs
11/2teaspoons dried orange peel
11/2cups flour
2teaspoons baking powder
1/2teaspoon baking soda
1/2teaspoon salt
1/8teaspoon mace or nutmeg
1/8teaspoon ginger
1cup finely chopped or grated zucchini
1/2cup chopped nuts
Beat sugar and oil until blended. Add eggs and orange peel and beat until blended. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with zucchini. Stir well. Stir in nuts.
Pour into greased 5-by-91/2-inch loaf pan and bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 55 minutes or until done. Cool 15 minutes in pan, then remove to rack to cool.
Makes one 5-by-91/2-inch loaf.
Note: If desired, 1 teaspoon cinnamon can be added along with the mace or nutmeg and ginger.
Bits and pieces: When Irene Gesme of Marysville sent along her recipe for African chow mein, she thoughtfully tossed in another tried-and-true favorite, shipwreck stew.
We now hear from Everett cook Joan Newell, “On Aug. 19, I doubled this recipe, using 1.25 pounds of lean ground turkey instead of 2 pounds of hamburger. Even the 5-year-olds gave it a thumbs-up and asked for more!”
Joan adds, “I simmered it on top of the stove for 11/2 hours because we didn’t have an oven at the ocean,” and also put a smile on my face by mentioning, “I was stunned to see this recipe in the Forum on a hot summer day…Thank you for your foresight.”
Several other Forum cooks also gave this recipe a go, thought it had great flavor and lots of potential for future meals, but also thought it was a little lacking in liquid.
So Irene and I hashed it over, trying to nail down and solve the problem.
First, don’t drain the kidney beans or corn, or the mushrooms, just dump them liquid and all into the meat mixture.
Second, Irene suggests, after adding the can of tomato sauce, adding a teeny bit of water to the empty sauce can, swishing it around and then pouring it into the pan for a little more liquid.
The next Forum will appear in Monday’s Time Out section.
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