Zucchini? You’ve done everything with it you can think of and you still have some?
Well, then, you have certainly, and no doubt about it, come to the right place. Because we’re going to backtrack in time to another zucchini harvest (the same as most of those known to all local gardener cooks). The only difference is 20 years, give or take.
We’ll start traveling back to my Forum column dated Aug. 17, 1984, wherein Everett cook Doris Twitchell shared a recipe that became so instantly popular that The Herald copy machine eventually gasped, wheezed and nearly died of exhaustion, churning out reprints.
And this was not the first, nor the last, time this happened with a Twitchell recipe, either. But Doris and her recipes – a story for another day.
Cutting to the chase here, and since zucchini just won’t wait, let’s hop along to a second recipe. This one, too, dates back nearly 20 years. It was another incredibly popular thing then, and readers still request this particular recipe today.
We thank Arlene Altes, the Everett cook who shared it with us in a Forum column dated Oct. 24, 1984.
Bottom line here now – those of you faithful and longtime Forum cooks who may have forgotten about these recipes – and for those of you who have never ever had them to begin with, here we go:
Doris Twitchell’s zucchini casserole
21/2pounds zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices, then quartered (you should have about 8 cups)
Margarine
1/2cup chopped onion
1/2cup chopped green pepper
1/2-1pound fresh mushrooms
1 1/2pounds ground beef
1package spaghetti sauce mix
1cup water
1can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Cayenne pepper (optional)
4ounces grated Mozzarella cheese
In large, covered saucepan, cook zucchini in salted water about 4 to 5 minutes; drain well and set aside. Saute onion, green pepper and mushrooms in margarine until tender; add beef and cook, stirring, until cooked thoroughly. Drain off excess fat. Add spaghetti sauce mix, water and tomato paste; let simmer 20 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese and a good dash cayenne pepper, if desired. Gently stir in zucchini and Mozzarella. Turn mixture into 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole and bake at 350 degrees 35 to 45 minutes.
Makes six to eight servings.
Zucchini fudge cake
3eggs
1teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2cups sugar
1/2cup oil
2cups unsifted flour
1/3cup cocoa
1teaspoon baking powder
1teaspoon baking soda
1teaspoon cinnamon
1/4teaspoon salt
3/4cup buttermilk
2cups shredded raw zucchini
1cup chopped nuts
1/2cup raisins
Fudge glaze (recipe follows)
Beat eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is thick and lemon colored. Beat in oil. Combine dry ingredients and add to egg mixture, alternating with buttermilk, and beating well after each addition. Fold in zucchini, nuts and raisins. Turn into greased, 12-cup bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees 50 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool 10 minutes in pan; then remove from pan and complete cooling on wire rack. Drizzle with glaze.
Fudge glaze
1cup powdered sugar
2tablespoons cocoa
2tablespoons softened butter
2teaspoons vanilla
1-2tablespoons water
In small bowl, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.
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