Every year my good friend Stevie plans an extravaganza around his birthday. He makes it clear that he doesn’t want gifts or cards, only the participation of his wide group of wonderful friends. Years ago, we rented out part of a club and danced till dawn. Last year it was karaoke and bowling. Two years ago, we had a simple, cheap dinner in Chinatown which ended around 11pm. But the party didn’t really begin until we were escorted to a plumber’s van which drove us to a roller rink on the southern tip of Staten Island.
This year, Stevie rented a house near Hudson, New York for a week of reading, swimming, singing, throwing the ball around the yard, hammock sleeping, star-gazing, and of course, eating. I love Stevie. He cultivates pleasure and then shares it generously.
>> Click here to read about zucchini that looked like bacon!>>
I’m missing my CSA fruit and vegetable share which came to a close last week. Every Thursday night since early June, I would trot up to Isham Park and pick up my horde delivered by the Hawthorne Valley farm. I learned a heck of a lot about eating vegetables this summer. Here are some of the highlights:
>> Read on to learn how to make the most of a pound of zucchini. >>
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You’ll never starve as long as you’ve got an egg in the house—Evelina Scariati Pullano (aka Nana)
Growing up, I spent a lot of time in both the kitchen and garden with my grandparents. Nana and Papa grew piles of zucchini and used each and every one of them along with their flowers. I’m told by family that as a baby, my favorite food was zucchini and eggs. Mushy and nutritious—perfect baby food!
During a great rash of stolen lunches at Liberty Elementary, zucchini and eggs came to my rescue. I called home, delivered the news that I was lunch-less, and Nana whipped up a rush order, put it between two big pieces of crusty bread, and sent my Uncle Sonny tearing down the road to deliver it to me in a giant brown grocery bag. I sat down at a lunch table and happily unwrapped my sandwich while the other kids looked on at me like I was Andrew Zimmern.
“EEEEW,” one of them screamed. It did not bother me in the least. In fact, I felt pity for her and her peanut butter and jelly on Wonder.
Today, my own fridge is brimming with zucchini from my CSA share and I’ve been having zucchini and eggs at least 3 times a week. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Here’s how I do it.
- Slice your medium sized zucchini in half, then cut those in half, and slice little triangles. If the center is too seedy, simple run your knife below the seedy part and remove it first.
- Add a splash of olive oil, turn on your pan, and throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes. (I prefer Calabrian pepper but you do your thing.)
- Saute the zucchini triangles (aren’t they cute?) until they start to caramelize. Sprinkle a little kosher salt on them. Remove from pan and lower the heat.
- DON’T clean the pan. Keep the heat on low and throw in about a tablespoon of butter. (I like salted, whipped butter, but again..this is simple stuff so make do with what’s in your fridge.)
- Add 2-3 scrambled eggs, let them set for about 30 seconds.
- Add the zucchini back in with the eggs and move them around with your spatula for another minute or so, just until the egg sets.
- Finally, add a quarter of a cup of grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano cheese. Your choice. The pecorino is sheep’s milk cheese and a little easier on the lactose intolerant gizzards.
Serve on two slices of toasted French or Italian bread. (And don’t be afraid to butter the bread first.) It’s damn good on challah bread, too.
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