Zucchini-Mascarpone Bread

Tags

baked goods, mascarpone, zucchini, zucchini bread, zucchini-cheese bread

I’m thinking of re-naming this The Disappearing Zucchini Bread. I cannot seem to bake them quick enough before my family polishes them off. Me included. Two large loaves will last exactly 3 days in my home. The secret? It’s all in the filling!

My sister Franca has been making an amazing Zucchini-Cream Cheese Bread for over 15 years. I thought I’d change the recipe up a little by giving it an Italian twist. Where the original recipe calls for the tanginess of cream cheese, I thought I’d give it a rich and creamy texture with mascarpone. Don’t you just love mascarpone? I’ve also replaced much of the vegetable oil with unsweetened applesauce. Sounds crazy but I have this thing about adding oil to a cake batter, especially a whole cup of it. And I’ve added lemon zest, for a fresh zesty twist as well. Besides, zucchini and lemon are  a perfect match. This recipe makes two big loaves and to one of them, I added some blackberries. Seeing as the cottage is surrounded by blackberry bushes, why not? My girls LOVE this zucchini bread and it makes the perfect snack. Or breakfast. So when life gives you zucchini, make zucchini bread!

Ingredients

for the bread:

3 eggs

2 cups of sugar

1/3 of a cup of vegetable/canola oil

2/3 of a cup of unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoons of vanilla

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 medium zucchini, shredded and unpeeled, about 2 cups

Zest of 1 lemon

for the cheese:

250 g (8 oz) of mascarpone cheese, or cream cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter or oil 2 loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat together the 3 eggs, 2 cups of of sugar, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Add the next 5 ingredients, flour to cinnamon, and mix well. Fold in the zucchini, lemon zest and juice.

In a separate bowl, beat the mascarpone, or cream cheese, with the egg, sugar and flour until light and fluffy.

Pour a layer of the zucchini batter in the bottom of each loaf pan, about 1/4 of the mixture in each. Spread the cheese mixture over the batter in each pan. If using blackberries, drop those on top of the cheese mixture. Add the remainder of the zucchini batter over the cheese mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pans on a wire rack. Remove from pans when cool and dig in!

Lasagne di Zucchine

Tags

Italian, lasagne, seasonal Italian, Vegetarian, vegetarian lasagna, vegetarian main, zucchini, zucchini lasagna, zucchini recipes

This isn’t your traditional lasagne. First off, there’s no pasta. Instead, I’ve used thinly sliced zucchini to replace it. It has been so hot here in Montreal, every visit to the cottage brings an abundance of zucchini. They just love the heat, don’t they? Funny how only the yellow ones have come up. Not a single green one. No worries though. I think the yellow ones are so vibrant, bringing to mind summer and sunshine. I need to find creative ways to use up this yellow bounty so that my family doesn’t tire of it. Warning: yummy zucchini recipes coming your way!

The beauty of this dish is that all the ingredients are fresh! No pre-cooking of anything. Straight from the garden and into the oven! Served warm, at room temperature, or even cold for an al fresco meal. You decide. Whichever way you choose, I promise that you’ll have the taste of summer in every bite! Buon appetito!

Ingredients

2 medium sized zucchini, about 2 lb.

2 large tomatoes

2 balls of fresh mozzarella, or mozzarina, about 1 lb.

1 cup of bread crumbs

1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Fresh basil, chopped

Fresh Parsley, chopped

4 eggs

Salt & pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I was out of bread crumbs, so I made my own. One thing you can always be sure to find in my pantry is old bread! To the bread crumbs, add some freshly chopped basil and parsley, the Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper to taste. If you’d like to make this dish entirely gluten free, you could replace the bread crumbs with parmesan, upping the amount to 2 cups. I only thought of this after the dish was made but I will definitely give it a try next time.

Slice the zucchini as thinly as you can, paper thin if possible. I used a mandolin to make things quick and easy. Do the same with the tomatoes and the fresh mozzarella.

You can now begin layering the lasagne. Pour a little olive oil in the bottom of an oven dish measuring more or less 11 inches by 14 inches. Cover the bottom with the zucchini slices. Add the mozzarella on top, followed by the tomato slices. Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture and finish by drizzling a little olive oil over the top. Repeat the layers so you have 3 filled layers. The fourth and final layer of zucchini slices will be topped only with mozzarella and the bread crumb mixture, drizzled with olive oil.

Finally, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the top. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool on the counter at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Julia della Croce, “Vegetarian Table: Italy”.

Zucchini and Buffalo Mozzarella Bundles

Tags

appetizers, buffalo mozzarella, seasonal, Vegetarian, zucchini, zucchini sides

If you grow your own zucchini, you’re probably starting to have an abundance of them right about now.  I know we are.  Green ones.  Yellow ones.  I’ve been enjoying our zucchini in many different ways this past week.  And if you do grow them, check out my Awesome Blossoms post and make use of those delectable zucchini flowers.  Fiori di zucchini.  They are a favourite summertime treat in our household.

Another favourite in the summertime is putting out an array of various nibbles on the table and making a meal of it.  With good friends.  Crusty bread, cheese, olives, roasted peppers, eggplant, tomato and cucumber salad, prosciutto, and these little zucchini bundles.  Stuffed with blissful buffalo mozzarella, a cheese made in Italy with milk from the water buffalo, and fresh basil leaves.  Perfect summertime treat!

Ingredients

Green and yellow zucchini

Mozzarella di Bufala, or fresh mozzarella

Fresh basil leaves

salt

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bring some water to a boil in a medium pan and plunge the entire zucchini, whole, into the water for 3 minutes, 4 minutes for larger zucchini.  The reason for this is because the zucchini, once thinly sliced, needs to be pliable enough to roll. I tried without boiling first and I wasn’t able to roll them into little bundles.  Remove zucchini from the water and place in a colander, running cold water over them for a few minutes.

When cool enough to handle, slice as thinly as possible.  I used a mandolin at the smallest setting.  Lay out the slices on a tea towel and cover with another towel, allowing for the water from the zucchini to be absorbed.  Let sit until ready to roll.

Pat the buffalo mozzarella dry with paper towels.  Chop into small bites, no wider than the zucchini slices.  Chop or tear the fresh basil in similar sizes. 30 minutes before serving, roll into little bundles.  Sprinkle the slices lightly with salt, place a basil leaf on one end of a zucchini slice and add the mozzarella on top.  Roll into a bundle and place on a dish.  Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and serve immediately.  Buon appetito!