Welcome to my Kitchen

Zucchini quiche, stir-fry, and yeast rolls are on the menu this week. Merleen Smith served a Zucchini Bacon Quiche at a recent brunch gathering that garnered numerous recipe requests. She got the recipe from Nancy Floether, who found the recipe in the 2004 August/September issue of Taste of Home Magazine. The recipe is attributed to Sheri Krueger of Black Creek, Wisconsin.

Zucchini Bacon Quiche

1 tube (8 ounces) refrigera- tor crescent rolls

2 tsp prepared mustard

6 bacon strips, diced

3 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 1 1/4 pounds)

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried basil

Separate crescent dough into eight triangles; place in a greased 10 inch pie plate with points toward the center. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the plate to form a crust; seal perforations. Spread with mustard.

In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings. Sauté zucchini and onion in drippings until tender. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, seasonings, bacon and zucchini mixture. Pour into crust.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges loosely with foil if pastry browns to quickly. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: Merleen uses a regular pastry crust, rather than using the refrigerator rolls, when making this dish.

Joyce McClanahan makes a savory Stir-Fry Zucchini. The basic recipe is just onion, zucchini and seasonings, but the recipe has many variations that accommodate summer garden bounty.

Zucchini Stir-Fry

1/2 onion, sliced (1-1 1/2 cups)

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/ 4-1/2 inch thick

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook onion in olive oil in a medium size skillet over medium-high heat until nicely browned.

Add sliced zucchini. Cover and cook, stirring every few minutes until zucchini reaches desired doneness, about 10-15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Variations:

Add sliced bell peppers (the miniatures are especially nice) when adding the zucchini.

Add 1 cup cherry tomatoes when zucchini is nearly done

Sprinkle with lemon pepper and grated Parmesan cheese in place of the salt and pepper.

Add seasoned bread crumbs just before serving.

Using one green and one yellow summer squash makes a pretty skillet presentation.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Zucchini Yeast Rolls, is a recipe in the large collection of Zucchini recipes I received from former Odessa resident, Cindi Bell. They are delicious, delicately light dinner rolls. If you peel the zucchini, your picky eaters won’t even know it is in them, they will just know they are eating yummy food. The recipe is attributed to Gayle Sweet.

The recipe makes 12 large rolls but I doubled the recipe to make 24. I made half the rolls a little larger and used them for hamburger buns, something I often do with dinner roll recipes.

Zucchini Yeast Rolls

1/2 cup cooked and mashed zucchini

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 packet active dry yeast (1 1/8 tsp)

1/4 cup lukewarm water (110 degrees)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a saucepan combine squash, sugar, salt and shortening with milk, heat until lukewarm. Meanwhile dissolve yeast in lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Stir in squash mixture. Add flour all at once and mix well. Dough will be very soft. Scrape dough away from sides of bowl as much as possible and grease the exposed sides of the bowl. Cover and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead about 5 minutes. Shape into rolls and place in well greased pans. Let rise again in warm place until double. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 12 large rolls.

Note: planning for winter baking, I have cooked and mashed several zucchini and place the squash in one cup portions in freezer containers to use during the winter months. I plan to try this roll recipe for making cinnamon rolls. The texture of these rolls would go well with sweet roll fillings, maybe even kuchen dough.

Speaking of mashing. Carey Jasman used a slick trick to speed up cookie baking. She was making peanut butter cookies and instead of using a fork or glass dipped in sugar, she used her waffle pattern potato mashed, dipped in sugar. Makes a pretty design all in one motion and doesn’t stick like a glass bottom sometimes does. I expect this method would work on any cookie dough that needs to be flattened slightly before baking.

A request has come in for the recipe for the black bean and corn salad that was brought to the National Night Out event in the park last week. I’ve rounded up most of the requested recipes from that event and they will appear in the next column along with a number of recent baby shower refreshment recipes.

Deutchesfest is coming and we begin to think about kuchen and strudel, ranzas and sausage, kraut and spatzele. Please share the recipes for German dishes you prepare for family or company during Fest weekend.

Share your recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email to therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Plant carrots, spinach and lettuce now for a fall harvest.