I am enamored with raw zucchini. I love the stuff, why hide it? Some people bake it into bread, (which is one of my favorite things to eat, no doubt) some into cookies. I haven’t seen a zucchini ice cream, but I have seen it crystalized as a cake topper. If you are sick of summer squash, there are limitless ways of serving it secretly… tucking it neatly into something else and feeding it to folks without saying so. Or candying it and brandishing it as ribbons and bows on a frosting-wrapped cake.

I find that the secret to eating it unabashedly uncooked is slicing it thin. If you get it with a mandoline, or cut it into tiny matchsticks, zucchini absorbs the flavor of what you put with it and isn’t overpowering. In my case, it most often becomes a delightfully crunchy vehicle for Parrano cheese and toasted pine nuts. If you haven’t tried Parrano cheese, brace yourself: it is the slickest baby Parmesan and Gouda could have—smooth, sweet, salty, slightly sharp. Yes, it really is all of those things.

This can be served with lettuce or without, although I find that a bed of greens acts as a nice cradle for drippy vinaigrette. Lettuce helps in preventing a plate from puddle-ing up. I could see this sliced zucchini served on top of cold quinoa or wild rice, in which case the leaves would be unnecessary.

Also- somewhere during my summer squash romance, Christopher and I packed up our entire house and moved it from Texas to Vermont. (The zucchini is equally good in both places, although I feel like I’ve cheated the seasons: summer squash, tomatoes, corn and other hot-weather wonders started appearing in May down south, while they’re just cresting here.) This picture was taken as one of our last lonestar meals, and the camera is at large, so please use your imagination to picture how beautiful this salad can be. Now that I’m settled, there’s more zucchini to come.

Raw Zucchini Salad with Parrano and Toasted Pine Nuts

Serves 2 as a generous appetizer, 4 as a side-dish

For the Dressing

Combine 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard with 6 tablespoons of champagne or white vinegar.

Add 2 teaspoons of honey, a dash of salt and a crack of pepper.

Add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley.

Stir to combine.

Slowly, drizzle in ¾ c of olive oil until emulsified.

Set aside. (You will likely have enough for tomorrow.)

For the Zucchini

Slice 1 zucchini and 1 summer squash into think strips, preferably with a mandoline. Cut into 3” pieces.

In a medium bowl, pour enough dressing over the zucchini to coat.

Let this marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, thinly slice ½ c Parrano cheese and toast ½ c pine nuts.

If using lettuce, coat greens lightly in dressing in your serving bowl.

In their bowl, toss zucchini and summer squash with cheese.

Place zucchini in a serving dish, (possibly over greens) and garnish with toasted pine nuts.

I am a big fan of blending my gazpacho, although I also like it chopped. It depends on the goal: if avocado and lots of herbs or a green pepper are part of the plan, then pureeing is not the strategy, except when I dine alone. I don’t mind eating brownish soup. (Shhh.)

But tonight I had mostly red in my kitchen, and a puree was ideal. (Although I didn’t have any strawberries or cantaloupe on hand, I would likely have added some for the sweetness–a little fruit in gazpacho is really subtle and delicious.) When I’m making a blended batch, I reserve some of the chopped vegetables for  texture, and usually add some other garnish–sometimes shrimp, crab or avocado. I’ve never considered a floating crostini…that would feel too fussy for this kind of edible spontaneity.

Tonight I had some sweet, jumbo lump crab, to which no mollusk or crustacean compares.

**Note: this soup is best if it has time to sit: I recommend making it in the afternoon (or a day before) and blending once more just before adding garnishes and serving.

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Today’s Gazpacho

Generously serves 2

3  medium tomatoes, cored and rough chopped

1 large, red pepper, cubed

1 medium, yellow pepper, cubed

1/2 red onion, diced

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed

1 jalepeño pepper, diced (optional)

Juice of 1 lemon

Generous bunch of fresh basil

Olive oil, s & p

1/2 c jumbo lump crab

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Blend the vegetables, reserving about 1/2 cup to mix into the puree just before serving.

Add jalepeño in parts, to taste.

Add a few leaves of basil, and more if you’re happy with the taste and color.

Drizzle olive oil into the puree, and add lemon, salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving, chiffonade remaining basil and garnish bowls with chopped veggies and jumbo lump crab.

I have done this for many days, in many forms. I’m addicted to the zip zing of crystalized ginger, the crunch of a toasted nut, and the richness of oats crisped up in almond butter. I eat it with almond milk, with yogurt, sometimes sprinkled over oatmeal…or over ice cream. I ate it while flipping note cards and textbook pages, and now I eat it over the paper, or in a Ball Jar with milk in my cubicle at the DA’s office. I am always careful to put on my suit coat after I take the last spoonful, so that there’s no dribble of milk on my buttons. And then, I head up to Court 10 for the fugitive docket.

Can you imagine a better way of reminding yourself… “Hey! Life could be worse?” Sometimes I shudder at the memory of eating breakfast while trying to understand the Rule Against Perpetuities. But then I remind myself…there could be a warrant out for me somewhere.

But seriously, this stuff is so good, it should be criminal.

Almond Ginger Granola

2 c oats

1 c canola oil

1/2 c honey

1 c almond butter

1/2 c almond slivers, toasted

1/2 c dried cranberries (optional)

1/3 c crystalized ginger, chopped

2 t cinnamon (optional)

1 t salt (& more to taste)

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine honey, oil and almond milk in a small sauce pan on very low heat.

Stir constantly until mixture is just warm enough to be thinned out.

Pour almond butter mixture over oats, add salt and cinnamon and stir until combined.

Bake 10 minutes, then rotate pan and stir oats.

Bake 5 more minutes, and if mixture looks golden, add nuts. (If not, bake a bit more.)

Toss and bake a final 5 minutes.

Stir in ginger and cranberries and cool: do not transfer to a jar or container until mixture is cool, or granola will get soggy.

Store in a Ball Jar for up to 2 weeks.

Go Huskies.

Texas Guacamole

Serves 4

1 large shallot, chopped

1 medium, red onion, diced, divided

1 jalepeno pepper, finely diced

1 large, red tomato, diced

2 jumbo avocados (or 4 small)

1/2 c chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

lemon juice

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Saute the shallot and 1/2 of the onion in olive oil until soft and transluscent. Set aside to cool.

Place chopped onion, tomato, pepper and cilantro in a bowl and mix.

In a separate bowl, mash avocados with hands until smooth.

Combine avocado, vegetable mixture, cooled shallots, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately, I like mine with plantain chips.

Fizzy Greyhound

Serves 1

1 oz vodka (maybe more)

3/4 c grapefruit juice

1/4 c soda water

ice

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Combine

Sometimes the only ambition you need is a heap of browning bananas.

Both Christopher and I recently both bought bunches, and the next thing I knew, our kitchen was overcome with the smell of very ripe fruit. I came home one afternoon and realized I had to put away (or put up) five bananas before the morning, or I might not get any at all. Another neglected foodstuff came quickly to mind. And so breakfast for the week was born.

And then breakfast for another week. And snacks. I made my latest batch into muffins, so they could be toted around or easily frozen. I haven’t had to save any yet, though. I think I’ll probably just make a batch of muffins every Sunday, and finish them off by Friday. Aside for the time this loaf is in the oven, it takes longer to wash the two bowls than to use them for mixing. And there’s not a single, regrettable item in the batter.  Unless you don’t like bananas or buckwheat.

Buckwheat Banana Bread

Makes 8 slices or 12 muffins

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oats (toast lightly in a dry skillet until golden)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans (plus extra for garnish) 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c birch sugar (or 1 c regular sugar)
5 ripe bananas, 4 mashed + 1 sliced for garnish
2 large eggs, whisked
1 c plain yogurt

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Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Mix the flours, oats, salt and spices in a medium-sized bowl.

Mix the mashed banana, sugar and yogurt in a large bowl.

Add the flour to the wet ingredients and stir gently to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured bread pan.

Garnish with sliced bananas and nuts, and bake for 35-45 minutes.

(If you do these as muffins, bake only 20-25 minutes.)

This recipe is the one I make when I need to make an impression. Since carrot cake seems relatively innocuous, nobody thinks you’re being a show-off. Plus, it’s so easy, you literally can’t ruin it. I’ll explain…

I once made this cake for a faux-Thanksgiving and accidentally used flour in lieu of half of the confectioner’s sugar called for in the recipe, (never mix-up your Mason jars) but even so, people ate it up. Not just to be polite, although I think it went down a little easier since so much wine had been imbibed.

Another time, I made this for a real Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws house. Needless to say, I neglected to flour the greased pan, and ended up removing the cake in chunks. Even so, it was incredible: nothing like a thick cream cheese frosting to layer into your dough and glue things right up.

What I’m saying is that this cake simply can’t be ruined, even if you commit the most egregious of cooking errors. And when you do it right, it’s mind-blowing.

I recently had a Sunday afternoon to spend with my friend Katelyn, and we decided to make this in a more diminutive form–the kind that’s easily shared and wins you lots of friends and fans. Every crumb of our cupcakes seemed suspended in air, or perhaps a lattice-work of carrot and coconut shreds. There was the occasional walnut to add texture and the slight tartness of the cream cheese did wonders for off-setting the sweetness of the caramelized batter.

The recipe below is copied almost exactly from Saveur, although I like to add 1/4 c of maple syrup to the batter and sprinkle toasted coconut on top of the finished product (usually 1/2 cup will do). When I do this as a full-sized cake, I bake 2 rounds, double the frosting and make a layer cake with walnuts along the sides and coconut on top.

Carrot Cake (Cupcakes)

Makes 24

BATTER:

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1 1⁄2 cups canola oil
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. fine salt
1  8-oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
1  7-oz. bag shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large carrots, trimmed and finely shredded (about 2 cups)

ICING:

3 cups confectioners’ sugar
3⁄4 lb. cream cheese, softened
8 tbsp. salted butter, softened
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract

CAKE: Preheat oven to 350°.

Fill 12 cupcake tins with liners. (You’ll do this twice.)

Put sugar, oil, and eggs into a large bowl and whisk until well combined.

Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until just mixed together into a batter.

Add pineapple with juice, coconut, walnuts, vanilla, and carrots and gently fold together until combined.

Transfer batter to prepared pan, smooth top with a rubber spatula, and bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 50–55 minutes. Set cake aside to let cool completely.

ICING: Put sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy, 4–5 minutes.

Generously frost each cupcake (once cooled) and sprinkle the top with toasted coconut.

Tomorrow, I will make one of my favorite forms of chicken salad–the kind that doesn’t leave you with an unctuous film at the corners of your lips. I would be a damn liar if I claimed not to like mayonnaise, but this has none, and that makes it easier to pack for lunch. It’s so simple, even a law student can blog about it, which generally means it’s quick to make. I tend to spend more prose on the recipes that involve a lot of steps, if only because I like to keep my cooking and writing efforts somewhat commensurate.

So for those of you with big weeks ahead, here’s to a bird that will keep you sated for at least a few lunches. Sunday supper rolling into healthy Monday lunch–and all you have to do is supply the vegetables, the fork and the appetite. And please don’t let this post implant in you any identification with a grotesque and greedy cartoon man, although I will say that if it were possible to down a drumstick in one fell swoop, I’d be all about it.

Chicken Salad with Herbs and Vegetables

Makes 4 servings

Leftover meat from a 4-5 lb chicken (about 1 lb), shredded

2 T olive oil

2 t lemon juice

1 t dijon mustard

1/2 c chopped parsley

2 scallions, diced

1 c cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 celery ribs, diced

1/2 bell pepper, diced

1/4 medium red onion, diced

salt and pepper

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In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice and dijon mustard.

Add chicken and toss to coat–you may not need all the dressing. Then again, you may want more.

Add chopped herbs and vegetables and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe tastes best if left to marinate over night–toss again before serving to distribute dressing.

I love gallettes for their versatility: it takes so little to make one delicious, and visual imperfections are their best attribute. Virtually any fruit will do, although with apples and pears one tends to opt for the straighter edge of a tartine. Still, I think this fall I may rebel and continue with my nut-encrusted, odd-shaped pastries. I feel most comfortable around the nutty and odd.

Figs would be great here, especially since the combination of figs and nuts is so unparalleled. Next time, I might use hazelnuts and drizzle the top with honey… or maybe I’ll dab fresh marscarpone into the cracks of the fruit, and let it melt a little just before serving. If I were absolutely wild, I’d leave the sugar out of the crust and create a pastry with prosciutto, burratta and arugula. But that would be another post altogether. Stay tuned, as my sanity is increasingly questionable. Have I mentioned I’m in law school?

Plum and Walnut Galette

Loosely Inspired by Martha Stewart

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus 1 T

2 tablespoons ice water

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten plus 1 large egg (divided)

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided (plus more for sprinkling)

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¾ c finely chopped walnuts

5 pitted plums, sliced about ¼ inch thick

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For the Pâte Sucrée

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

(This can also be done in a food processor, if you prefer, although I like the control of working by hand.)

Add ice water, a bit at a time, and slowly add egg yolks until the dough just holds together, but doesn’t get sticky.

If the dough is still crumbly, add a drop more water.

Form dough into a ball, being careful not to over-work.

Wrap dough in plastic and press with your palms to create a flat disk. (The size doesn’t matter yet.)

Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

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For the Galette

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

Sprinkle a lightly floured work surface with 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar.

Roll out dough to a 12 inch disk, about ¼ -inch thick.

Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 hour.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts, setting aside a bit of the mixture for the top of the galette.

In a large bowl gently toss together plums and remaining tablespoon of sugar. Sprinkle the flour mixture over plums; gently toss until evenly coated.

Spread spice and nut mixture over dough, leaving a 2-inch border around.

Arrange plums on top, maintaining a 2-inch border.

Fold remaining dough over plum mixture, overlapping and creasing dough ever inch or so. Gently squeeze overlaps together as you go.

In a small bowl, beat together egg with 1 teaspoon water.

Brush edges of dough with egg mixture, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes.

Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without vanilla ice cream.

What can you do with a zucchini to make it appealing seventy-five days in a row? Or really, what can’t you do? I sauté with a variety of sauces and different combinations of onion, shallot, garlic and herb. I grill, I roast. Have you tried Barbara Kingsolver’s chocolate chip cookies with zucchini? The produce is virtually inscrutable except for the telltale strips of bright green skin woven through the crumbs. Grated zucchini baked into bread adds moisture and texture and goes especially well with almond extract and slivered almonds. Trust me.

It will be a sad day for me when summer squash stops appearing. It’s still a month away, here in warm-weather Houston, but with all I’ve said, you can imagine that my diet will change pretty drastically when that time comes.I might also add, however, that sometimes I get a little over-eager. Maybe I don’t need to buy five summer squash and five zucchini at a time. Sometimes I use them all very quickly—especially when I eat at home every night—but sometimes they don’t go so fast, in which case, soup is the best remedy.

This curried zucchini soup came courtesy of one of Martha Stewart’s many publications. I have a friend who gives me hand-me-downs of her magazines, which I peruse over dinner. (Somehow eating always seems like the ideal time to start thinking about eating again.) A few nights ago I came across this recipe, which appealed to me for several reasons. First, I had bought more zucchini than I could comfortably fit inside me in the near-term. Second, I like to make soups that can be served hot or cold. I never know what I’ll be in the mood for at the end of the day.

I’ve garnished this a few ways since making it, including with roasted peppitos, avocado slices and a tablespoon of queso fresco. I’ve also eaten it both hot and cold, strained and chunky. It holds up beautifully any way you serve it, and I have to say, nothing accompanies this soup better than a glass of very cold, very dry white wine. Spicy curry gets cut all the right ways by Sauvignon Blanc, especially the 2007 Cade, which is my favorite, at least while our supply lasts. It may be that wine is the only thing I’ve consumed more of this summer than zucchini. Sad as I am to see this combination go, I look forward to the next iteration… acorn squash and pinot noir.

Curried Zucchini Soup

Serves 4

Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 t Coarse salt (or to taste)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 t curry powder

4 c vegetable broth

3 medium zucchini (or a combo of zucchini and summer squash) sliced 1” thick

1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1” pieces

Avocado and cilantro for garnish

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Heat oil in a large saucepan.

Add onion and 1 salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add garlic and curry powder and cook about a minute more, stirring occasionally.

Add zucchini, potato, and 4 cups vegetable broth.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

In batches, puree soup until smooth.

Serve hot, or let cool, and refrigerate in an airtight container until chilled.

Garnish with avocado slices and cilantro.

When I ate mine, (the rest were sent to Christopher’s office) I paired it with Earl Grey in the afternoon. It was dignified and much more elegant than the bowl of oats I eat every morning. That said, the humble gruel sustains me for hours: this snack had me drooling for more in minutes. These bars are heaven on earth. Have I mentioned how much I like the saying, “The kingdom of God is within” ? When I ate my jammy-nutty-buttery tea-time dessert, I was filled with something holy.

It’s not just the flavor that makes these remarkable, it’s the way they react to the teeth. As you bite, this is what you feel: a crunch from the walnuts, followed by the enduring chewiness of baked jam. As you chew, your mouth is filled with the commingling of melting butter crust and dissolving fruit. It’s a tactile paradise. Something worth getting up for, or the perfect way to punctuate the doldrums between lunch and dinner. Just make sure to give most of them away, or you’ll end up eating every last crumb, and nobody wants a stomach ache in the morning. Or in the afternoon.

Borrowed from Gourmet, may it rest in peace.

Makes 12 bars.

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup berry jam or preserves, such as Bonne Maman Four Fruits Preserve
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (3 oz)

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Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line with 1 sheet of foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 opposite sides, then butter foil.

Blend flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor.

Add butter and pulse until mixture crumbles and has pearl-sized lumps.

Add yolks and vanilla and pulse quickly, just until dough clumps, about 30 seconds.

Press 3/4 of dough evenly onto bottom of pan, then spread with jam.

Crumble remaining dough over preserves and press down so dough is evenly distributed. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Bake until top is golden brown and jam bubbles up the sides, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Place pan on a rack to cool. Lift from pan by grasping both ends of foil.

Cut into 12 bars and lift bars off foil with a spatula.