Zucchini Relish

Summertime means fabulous home grown vegetables or wonderful visits to the local farmers' market.  This year my zucchini decided to grow beautifully, so I'm making and canning zucchini relish to preserve some of the summer goodness!  Here is the recipe I use from my dear friend Nancy Worth:

Zucchini Relish
10 c. ground zucchini
2 c. ground onion
5 T. salt, non-iodized is best
2 c. ground sweet pepper, 4-5 peppers (I used a combination of red, yellow and orange)
4 c. sugar
2 ½ c. vinegar or apple cider
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. celery seed
1 T. cornstarch

Mix zucchini, onion and salt. Let stand overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse with cold water and drain again. Mix with remaining ingredients and boil 30 minutes. Put in hot jars and seal. A food processor makes this easy and quick. Makes 6 pints.
We love to pour some over cream cheese and serve with crackers. Or put some on a grilled hotdog!
What are you canning this summer?  And I'd love to know which canning equipment you prefer!

Fried Zucchini "Cookies"

We picked our first zucchini from our garden last night! I made some yummy fried zucchini “cookies” as my children called them. You can also cut them into spears and dip them in marinara sauce or your favorite dip!

1 zucchini
1 egg
1 c. Plain Panko bread crumbs
Zest from ½ lemon
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Parmesan cheese

On a plate sprinkle some Panko bread crumbs (the amount depends on how large your zucchini is, approx. 1 c.), lemon zest, about 1 tsp. Italian seasoning and some salt and pepper. Mix it all up. On another plate, beat one egg with 1 Tbsp. water. Heat about ¼ inch oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Slice the zucchini however you wish – spears or “cookies” and dip in the egg wash and then into the bread crumbs. Place in hot oil and fry until golden brown (about 2-3 min.) and flip. When they are done, place on a plate lined with paper towel. Grate fresh parmesan on the hot zucchini. Yummy!

Tapas-ish

Prosciutto and melon
Grilled zucchini and onion kabobs
Flat bread with browned butter, thin slices of mozzarella, torn fresh basil and drizzle of citrus olive oil. Topped with fresh tomatoes from our garden with some balsamic and s&p.
Grilled, butterflied, jumbo prawns marinaded in fresh lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, s&p

Greek Style Chicken & Flat Bread

This is a Summer time favorite, kabob style, but last night I did a Spring improvisation!
Chicken breasts marinated in fresh lemon juice, olive oil, fresh minced garlic, salt & pepper, and dried oregano.
I barbequed the chicken (about 5 min a side) and grilled some flat bread as well. When everything was done, I placed the flat bread on a platter first, then piled up the chicken off the grill right on top. All the juices ran into the bread and made it delicious!
I also sautéed up some zucchini with lemon, olive oil and salt & pepper.