BELLOWS FALLS — We've had a few days of dry, crisp air, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that a few trees have started to color.
This is the time of year when you can find some remarkable bargains at the farm stands and markets. Zucchini now appears only in two forms: as very small fruit, or as a baseball-bat-sized, overgrown creature at almost giveaway prices.
There is certainly some truth to the old joke that Vermonters lock their doors only during zucchini season to avoid accidental drop-offs. But some zucchini can be a force for good.
When I had my large kitchen garden, my sister always asked me to save her an overgrown zucchini; she knew there would be at least one forgotten under the leaves. She would shred it and tuck it in the freezer to make zucchini breads at holiday time.
My friend Rev. Catherine Cadieux gave me a lovely recipe for a chocolate cake using a whopping quart of shredded zucchini. Deeply chocolate and extremely moist, it fast became a family favorite, and no one would guess it was mostly vegetable.
In addition to using the zucchini shreds in breads and cakes, you can add them to soups and stews.
Also appearing in excess this time of year are cherry tomatoes. These colorful spheres are doing their best to ripen as fast they can as the days shorten. I always pop some whole into the freezer to use throughout the winter, leaving fresh ones for the kids to eat like candy.
While you can freeze both of these vegetables for later use, they beg to offer their flavor right now - even the overgrown baseball-bat zucchini. Here are some ideas.
Vermont cranberry beans with blistered tomatoes and clams
The Vermont cranberry bean is an heirloom, old-world variety that has been grown in New England for hundreds of years. Popular among seed swappers, these plants yield distinctive cranberry-streaked pods and beans, and a smooth texture and sweet taste.
These and other shell beans (also known as shelled or shelling beans) will appear in the farmers' markets any minute. If you find them, snap them up for this dish. Look for brightly colored pods with no green remaining on the pod. They should be nice and bumpy and full.
They will not need to be soaked or pressure-cooked because they are fresh, so just pop the seeds out of the pods. Boil them until tender, about 15 minutes, and use or freeze.
If fresh cranberry beans are not available, both dried cranberry or pinto beans work nicely in this recipe.
If you look for them, you will definitely find lots of cherry tomatoes. However, if you happen to have an excess of other tomatoes, use those instead. (See recipe instructions.)
If you buy your clams from a fish market rather than the grocery store, you will more than likely have the freshest ingredients and a knowledgeable monger who can tell you about their source. Clams get sweeter as the seasons change, and you might see more varieties available right now.
If you wish to make this dish vegetarian, the clams and anchovies are optional. The result is still a delicious, hearty meal.
Cooking dry beans: You can make this a really quick weeknight meal if you already have the beans cooked or use a favorite canned bean; {1/2} lb. of dried cranberry beans makes about 3 cups of cooked beans, which is about 2 cans of beans.
If using dry beans, you have two cooking options: pressure cooking or stovetop.
In a pressure cooker or multi-cooker set on high pressure, cook for 20 minutes:
¶{1/2} lb. dried cranberry or pinto beans
¶1 quart water
¶1 bay leaf
Release pressure quickly when done.
If you are not using a pressure cooker, soak the beans overnight. In the morning, change the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to simmer and cook until tender, probably about 1{1/2} hours.
In the meantime, in a large bowl, soak for 30 minutes:
¶2 lbs. littleneck clams
¶2 Tbsp. cornmeal
The cornmeal helps the clams disgorge any grit.
Once the beans are cooked, heat a large skillet or braising pan on high. Add:
¶A quick brush of olive oil
¶1 pint cherry tomatoes
Cook until the tomatoes begin to char and split. Place them in a bowl and set aside, adding any pan juices as well. You can substitute larger tomatoes; cut them into quarters, and blister them skin side down in the pan.
To the same pan, over medium-high, add:
¶An additional 1 Tbsp. oil
¶1 large onion, sliced
¶4 anchovy filets, minced
¶2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
Sauté until the onions are soft and starting to brown. Add:
¶1 cup white wine or stock
Continue cooking for a few minutes until the alcohol flashes off, then drain the beans and add them to the pot, along with the tomatoes and their juices.
Combine well, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add the clams.
Cover, and cook until the clams open. Check them at 5 minutes. As they open, they will release their liquor to the pot. If any don't open, discard them.
Add:
¶2 cups arugula, roughly chopped
Mix everything in and top with:
¶lemon juice (a generous squeeze)
¶chopped parsley (if you have it on hand)
¶another drizzle of olive oil
Serves 4.
Catherine's stealth chocolate-zucchini cake
This recipe was given to me by my friend Rev. Catherine Cadieux of Westminster a few years back. It is absolutely delicious and quick to put together, and if you have been the victim of a drive-by zucchini drop, it is a sweet way to use your unexpected bounty.
You can use unbleached white, whole-wheat, or gluten-free flours as well.
Use shortening, coconut oil, or butter, and any milk you like. This is all about the zucchini, even though it totally disappears. No one will ever guess there is a full quart of vegetable in this cake!
Have ingredients at room temperature, grease and flour a Bundt pan, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine and sift into a large bowl:
¶2{1/2} cups flour
¶1 Tbsp. baking powder
¶2 tsp. baking soda
¶{1/2} cup Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder
¶1 tsp. espresso powder or instant coffee (my addition)
¶Pinch of salt
Set the dry ingredients aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat:
¶{3/4} cup shortening, coconut oil, or butter
Add:
¶1{1/2} cups sugar
Beat until crumbly and well-mixed. One at a time, add:
¶3 eggs
Beat until fluffy and well-mixed.
Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl. It will be too thick for the mixer, so stir it in by hand with a wooden spoon.
When thoroughly mixed, add:
¶4 cups grated zucchini with liquid
Mix well. Yes, it will all mix in.
Add:
¶{1/2} cup milk of choice
¶1 Tbsp. vanilla
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Let stand for 10 minutes before baking.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. Test for doneness at 50 min.
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate.
Optional glaze: To 1/3 cup powdered sugar, add milk or lemon juice to desired consistency, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Drizzle over the top of warm cake, letting it run down the sides. I used confectioner's sugar and dark rum.