Persephone Farm

Sustainably Grown Vegetables & Flowers – Indianola, Washington

zucchini

Gazpacho

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Lots of tomatoes and a really long cucumber!
Lots of tomatoes and a really long cucumber!

CSA subscribers are enjoying lots of great cucumbers and tomatoes right now. Onions and garlic have also appeared in our boxes. Hmmm, how about some refreshing gazpacho (chilled tomato soup)? My Mom raved about this gazpacho recipe she found online. I finally tried it myself, it was easy and delicious. Next time I’ll use the blender, I made a bit of a mess using the Cuisinart (too much liquid).

Source: Ree at The Pioneer Woman Website
Check it out for her entertaining story and many photos illustrating the process (chopping and dicing included).

Serves: 8 (keeps pretty well in the fridge)

Ingredients
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 whole Red Onion, Diced
1 whole Large Cucumber, Diced
5 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
1 whole Zucchini, Diced
2 stalks Celery, Diced
1 dash Salt To Taste
1/4 gallon Tomato Juice (or V8)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 cup Red Wine Vinegar (to taste – I used more that 1/8 cup)
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
6 dashes Tabasco
1 dash Black Pepper To Taste

  • In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine the minced garlic with half the red onion, half the cucumber, half the tomato, half the zucchini, half the celery, half the tomato juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, Tabasco, and a dash of salt.
  • Pulse until all ingredients are blended well; mixture will have a nice speckled, colorful texture.
  • Pour into a large bowl and add the rest of the tomato juice, and half of the remaining onion, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, and celery. (Reserve the rest of the diced vegetables for garnish.)
  • Stir mixture together and check seasonings, adding salt if needed. Chill soup for at least a couple of hours; soup needs to be very cold!
  • Remove the soup from the fridge and stir. Check seasonings one last time. Ladle into a bowl and garnish with remaining diced vegetables, a sliver of fresh avocado, sour cream, and cilantro.

Arugula, Zucchini and Fennel Salad

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Source: La Tartine Gourmande (Check out the lovely photos of this elegant salad)

1 bulb fennel
1 medium-sized zucchini
1 cup fresh arugula
1 Tablespoon fresh dill
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh feta, crumbled

Instructions:

  • Wash the fennel and the zucchini.
  • Remove the hard part of the fennel (the core).
  • Slice both vegetables paper thin (use a good knife or a mandoline).
  • Chop the dill.
  • Toast the pine nuts (in a frying pan, with no oil, for about 3 to 4 mns, or until golden.)
  • Place the vegetables in a bowl.
  • Mix together the lemon juice and oil.
  • Toss with the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
  • Cover with a plastic film, and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
  • Wash the arugula and dry it.

First Presentation:

  • Take individual serving plates.
  • Take a ring mold and use long strips of zucchini to line the inside of the mold.
  • Mix together the fennel, zucchini and the arugula.
  • Divide the greens between the plates, by placing them in the middle of the mold.
  • Remove the mold carefully.
  • Decorate with crumbled feta, pine nuts and more dill.

Second presentation:
Much simpler as you will toss all of the ingredients together and divide them between plates.

Zucchine a Fiammifero (Matchstick Zucchini Salad)

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Source: Carol Field Italy in Small Bites

8 small fresh zucchini, or 1-2 large ones
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

  1. Bring a deep pot of water to a boil. Set the zucchini in a steamer basket, place it over the pot, cover, and steam for a very few minutes, so that the zucchini are cooked but still slightly crisp and al dente. Remove, and allow to cool.
  2. Warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small sauté pan over very low heat, and add the garlic; let it sweat so that the flavor of garlic infuses the oil. Add the minced rosemary and sage and let them wilt in the oil for a minute or two.
  3. Cut the cooled zucchini into strips the size of kitchen matches, and place them in a salad bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice or vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, and the garlic-infused oil with the herbs. Toss carefully with the zucchini because it is very fragile. Serve at room temperature.

Zucchini Salad with Red Onion

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Simple and delicious!

Source: Martha Stewart

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
4 small zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Stir in onion, and let stand 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, slice zucchini into paper-thin ribbons, avoiding seeds. Add to bowl with dressing, season with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

Zucchini “Spaghetti” with Creamy Lemon-Chive Dressing

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Source: Patricia Wells, Vegetable Harvest

1 pound small zucchini, rinsed, dried, and trimmed at both ends
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup Creamy Lemon-Chive Dressing
Fleur de sel

Instructions:

  1. Using the julienne blade of a mandoline, slice zucchini into long, thin strips. Transfer zucchini to a colander set over a mixing bowl. Toss zucchini with salt. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature.
  2. Gently squeeze zucchini to extract excess water. Transfer to a bowl and toss with just enough dressing to evenly coat the zucchini. Season with fleur de sel and serve.
Creamy Lemon-Chive Dressing

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Fine sea salt
1 cup light cream
1/3 cup freshly minced chives

Instructions:

In a small jar, combine lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and shake until salt is dissolved. Add cream and chives; shake to blend. Season with salt. Store, covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week.  Shake to blend before using.