Zucchini Crisp

Everyone has been there.  You get out of your car in a parking lot.  It could be at work or at church.  It could even be in your own driveway.  You see a flash of color and hear the rustle of a plastic grocery bag.  You pretend not to notice.  Deliberately keeping your head down, you move toward your targeted destination.

“Hey!  Dave!  I have something for you!”  You look up and accidentally make eye contact.  It’s too late.  You are doomed.

“Would you like a zucchini from my garden?” the assailant cunningly proposes.  You agree, hoping that taking one will satisfy, but the affirmative response only fuels their salesmanship.

“Oh, have two…they’re small,” they say, as two green squash the size of sea manatees are thrust into your empty hands.  “In fact, take all three!”

By this time I had made the fatal error of being next to a flat surface, and even though I was out of empty hands, the third emerald gourd was laid at my side quicker than a rattlesnake strike.  Just as rapid was the retreat of my produce-purveyor friend.

“Thanks, Deb,” I mumbled, as I mentally admitted defeat.

Let’s face it.  There is really no avoiding these scenarios at this time of the year.  Home gardeners all over our region are growing zucchini and they’re checking them twice:  in the morning and in the afternoon.  That’s because these insidious squash are growing explosively right now.  They love the heat.  To compound the problem, home gardeners are invested in what they produce.  They simply cannot just throw them away.  They have to give them to someone.  Yes, we’re doomed.  Don’t think that you can throw them away, either.  Someone I know tossed several zucchini in his compost pile and he was cursed with his own bumper crop!

The purpose of this blog post, a public service announcement of sorts, is to give you new and creative ways to deal with the attack of the zucchini.  This week is #1.

ZUCCHINI CRISP

Farmer Jay, at Renninger’s Farm, gave me several leads for zucchini recipes, and this one comes from Linda Fryer, Royersford.  She was excited to give me a couple of recipes, but this got my immediate attention.  “It tastes just like apple crisp,” she wrote in her email.  I had to try it.  I decided to use Linda’s method of “apple-izing” the zucchini and my own favorite combination for the crumbs.

Ingredients:

8 cups of peeled, de-seeded zucchini cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup sugar

¾ cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the crumbs:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup oatmeal

½ pound cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes

To obtain 8 cups of zucchini, I used two squash:  one was about a foot long, and the other, a whopping 15 inches.

Peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler and cut off the ends.

Cut the zucchini in half, lengthwise.

Scrape out the entire core, with the seeds, using a spoon.  Scraping works.  Don’t try to gouge it out in one piece.  Scraping a little at a time worked the best.

Slice each half of the zucchini into long strips and then into bite-size pieces.

Place the zucchini, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and cook on medium to medium high heat until tender.  Stir occasionally.  (It’s already starting to smell like apple pie!)

Preheat your oven to 350°.

While the apples, I mean zucchini…while the zucchini is cooking, make the crumbs.  Combine ingredients in an electric mixer, food processor, or just cut in the butter with two forks until crumbs are formed.  If you only have salted butter, don’t add extra salt.  I made the crumbs combining everything except the oatmeal and then added it after the crumbs formed.

I halved the recipe and used an 8"x8" pan.

Place about two cups of the crumb mixture in a 9”x13” baking dish and press the crumbs into place.  (I used the flat bottom of my measuring cup.)  Bake this bottom layer for 7-10 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn brown.  While still hot, and while the zucchini is still hot, spread it over the baked crumb “crust.”  Distribute the remaining crumbs on top and bake for another 30 minutes.

Just out of the oven

Unbelievably, the zucchini does indeed taste just like apples.  I sincerely believe that in a blind taste test no one could tell the difference.  Now if I only had some vanilla ice cream….

My initial attempt was made using Linda’s crumb recipe, (see below for the ingredients).  Linda's crumbs are more traditional and didn’t readily caramelize.  When it came out of the oven, the top was only slightly browned.  I put the broiler on for about 3 minutes to brown the top (see below).

LINDA FRYER’S ZUCCHINI CRISP CRUMB MIXTURE

The crumbs from this recipe are of a more traditional variety.  They are drier and
don't brown as readily.  I put the broiler element on for a few minutes and browned the crumb topping.

Ingredients (for 9"x13" pan):

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3 Tablespoons butter*

Make the zucchini in the same manner as above.  Place about half of the crumb mixture in a 9"x13" baking dish and press it into place.  Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.  Pour the zucchini on top of this and add the rest of the crumb mixture, spreading it on top.  Back for another 30 minutes at 350°.

*You may want to try at least a ¼ lb. of butter.