Zucchini Chowder and a Wedding

My little girl is getting married.  Today.

It doesn’t seem possible, and it certainly hasn’t sunk in yet.  You see, I still remember her as a little two-year old serving us make-believe food from her play stove.  Back then she was “Neenie Beanie,” a name she gave herself, not being able to say “Lauren.”  She came up with the Neenie part, and we added the Beanie.  Once, for two weeks after she slathered petroleum jelly in her hair, she was “Neenie Beanie Vaseliney.”

At that point in time, she couldn’t say “Willauer” either, and so her last name was “Waddy.”  One time when we were at a family bowling get together at Limerick Bowl, the always adventurous Lauren got separated from us.  A minute later, over the PA system came, “Will the parents of Neenie Waddy please report to the front desk.”  We fell on the floor…literally.  (The lady on the PA system was laughing, too.)

But now my little girl is all grown up.  She not only cooks and cleans for real, but she also deals with hypodermic needles, vital signs, code blues and cardiac patients.  She and her fiancé, who is also a registered nurse, have their own language, just like us educators.  While I’m incredibly happy for them, and give them my unconditional blessing, love and support, a part of me will always miss that little girl with the Pebbles tuft of hair on the top of her head and the miniature cast on her arm, (which, by the way, she would use to bop her brother).

So what does that have to do with Zucchini Chowder?  Not much, although Lauren’s favorite thing that I make is Potato Chowder (*Future Post Alert*).  Okay, so it’s a stretch.  I know.

This week’s recipe comes from Jennie Renninger, of Renninger’s Farm.  Jennie’s dad, Jay, told me about a whole bunch of zucchini recipes, one of which I’ve already blogged:  Linda Fryer's Zucchini Crisp.  “It tastes just like apple crisp,” Farmer Jay told me, and it did.  That didn’t make me any less skeptical about this recipe for Zucchini Chowder.

“You won’t believe it!”  Jay drew me in again.  “This one tastes just like clam chowder.”

Of course I had to try it.

Jennie reports that she has never tried actual clam chowder and therefore cannot vouch for her dad’s assessment, but she does confess that she loves this recipe.  “This one is foolproof,” she promised me.

That sounds like the perfect “dad” recipe to me.  It was originally given to Carol Renninger by an anonymous customer at the farm, so unless that person steps forward, we can’t give proper credit.  I strongly suggest making it exactly as described.  I did, and remarkably it does taste like clam chowder!

ZUCCHINI CHOWDER

(click on any image to enlarge)

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley (or 1 Tablespoon dried parsley)

1 Tablespoon dried basil

1/3 cup of butter

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cups water

3 chicken bouillon cubes (or vegetable bouillon)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 medium tomatoes, remove skin and seeds, diced (or 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes)

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

4 ears sweet corn, husked and kernels removed

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Instead of two medium zucchini, I used one larger one.  Not baseball bat-sized, but close.

Therefore, I felt compelled to halve the zucchini and scrape out the fibrous core and seeds.  Jennie tells me that this isn't necessary with "less mature" zucchini.

Long strips were then cut from each hollowed half and the strips were cut into small cubes.

In a Dutch oven or large pot melt the 1/3 cup butter over medium heat, and sauté the zucchini, onion, parsley and basil until vegetables are tender.

While that is sautéing, prepare the fresh tomatoes by peeling them.  To do so, heat water in a saucepan to boiling.  The water should be deep enough to submerge the tomatoes. 

Cut a shallow “X” into the top and bottom of each tomato.

Submerge the tomatoes in the boiling water until the edges of the skin where they have been cut just starts to loosen and peel up.  This should take 10-30 seconds.  If you can’t see anything happening, remove the tomatoes after 30 seconds.

Remove the tomatoes to an ice water bath to halt the cooking of the tomato. 

When chilled, the skin of the tomato will easily peel off.  You may have to use a paring knife to get it started.  After the skin is removed remove the seeds and dice the tomato and set aside.

In a small bowl, blend 3 cups of water and 1/3 cup of flour until the flour is no longer clumpy. Using an electric hand blender speeds this up.

Gradually add the flour-water mixture to the vegetables. Add the bouillon cubes, salt, pepper and lemon juice, mix well. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes.

While that is cooking, cut the kernels off of two ears of corn.  I've found that it's easiest to do this with a serrated knife.  Cut the narrow tip off of the ear of corn to make a flat end and if you have the little corn-on-the-cob holders, put one in the other end to protect your fingers.  Hold the ear vertically in a shallow container, like a glass pie dish.  Cut down one side of the ear and rotate for each new cut.

Add the tomatoes, evaporated milk and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is tender. Just before serving, stir in the parmesan cheese.

Jennie reports that she has successfully frozen this chowder to enjoy during the winter.  If you want to freeze it, leave out the Parmesan cheese and add it just before serving.  (It's even delicious without the Parmesan.)

Enjoy!