It happens every year around this time, without fail. Someone pawns off on gifts me with a gigantic zucchini from their garden. It happened again this year, of course; Joe's grandma sent him home from a visit with a really big zuc that I'm almost positive was longer than both of the boys when they were born.
As it does every year, the zucchini sat on my counter for nearly a week, mocking me, daring me to tackle it. Finally I just said to myself, you know what? I'mma fry this sucker. And that's exactly what I did. I dunked it in some beer and hot sauce, then gave it a bath in some hot oil. Sometimes you just have to go for it, you know?
The thing with these big zucchini is that they're full of seeds...seeds that aren't really digestible when they reach that size. So I sliced the zucchini into rings, then used a small knife to hollow out the seed area in the middle. Easy peasy! And holy cow, were these delicious. Zucchini has such a great flavor all on its own, but when paired with yeasty beer, spicy hot sauce, a perfectly crunchy exterior and some ranch for dipping? Ugh, they're perfect. Just perfect. If I could use an emoji in a blog post, I'd use the smiley face guy that has hearts where his eyes should be.
If you, too, have a gigantic zucchini languishing in your garden or on your counter, use it to make these rings. You'll be really glad you did, I promise.
Beer-Battered Zucchini Rings
adapted from Homegrown & Healthy
1 big zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rings and seeds removed
1 cup flour
3/4 cup beer
1 teaspoon hot sauce (more to taste)
Coarse salt
Vegetable oil for frying
Ranch dressing for dipping, if desired
1. Heat vegetable oil in a high-sided skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, beer, and hot sauce in a large bowl.
3. Completely submerge the zucchini rings in the batter, coating them generously, then immediately place in hot oil. Cook until the first side is crispy, then flip and let the other side crisp up. Remove to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with coarse salt while still hot. Serve immediately with ranch dressing for dipping.
For Mother's Day this year, one of my gifts from Andrew was a little questionnaire about me that his teacher helped him fill out. It was just about the sweetest thing ever. He was off on my age by one year, but he made up for making me a year older by saying that I smelled like cherries and that I'm the best mom ever because I'm the "best cooker ever." It was so adorable, and pretty much turned me into a pile of mommy goo.
He also said that his favorite thing for me to cook is pasta, and is that ever true. I'm very proud to say that Andrew is a fantastic eater and will chow down on anything I put in front of him, but on the nights we're having pasta? I really don't even need to tell him what kind of pasta it is. Just hearing that we're having pasta is enough to make his eyes light up. That's my boy.
Pasta is one of my favorite things to cook, too, mainly because it doesn't usually require me to make a trip to the grocery store to purchase any special ingredients. I can make it last-minute, just using what I have on hand in the pantry and fridge. And sometimes, those last-minute, quick pasta dinners result in some of the most delicious meals.
For this pasta, I used chicken, farfalle, sun-dried tomato pesto, garlic, parmesan, and a bit of cream. Just a handful of ingredients, but they resulted in one decadent pasta dish. Not surprisingly, this dish got a big seal of approval from Andrew -- and from the rest of my pasta-loving family.
Farfalle with Chicken in Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Cream Sauce
12 ounces dried farfalle pasta
1/2 pound chicken tenders, diced
Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1/4 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain. I always like to return the cooked pasta to the hot pot and add a bit of butter and parmesan cheese to the pasta itself, stirring until melted. This step is optional, of course, but I think it helps the sauce stick to the pasta better (and adds flavor and richness, of course).
2. Meanwhile, season chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock and, using a wooden spoon, scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, reduce heat to medium-low, and let the sauce gently heat through and thicken. Once sauce has reached desired thickness, stir in the parmesan cheese until melted, then stir in the sun-dried tomato pesto. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
4. Add the drained pasta and the reserved chicken to the sauce and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle each serving with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.
I think I mentioned in my July recipe recap post that we hosted a pig roast at our place on the Fourth of July. Honestly, there were a lot of people involved in the process, so it was a pretty disorganized affair -- but in the end there was half a pig roasting on a spit in our back yard at 5 AM on July 4. By 6 PM that pig was perfectly cooked and smoked and ready to be shredded and devoured.
There were about 20 of us eating, but there were about 80 pounds of meat, so needless to say we had a lot of leftovers. Everyone was sent home with a gallon bag full of the pork, and Joe and I were still left with three gallon bags to use. In fact, two of those bags are still in our freezer.
I didn't waste any time using some of the leftovers to make these sandwiches, which had been on my radar for a long time. The banh mi is traditionally a Vietnamese-French fusion sandwich, but in this recipe, it gets a Southern spin with BBQ pork and sweet-pickled peppers and onions. I was surprised to find how well the flavors all worked together, and I think I'd eat that sriracha mayo on just about anything. Maybe I'll defrost some more of that pork so we can have these again this week...
Southern-Style Banh Mi Sandwiches
adapted from MyRecipes
For the pickled peppers and onions:
1/2 of a red onion, sliced
Ice water
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup white vinegar
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the sandwiches:
4 hoagie rolls
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1 teaspoon fish sauce or oyster sauce
2 cups cooked and shredded pork
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
Fresh cilantro leaves
1. To make the pickled peppers and onions, soak the onions in ice water for 10 minutes; drain. Place the onions and sliced peppers in a sealable jar (I used a pickle jar).
2. Bring vinegar, sugar, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the vegetables in the jar. Let stand uncovered for 1 hour, then seal the jar and refrigerate until serving (the longer they refrigerate the better they'll taste).
3. To make the sandwiches, toast the hoagie rolls in the broiler. Meanwhile, combine the sriracha and the mayo and set aside. Add the fish sauce to the carrots and set aside. Heat the pulled pork with the BBQ sauce in a medium saucepan, if needed.
4. To assemble the sandwiches, layer the bottom halves of the rolls with pulled pork, pickled peppers and onions, carrots, and cilantro leaves. Spread the roll tops with the sriracha mayo. Serve immediately.
I've probably mentioned this 20 times already, but I've been sort of obsessed with sandwiches this summer. Actually, I've been obsessed with sandwiches for quite some time, but I seem to be even more obsessed than usual lately. The reasons are probably pretty obvious: Sandwiches are quick and easy, and it's almost a given that they be served with chips, which negates the need for me to prepare a separate side dish. Easy cooking nights FTW! Also, my boys love sandwiches, and I find that they'll eat just about anything if it's placed between two slices of bread.
Although these melts are served on just once piece of bread (an English muffin, actually), the boys loved these. Typically they're not fans of avocado (I know -- how are they my kids?!), but they more than willingly ate it on these melts.
Joe and I loved these, too. The melts start with a toasted English muffin half, topped with a smear of chipotle mayonnaise, sliced avocado, sliced summer tomatoes, bacon, and Swiss cheese. They're broiled until the cheese is melted and gooey and all of the ingredients are warmed through. They're insanely delicious, so simple, and definitely a new summer go-to meal for us.
Avocado Bacon Tomato Melts
adapted from Twirl and Taste
4 English muffins, split
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo puree
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced
8 slices of tomato, salted
1 pound bacon, cooked to desired crispness
8 slices Swiss cheese
1. Preheat the broiler to high. Arrange the English muffin halves on a baking sheet, cut-side up. Broil until toasted.
2. Stir together the mayonnaise and the chipotle in adobo puree. Divide evenly among toasted muffin halves.
3. Top each muffin with sliced avocado, a slice of tomato, 2 slices of bacon, and a slice of Swiss cheese. Return to the oven and broil until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
If I have one weakness when it comes to "fair food," it would definitely be corn dogs. Oh, wait: I just remembered funnel cakes. So, I guess have two weaknesses. Then there's that lemonade slush...and the spice-roasted almonds...Okay, okay. I have lots of weaknesses when it comes to fair food, but today we're talking about corn dogs.
I've made corn dogs at home one other time, but those, while delicious, didn't hold a candle to this recipe. These corn dogs are absolutely perfect -- crunchy and a little bit sweet, and exactly like the ones they serve at the fair. The boys absolutely loved them, and loved helping me make them too. (They dunked the skewered hot dogs in the batter.)
Because I'm kind of a cheapskate, I didn't use a Dutch oven or similarly large soup pot to fry these bad boys (I don't have a deep fryer). I used a skillet with high sides, still filled pretty full, and I held on to the skewers as I cooked the corn dogs, twisting them constantly to get them evenly-browned. It worked well. So if you don't want to waste nearly as much oil, I recommend that method.
However you choose to fry them, though, you gotta make these. They're awesome.
Perfect Homemade Corn Dogs
from Life as a Lofthouse
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey
10 hot dogs
10 wooden skewers or chopsticks
2 Quarts Vegetable Oil, for frying
1. In a medium or large pot, add the oil. Turn heat to medium and heat oil to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Stir together. Then add the beaten egg, milk or buttermilk, oil and honey. Stir
until combined.
3. Remove hot dogs from package. Wipe them all dry with a paper towel (this
will help the batter stick to them better). Insert one skewer or wooden
stick into each hot dog.
4. Pour the batter into a tall drinking glass. Holding by the skewer, take
one hot dog and dunk it into the batter, coating all of the hot dog.
Slowly remove from batter and let a little excess batter drip back into
the cup.
5. Immediately place the hot dog into the hot oil, while still holding the
stick. Turn as necessary to brown all sides. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or
until all sides are a deep golden brown. Remove from hot oil and place
on paper towels to drain grease. Repeat with all hot dogs.
