Fall Fest: Cooking for One and My Mad Freezer Stash

Are you single? As in live alone, cook alone, and usually eat alone? This would be me. When coupled people talk about how they cook for one, they tend to be talking about the occasional evening when their significant other happens to be out of town or at a meeting. When I talk about cooking for one, I mean one -- day in and day out.

This is not a complaint. This is my life and I'm perfectly happy. However, cooking for one can be a challenge, starting with buying for one. So, when our Fall Fest 2010 Mad Stash theme came up this week I wasn't thinking about what fearless leader Margaret Roach intended--freezing, preserving, or drying in anticipation of getting through the dead of winter. I was thinking about what I do year round to save a little money, keep food from going bad (or eating too much of it at one sitting), or to be able to enjoy the kind of cooking typically done for a family--like making big pots of soup, or lasagna, or baking bread.

See, I live in San Diego, and while we certainly address seasonality, we have gorgeous produce year round. We don't need to "put away" for the winter. Maybe I don't have fresh local strawberries in January, but I have access to magnificent  apples, pears,  persimmons, and citrus. And, a container of smashed strawberries in the freezer left over from my summer strawberry freezer jam extravaganza (I have jars of the jam in the freezer, too). Did I buy too much Swiss chard last week? No problem. I'll just remove the ribs and put the leaves in the food processor with garlic, olive oil, honey, and parmesan cheese to make Swiss chard pesto. And put that in the freezer for later.

Now, sometimes I get carried away at the farmers market and buy too much. Or my schedule changes and I end up with several unexpected evenings out. And my poor produce languishes in the fridge. If I can catch it in time, I can create something that turns veggies just this side of spoiled into something sublime--then freeze it.

This is what happened over the summer when I had zucchini, eggplant, heirloom tomatoes, peppers, leeks, and I forget what else. I got busy that week and it sat. Then I burned my right palm pretty severely making a tomato tarte tatin. My plans for cooking up all that produce were dashed. Until I called my mom. She came over the next day and the two of us had a wonderful afternoon in my kitchen making what I'm calling my "refrigerator sauce."

There's no real recipe here. What we did--and what I often do--is prep the veggies for roasting, which brings out the sugars in each. Use a good-sized non-stick baking sheet. I don't use foil for this because I want to scrape up the juices from the tomatoes and add them to the sauce. In this case, we cut eggplant, zucchini, onions, sweet peppers, and leeks into chunks. We halved the tomatoes and tossed in whole, peeled garlic cloves. We tossed the veggies in olive oil and sprinkled them with a little salt and pepper. The pans went into a 400-degree oven and roasted for about 20 minutes. (Just check on them periodically after the first 10 minutes. Some vegetables will cook faster than others and you should remove them from the oven so the rest can continue roasting.)

Once they're finished roasting, heat up a Dutch oven or heavy pot, add some olive oil and a little fresh, minced garlic, then all those now gorgeously browned pieces of vegetables to the pot--with the juices. Unless you have a ton of tomatoes, you might want to add some canned fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. Then add fresh herbs--basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, or whatever else you have on hand--along with salt and pepper. Let the mixture simmer for awhile (20 minutes or so). At this point, you can pull out your immersion blender and pulverize the vegetables until you have the texture you want. (No immersion blender? No worries--just let the mixture cool and transfer it to a blender or food processor.) Taste and adjust your seasonings. Let it simmer on low for another half hour to thicken and let the flavors come together. Remove from the heat and let cool. Then transfer to plastic storage containers to put in the freezer. Be sure to label the sauce, including the date you made it. I keep a cordless label maker in my kitchen so I don't get lazy about it. It's so frustrating to open the freezer and try to figure out what mystery foods you have and how long they've been in suspended animation.

So, how have I used the sauce? It obviously goes great with pasta. Melissa Clark recently wrote a terrific piece in the New York Times about whole wheat pasta and I bought her favorite: a package of Bionaturae organic whole wheat spaghetti. I'm with her. It has a wonderful texture and nutty flavor that I've become somewhat addicted to. It pairs well with hearty sauces and this refrigerator sauce is truly hearty--even without meat, although you could add ground beef to make a luscious ragu.

I also used the refrigerator sauce as the base for pizza. And, where did I get the dough? Yep, out of the freezer. See I make a terrific pizza dough but it's too much for one. So I divide it into quarters, roll them into balls, secure each ball tightly in plastic wrap, and then put them into a labeled freezer bag. Over the weekend, I pulled out a ball and let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator. It was fine for me to use the following day. It shaped nicely into a six-inch personal pizza, which I topped with the sauce, slices of Field Roast vegan Mexican Chipotle sausage (leftover from another story I researched), slices of garlic, and grated/cubed Piave Vecchio, a great fall cows milk cheese from the Italian Alps that I bought from Taste's Mary Palmer.

The pizza made for a great, easy lunch. After all, it's just a matter of heating the oven to 500 degrees, shaping the dough, adding the toppings, and baking for all of 10 minutes.

A great, healthy, meal for one.

So, what does "Mad Stash" mean to my Fall Fest colleagues?

Alison at Food2: Break Out the Stash
Kirsten at Food Network: Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
Liz at Healthy Eats: Mad Squash Stash
Michelle at Cooking Channel: Save Em' While You Can
Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Brandied Apple Butter
Nicole of Pinch My Salt: Spiced Pear Butter 
Alana at Eating From the Ground Up: On the Chest Freezer
Cate of Sweet Nicks: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette 
 Margaret at A Way to Garden: Everything Into the Pot, Freezer, Cellar
Todd and Diane: Persimmon Overload, and Persimmon Fool Pudding 

Now It's Your Turn to Join Fall Fest 2010!
This collaborative effort won't be much fun without you! The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy fall's harvest. Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? You can contribute in various ways, big or small.

• Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. 
• Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog any upcoming Wednesday, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and then we're all cooking with some great ideas. Or go big: Publish entire posts of your own if you wish, and grab the big Fall Fest 2010 pumpkin badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #fallfood as our hashtag. Here's the schedule:

Sept. 1: Sweet and Spicy Peppers
Sept. 8: Garlic
Sept. 15: White (or colorful “white”…but not sweet) Potatoes
Sept. 22: Spinach
Sept. 29: Apples
Oct. 6: Fall Salads
Oct. 13: Pumpkin and Winter Squash
Oct. 20: Pears
Oct. 27: “Mad Stash” (as in what you’re freezing/canning/drying, etc.)
Nov. 3: Root veggies
Nov. 10: Brassicas: incl. Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Cabbage or other
Nov. 17: Sweet Potatoes
Nov. 24: Bounty to Be Grateful For

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Summer Fest 2010: Week 1 -- Cukes and Zukes

For the last two summers a cross-blogging celebration of summer's hopping bounty has been organized by Margaret Roach of Away to Garden and Deb Puchalla of Scripps. Deb invited me to join their garden party, this year called Summer Fest 2010. Each Wednesday those of us involved will be writing about a specific kind of produce--with stories, tips, and recipes, of course--and let you know who else in our little cross-post fest is involved so you can see what they're doing, too. Some of the other blogs involved are Matt Bites, White on Rice Couple, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, Homesick Texan, and Simmer Till Done. So, I'm in amazing company!

And so are you -- because this is meant to be a vast collaborative effort. The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy summer's harvest. Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? Starting with our posts of Wednesday, July 28, for five Wednesdays through 8/25 and possibly longer, you can contribute in various ways, big or small.

• Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. The possibilities:

• Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog any upcoming Wednesday, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and then we're all cooking with some great ideas.

Or go big: Publish entire posts of your own if you wish, and grab the big red tomato Summer Fest 2010 badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #summerfood as our hashtag.

Here's the schedule:

• 7/28: cukesnzukes
• 8/4: corn
• 8/11: herbs, greens, and beans
• 8/18: stone fruit
• 8/25 tomatoes
• more to come if we all want it — stay tuned!

This week is all about cukes and zukes. Now, I have to admit that neither of these is what make me pant for the beginning of summer. I see cucumbers all year round, thanks to living in San Diego. I do like them but I'm not exactly worshipful. In the case of cucumbers, I think it was because for too many years I was served those tasteless conventional cukes in big ugly chunks in salads made of iceberg lettuce and topped with equally tasteless pale slices of tomato, all smothered in bottled chemically Italian dressing.

Well, forget those guys and come with me into a more beguiling world of Persian cucumbers, English cucumbers, and lovely little mini white cucumbers. Even gorgeous variegated Armenian cucumbers, which are actually relatives of honeydew melon.

You can find Persian cucumbers at Middle Eastern Markets, of course, but also at the big chains in packages called "mini snacking cucumbers." But, here's what they look like:

English, or "hot house" cucumbers are everywhere -- they're the looong skinny cukes sealed in plastic because their thin skins are so delicate. They're my go-to cuke because they're sweet and so easy to use since they don't need peeling and have so few seeds.

Mini white cucumbers, which are actually yellow, are thick like conventional cucumbers with the same big seeds. Buy them as small as you can for real flavor. As someone at the Suzie's Farm stand at the Mission Hills farmers market told me, "These cucumbers taste like summer."

And here are the marvelous Armenian cucumbers. Their looks speak volumes but they're also very tasty.

Another cucumber variety I enjoy is the Japanese cucumber, which is slender with a thin skin and small seeds. You can find them at Asian markets. On a hot summer's day, I'll use a hand-held mandoline and slice Japanese cucumbers into a bowl, cover the slices with rice vinegar and refrigerate them for about an hour. When they're ready to eat, I sprinkle the marinated cuke slices with toasted sesame seeds and hot pepper flakes, pull out a pair of chopsticks and nosh on them while reading a good book. It's really a summer tradition.

Then there's the Mexican gherkin. I don't have a photo unfortunately but imagine the tiniest watermelon possible, maybe an inch or two long at the most. That's what they look like. They're adorable and I've enjoyed them pickled by my friend Melissa Mayer. Suzie's Farm grows them so you can check and see if they have them at the farmers markets or at Specialty Produce.

For a meal on a steamy summer day, I'll turn cucumbers into a cold soup with yogurt -- not Greek-style yogurt, but the looser version. This week, I bought Persian cucumbers (okay, I'll admit, I usually slice them up and drop them into the leftover juice in the empty pepperoncinis jar to create no-work pickles). And I bought radishes. Hmmm, I changed up my long-time recipe to create what I'm calling Cucumber and Radish Confetti Soup.

Cucumber and Radish Confetti Soup
Serves 4

1 large English cucumber or 3 good-sized Persian cucumbers (about 6 inches long)
1 dozen radishes
2 cups unflavored yogurt
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fenugreek (for a different flavor, try dill or mint -- they're all equally good)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and discard. (If you're using a conventional cucumber first peel the skin; for the other types, leave the thin skin on for color.) Cut into chunks and put in the bowl of a food processor. Trim all the radishes and cut all but one into chunks and add to the food processor. Save the remaining radish for garnish. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blend thoroughly. Remove to a bowl, cover, and chill at least two hours or overnight. Just before serving, slice the remaining radish very thinly, again with the little mandoline, and use it to top the soup. Feel free to squeeze in a little hot sauce when serving.

Now for the zukes. Get out that mandoline and slice zucchini or other summer squash into long thin strips to marinate in olive oil, garlic, and herbs and create zucchini carpaccio. Or hollow them out and stuff them. Buy baby zucchini and grill them to serve as a side dish.

Or, make zucchini pancakes. I did this recently at Olivewood Gardens, where I'm a volunteer cooking teacher for local low-income grade school kids. My friends who are parents of young children warned me, "no way, they won't eat them." I was expecting the big "Ewww." Well, not only did these 4th graders devour the pancakes, but some of the kids came up to us in the kitchen as we were cleaning up and asked if they could have more to take home. I originally published the recipe last March when I first used it at Olivewood, but this recipe is a favorite and since we're in the height of zucchini season, it's worth repeating.

Zucchini Pancakes

Makes about two dozen, three-inch pancakes.

1 pound of zucchinis
1 large yellow onion
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup of Panko or seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil or olive oil for frying

1. Cut off the ends of the zucchini and grate each one coarsely, using the big holes of a grater. Put the grated zucchini in a colander and the colander into a bowl and let the liquid drain from the zucchini.
2. Cut the onions in half lengthwise and remove the skin from the onion. Then grate each onion coarsely, using the big holes of a grater. Add the grated onion to the zucchini in the colander to drain. Feel free to gently but firmly squeeze the grated vegetables to get out as much liquid as possible.
3. Put the vegetables in a large bowl and add the Panko, baking powder, the herbs, the garlic (if you’re using it), and the salt and pepper. Stir it all together to fully mix ingredients. Add the eggs and mix well. The batter should be moist but not runny.
4. Heat ¼ inch of oil in a hot pan. Place a tiny bit of the batter in the pan. If it begins to sizzle, the oil is ready for the batter. Use a large spoon and drop the batter into the pan and flatten into a pancake. Don’t crowd the pancakes by putting too many in at one time. Cook them for several minutes on each side until the pancakes are golden brown. Put the pancakes on a plate with paper towels placed on top to drain. Then serve with applesauce or sour cream.

And, here is this week's list of participants with a link to their blogs and their Twitter handles:

Margaret Roach
awaytogarden.com: pickling tips and tricks and freezing the excess
@margaretroach

Deb Puchalla (all Scripps/Food Network sites)
http://www.food2.com/blog/2010/07/28/summer-fest-appetizers
http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2010/07/28/10-things-you-didnt-know-you-could-make-with-zucchini/
http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2010/07/28/summer-fest-cukes-and-zukes/
http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2010/07/28/paulas-best-zucchini-bread-plus-5-riffs/
________________________________________
@debpuchalla

Elizabeth Gray: cuke salad and lighter cuke/zuke eats
healthyeats.com
@healthyeats

Kirsten Vala and Sara Levine (FN Dish and Cooking Channel): zucchini bread + riffs
www.blog.cookingchanneltv.com
@foodnetwork
@cookingchannel
@kirstenvala

Michelle Buffardi – Cooking Channel’s Devour the blog (Scripps): 10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Zucchini
blog.cookingchanneltv.com/
@mbuffardi

Alison Sickelka: three zucchini appetizers
Food2 blog (Scripps)
www.food2.com/blog
@ali_s

Kelly Senyei
www.justataste.com: cucumber and sesame salad
@justataste

Jennifer Iannolo
www.foodphilosophy.com
www.gildedfork.com
@foodphilosophy

Chef Mark Tafoya
remarkablepalate.com/blog/
@chefmark

Alice at Alice Q Foodie
www.aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/
@aliceqfoodie

Nicole at Pinch My Salt
http://pinchmysalt.com/2010/07/28/summer-fest-grilled-zucchini-with-lemon-and-olive-oil/
@pinchmysalt

Caroline at The Wright Recipes
www.thewrightrecipes.com/: marinated summer squash salad
@chefcaroline

Cate O’Malley at Sweetnicks.com
http://sweetnicks.com/weblog/2010/07/summerfest-2010-indian-cucumber-wraps/: Indian Cucumber Wraps
@cateomalley

Shauna James Ahern
glutenfreegirl.com: turning cold cucumber soup into popsicles
@glutenfreegirl

Paige Smith Orloff
thesisterproject.com/orloff: zucchini/summer squash bread pudding recipe, as well as links to a couple of pickling/preserving ideas
@paigeorloff

Diane and Todd/White on Rice Couple
whiteonricecouple.com: prosciutto, sour cream and feta stuffed cucumbers
@whiteonrice

Tara Weaver
teaandcookies.blogspot.com/: stuffed zucchini, zucchini "noodles" and pickles
@tea_austen

Alana Chernila
www.eatingfromthegroundup.com: cucumber-mint sorbet with lime shortbread
Twitter: @edability


Tigress
tigressinajam.blogspot.com: jams
http://tigressinapickle.blogspot.com/2010/07/can-jam-july-round-up-cucurbits.html: pickles
@tigressjampickl

Judy Witts Francini
www.divinacucina.blogspot.com: fried zucchini blossoms and more
@divinacucina

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