Food Porn

At the afore-mentioned barbecue contest a friend of a friend told us about the farmer's market at St. Phillip's. We hung on every word, listening to her talk about the beautiful, tender lettuces and the frothy fronds of fennel and the round, firm... you get the idea.

So how could I not go? I checked it out this morning (Saturdays only, 8:30 - 11) and it was just incredible. Veggies right off the farm, homemade breads, treats from a bakery on Sweet Auburn, fresh herbs, local honey, gorgeous bouquets... you name it. FABULOUS. And if I'm lucky some of the fresh oregano I bought will root and - dare I dream? - it won't die when planted in actual earth, even if Sweetie does describe my gardening as "She's a human Agent Orange. Never seen anything like it."

Since the zucchini was fresh off the farm, and I have a leisurely Saturday to put some time into dinner, I'm pulling out this fabulous Cooking Light recipe for Eight-Ball Zucchini Parmesan. It works perfectly well with regular zucchini (says she, who had never seen a 8-ball zucchini before buying one this morning).

We'll serve this with some heirloom tomatoes from the farmers' market on the side. It doesn't call for oregano and I have no idea why; it's wonderful in the dish, especially fresh*. Some of the fresh oregano will be used later in the week for the Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin... stay tuned.


Eight-Ball Zucchini Parmesan

1 (1-ounce) slice French bread, torn into small pieces (or, for those of us riff-raffy enough to possess boxed breadcrumbs, use those)
6 eight-ball zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup packed spinach leaves
8 basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, peeled and quartered (about 5 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped plum tomato
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)
[Note: I also brown some Italian chicken sausage and include it in the mix to up the protein]

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup. Set aside.

Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Set pulp aside. Steam zucchini shells, covered, 6 minutes or until tender. Drain, cut sides down, on several layers of heavy-duty paper towels.

Place zucchini pulp in food processor; process until finely chopped. Spoon into a bowl. Place spinach, basil, garlic, and onion in food processor; process until finely chopped.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add spinach mixture; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini pulp, tomato, and salt; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in breadcrumbs.

Fill each zucchini half with about 2 1/2 tablespoons zucchini mixture. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 2 zucchini halves)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 67(30% from fat); FAT 2.2g (sat 0.9g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.3g); IRON 0.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 3mg; CALCIUM 87mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9g; SODIUM 316mg; PROTEIN 4g; FIBER 2g

*You get the most punch from fresh herbs by adding them at the end of the cooking time. I minced the oregano and sprinkled it on top of the cheese, about 10 minutes before it was done.