Zucchini Pancakes Stuffed with Goat Cheese

Here's a great way to use up a small portion of the garden abundance of zucchini!
I've made this recipe before, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, 2002.
I'm encouraged by this recipe to try lemon zest, flour and baking powder in other pan-cake recipes involving crab or fish in the future, hmmm...

Grate a 1lb zuke into a big bowl. The one I used was 1 1/4lb but I cut off the ends.

Grate a medium onion. Cut off the root end bottom and use the top to save your hand.
Either use cheesecloth or a very thin, rinsed dish towel and gather the gratings to squeeze out all the juice you can. I was astonished to have nearly a cup-full!
Zest a lemon. I obtained 3 tsp. but you only need 2 tsp.

Add gratings, zest, 1 TB chopped fresh basil, clove of chopped garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper to the big bowl.
In separate bowls, beat up 2 eggs and in another, mix 1/2 cup all purpose flour with 1 tsp baking powder. Pour eggs, then flour into bowl and mix until just combined.
Thin-slice a 4oz. bar of goat cheese. It helped to freeze it 30 min. ahead of time.
Preheat a nonstick skillet for 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Add olive oil (or canola) to coat the bottom of the pan enough to fry (don't be shy) and carefully plop 1 TB (erring less) of batter, 4 spots in the pan about 1" apart. Then immediately top with a slice of goat cheese and more batter to cover.
Flip once you can see the underside browning, about 2 minutes.
Cook another couple minutes, even flipping some more if necessary. Be patient. Keep a small plate in a toaster (or regular) oven warm at the lowest temp. possible (ours at 150) to keep the finished pieces ready and warm for serving.

All ready to eat! We did freeze some for later consumption (mmm yumm).

We ate them with "Wild Harvest" marinara sauce on top. Yummy yet rich.
It would be a great appetizer with a simple green salad.

Taster approved. (A+ rating)
(added one month later): These freeze and reheat well! Put on foil in a 425º toaster oven and cook for 10 minutes, flip, then 8 minutes more.

Pesto Fig Mascarpone Torte

I have made this a few times and it is so rich and delicious and appreciated. It's perfect for late summer/early autumn, when figs are in season.

Yield: Serves 16 to 32 as an hors d'oeuvre

For crust
1 cup finely ground wheat crackers such as Wheat Thins
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted until golden, cooled, and ground fine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For filling
1 1/4 pounds cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mascarpone or sour cream
3 large eggs

Layer completed filling with
1 1/4 cups homemade basil pesto (recipe follows) or prepared basil pesto

Topping
2 pounds firm-ripe fresh figs (about 16 large), 1 pound cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup fig preserves
1 1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

Accompaniment: baguettes cut diagonally into thin slices and toasted lightly

Make crust

Preheat oven to 325° F. and butter a 10-inch springform pan.

In a bowl with a fork stir together crust ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Press mixture into bottom of pan and bake in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Make filling

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together filling ingredients and salt and pepper to taste until very smooth.

Assemble torte

Pour half of filling into crust. Drop dollops of pesto over filling and spread carefully to form an even topping. (Some filling may show through.) Top pesto layer with half of fig slices, overlapping them slightly, and pour remaining filling over figs, spreading evenly. Bake torte in middle of oven 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until top is golden brown and set. Cool torte in pan on a rack (filling will deflate slightly). Chill torte, covered loosely, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

In a small saucepan stir together preserves and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Remove pan from heat and cool mixture. Stir in salt to taste.

Slice remaining pound figs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side. Spread torte with preserves mixture, leaving a 1/4-inch border, and top decoratively with remaining fig slices. With 2 large metal spatulas transfer torte to a serving plate.

Pesto
4 garlic cloves
3/4 cup pine nuts (1/4 pound)
2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 cups grated Pecorino Romano
7 1/2 cups packed bush basil leaves
5 tablespoons olive oil

Pulse garlic in a food processor until finely chopped, then add nuts, cheeses, a large handful of basil, and 1 teaspoon pepper and process until chopped. Add remaining basil one handful at a time, pulsing after each addition, until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil and blend until incorporated.

Wanda's Grandfather's Pickles

If you are looking for one helluva addictive pickle, this is it!

You know something is good if you remember how delicious it was, over
20 years later.

Thank you to Lynnie Sedgwick. She still has this family recipe and is willing to share it.
We made them in our church's junior high youth group, which the Sedgwicks and my parents were in charge of at the time.

Wanda's Grandfather's Pickles
3/4 c. sugar
1c. vinegar
1 T. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dill seed
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, slices
2 cucumbers, thickly sliced
Add everything to a mason jar except
garlic and cucumbers. Shake.
Add cukes, mixing in garlic slices.
Cover and refrigerate.
Ready to eat in 3 days!

The equipment.