Recipes for Your Garden Abundance

“Dog Days of Summer” is slang for the hottest days of summer, and we have definitely seen that in recent weeks.

This is the time of summer when friends and family are sharing the abundance from their gardens.  May we always appreciate our time spent tending to and harvesting from our gardens, especially the extras we may share, and receive!

If you have a tried-and-true recipe you would like to share with our readers, send one in - we would love to try it!

Please submit recipes to ads@thedrummer.com.

Zucchini Pancakes

Level: Easy

Total: 24 min

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 4 min

Yield: 10 (3-inch) pancakes

2 med. zucchini

2 T. grated red onion

2 x-large eggs, lightly beaten

6 to 8 T. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Unsalted butter

vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 300° F.

Grate the zucchini into a bowl using the large grating side of a box grater. Immediately stir in the onion and eggs. Stir in 6 T. of the flour, the baking powder, salt, and pepper. (If the batter gets too thin from the liquid in the zucchini, add the remaining 2 T. of flour.)

Heat a large (10 to 12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat and melt 1/2 T. butter and 1/2 T. oil together in the pan. When the butter is hot but not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and drop heaping soup spoons of batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes about 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place the pancakes on a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the pan with a dry paper towel, add more butter and oil to the pan, and continue to fry the pancakes until all the batter is used. The pancakes can stay warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Midwestern Meat Pies

Prep: 35 min. + rising

Bake: 20 min.

Makes: 12 servings

4-1/2 C. all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 C. sugar

2 pkgs (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast

1 tsp. salt

3/4 C. 2% milk

1/2 C. water

1/2 C. shortening

2 lg eggs

Filling

1 lb. 90% lean ground beef

2 sm. onions, chopped

4 C. chopped cabbage

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Place 1-3/4 cups flour and the sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Heat the milk, water and shortening to 120°-130°. Pour over flour mixture; add the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low until blended. Beat an additional 3 minutes on high. Stir in the remaining flour; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles; drain. Add the cabbage, salt and pepper; cook until cabbage is wilted.

Punch dough down; roll into twelve 6-in. squares. Top each square with 1/3 cup meat mixture. Fold into triangles. Pinch edges tightly to seal, and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Make-Ahead Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

Servings: 12

1-1/2 lbs. French green beans

12 slices smoky bacon not thick cut

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1-1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 C. light brown sugar

1 T. finely minced fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place several thicknesses of paper toweling on a work surface near the oven. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy cleanup.

Arrange bacon strips on foil so they aren’t overlapping. Bake for 10 minutes or until strips are beginning to turn golden, but are still soft. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

While bacon is baking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add beans, cover and cook for 1 minute. Place a strainer in the sink and drain beans. Immediate rinse beans with cold water for 1 full minute. Drain well and then transfer beans to a clean kitchen towel. Pat with the towel to remove as much water as possible.

Place beans in a medium-size bowl. Combine olive oil and garlic salt. Drizzle oil over the beans and toss to coat.

Arrange beans in 12 bundles of 10-12 beans. Place one bacon strip on a work surface. Place a bundle of beans on one end of the bacon strip. Roll bacon around the bundle and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining bacon and bundles of beans. Arrange beans on a sheet pan lined with clean foil.

Combine brown sugar and rosemary in a small bowl and stir well. Sprinkle one tsp. of the brown sugar mixture over each bean/bacon bundle.

Bake bundles for 15-20 minutes at 400˚F or until bacon is golden brown and beans are tender. Remove from oven and serve warm. Remove toothpicks and garnish with more finely chopped fresh rosemary, if desired.

Zucchini Rollatini

Level: Easy

Total: 1 hr 10 min (includes cooling time)

Active: 35 min

Yield: 4 servings

2 lg. zucchini

salt

1 C. ricotta

1 T. chopped fresh basil

1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

1-1/4 C. shredded mozzarella

1 lg. egg

1 C. marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 ° F.

Trim the ends off of the zucchini and slice lengthwise on a mandoline to about 1/8-inch thick. Reserve the 16 largest interior slices for this dish and save the rest for another use.

Fill a medium ovenproof skillet with lightly salted water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add half of the zucchini slices and cook until just pliable, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter to dry. Repeat with the remaining zucchini slices.

Stir the ricotta, basil, oregano, lemon zest and 3/4 C. mozzarella together in a bowl with 1/4 tsp. salt. Beat the egg well in another bowl, then add 1 T. egg to the ricotta mixture and stir to incorporate. (Discard the remaining egg.)

Pour the water out from the skillet and add the marinara. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat.

While the sauce warms, lay the dry zucchini slices out on a work surface. Spoon a scant T. of the ricotta filling on one end of a zucchini slice, then gently roll the zucchini up. Arrange in the skillet seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining zucchini slices and ricotta filling.

Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 C. mozzarella and bake until the center is bubbling and the cheese is golden in spots, 20 to 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Peach Cobbler

Prep: 20 min. + standing Bake: 50 min. + cooling

 Makes: 12 servings

2 cans (29 oz each) sliced peaches

1/2 C. packed brown sugar

6 T. quick-cooking tapioca

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping:

1 C. all-purpose flour

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 C. cold butter, cubed

2 lg. eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

Butterscotch sauce:

1/2 C. packed brown sugar

2 T. all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 C. butter, melted

2 T. lemon juice

Vanilla ice cream, optional

Drain peaches, reserving 1/2 C. syrup for the sauce. In a large bowl, combine peaches, brown sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, lemon juice and vanilla. Transfer to an ungreased 11x7-in. baking dish. Let stand for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in eggs. Drop by spoonfuls onto peach mixture; spread evenly. Bake at 350° until filling is bubbly and a toothpick inserted in topping comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

For butterscotch sauce, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, flour, salt, butter and reserved peach syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir until thickened, 1 minute. Remove from the heat; add lemon juice. Serve cobbler with warm sauce and, if desired, ice cream.

Raspberry-Watermelon Terrine with Blueberry Sauce

Level: Easy

Total: 2 hr

Prep: 1 hr 50 min

Cook: 10 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

For the white layer:

2 tsp. unflavored gelatin powder

1 C. cold whole milk

1/3 C. plus 1 T. sugar

1 C. sour cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

For the red layer:

4 C. chopped seedless watermelon

2 C. raspberries

1/4 C. sugar

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt

4 tsp. unflavored gelatin powder

For the blueberry sauce:

2 C. blueberries, plus more for sprinkling (about 1 pint)

1/4 C. sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

Make the white layer: Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 C. milk in a medium bowl. Let stand 2 minutes. Heat the remaining 1/2 C. milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming. Pour over the gelatin mixture and whisk until combined. Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Whisk in the sour cream, vanilla and salt until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, then lightly tap the pan on the counter to make an even layer. Refrigerate until set, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Make the red layer: Combine the watermelon, raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a blender; process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing the puree through with the back of a spoon. Transfer 1 C. of the puree to another bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin; let stand 2 minutes. Heat 1 C. of the remaining puree in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming. Pour over the gelatin mixture and whisk until combined. Stir in the remaining puree; let cool.

Spoon the cooled puree over the white layer; loosely cover with the overhanging plastic wrap. Refrigerate until completely set, about 3 hours.

Make the sauce: Combine the blueberries, sugar, salt and 1/4 C. water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the berries burst, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the lemon juice; puree until smooth. Let cool completely.

Unwrap the terrine; invert onto a platter. Slice and serve with the blueberry sauce and fresh blueberries.

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~ Lewis Buzbee