Wednesday, October 5, 2011

take it further: dye-pot...and zucchini

Day 3...leave the dye-pot be


My intention was to pull the cloth out of the dye-pot this week, but now I've decided to leave it be until the full moon. Leaving something be is sometimes taking it further. In the case of the dye-pot, it is anyway.


This planked and preserved zucchini isn't really a take-it-further project, it's more of a try-something-new. "Plank and preserve" sort of sounds like a war effort. Maybe I'm thinking along those lines because The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows) is on my mind. I'm a latecomer to read this book, I know, but from the title I had mistakenly assumed it was in the potato-queen-finds-true-friends-frying-green-something-before-dying genre -- and frankly, I'm tired of that.  But wow. It is so much more than I ever imagined.

Back to planking and preserving. WELL PRESERVED: recipes and techniques for putting up small batches of seasonal foods by Eugenia Bone is another good book. First, Eugenia instructs how to preserve a food (and not just fruits and vegetables), and then includes several recipes using what you've just preserved. This is my second go-'round with Eugenia  having also made her Grape & Walnut Conserve. What lured me in on that one were the recipes incorporating the conserve -- Concord Grape Walnut Tart and Fried Grape & Walnut Ravioli with Chocolate -- oh, and another one using the conserve over baked Brie. Moan. 




The planked and grilled zucchini is layered with seasonings, and topped with olive oil. This project is only for the short-term and requires refrigeration to avoid the dreaded botulism bug but I don't think we'll have any trouble using it up in 10 days.

Now that I think about it, preserving food is the epitome of taking it further, isn't it?

Also posted over at Food Renegade.

5 comments:

  1. going to see if the library has this book, we need new ideas for the zucchini.

    (at first i thought you were going to put the zucchini in the dye pot!)

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  2. I loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, very good book.

    Your zucchini looks yummy. I'll have to look for Well Preserved, looks interesting.

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  3. Cindy, someone should probably try it in the dye-pot! Last night I took some of the zucchini planks out and let them sit at room temp till the olive oil melted, added fresh tomatoes and chunks of mozzarella and some red wine vinegar and basil would've been nice but I was too lazy to go out and get some. It was good!

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  4. Deb, oh and I forgot to mention that the author is Italian and that carries through in the Well Preserved book. Aren't you Italian, I remember when you wrote about cooking with your family?

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  5. Well that explains why it is good, that Italian influence. :) Yes, one set of my great-grandparents came from Italy. It is certainly the predominate influence on my cooking. Eating polenta for dinner tonight... The library is holding the book for me and I'll pick it up tomorrow.

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