Recipes

Traditional Yakitori Sauce

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:00:00 -0700

Fields makes his version of yakitori sauce, or tare with smoked chicken bones, for the faintest lick of burnt wood in the final flavor. This version skips that step, but if you use a good hardwood charcoal, you should be able to achieve a similar effect. Note: Tare should be used only on meats or mushrooms, never on other vegetables.

Active time: 15 minutes
Makes: 5 cups tare

1 cup soy sauce (such as Yamasa brand)

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 cups mirin

6 cups cold water

1/2 pound chicken bones (a mixture of feet and neck bones works best)

1 large leek, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot, bring to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour. Strain the sauce, refrigerate overnight, and skim any fat off the surface.
To use: Reheat, dip yakitori skewers in the sauce, then grill immediately over high heat.

*For a stronger flavor, simmer new bones in the prepared sauce for another hour, and repeat the chilling and defatting process again before using.

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Grilled Pork Ribs with Corn and Apricot Salsa

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 04:00:00 -0700

Total Time: About 3 hours
Active Time: 50 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

RIBS
2 two-lb racks baby back ribs
Smoked chipotle sea salt

SALSA
2 ears yellow corn, shucked
2 serrano chili peppers, whole
2 shallots, peeled and halved
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 ripe apricots, peeled, pitted, and chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup fresh chives, chopped
2 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar

RUB THE RIBS with the sea salt on both sides. Transfer the ribs to a platter and let stand at room temperature until they start to perspire, about 30 minutes.

MEANWHILE, PREHEAT THE OVEN to 350 degrees. Also heat the grilling rack over medium-high heat (roughly 450 degrees). Place the corn, chilies, and shallots on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and toss with your hands to coat all three in a thin layer of oil. Sear the ears of corn, chilies, and shallots on the grill for a few minutes on each side, until charred all over. Transfer back to the baking sheet. Rub the garlic cloves with the oil, then bake with the vegetables for 20 minutes in the oven. Set aside to cool.

LOWER THE GRILL TEMPERATURE to about 325 degrees, or medium-low heat. Wipe the salt off the meat with a damp paper towel and season with pepper. Roast the ribs on the grill over indirect heat, fat side up first and turning every 30 minutes or so, for 2 hours or until tender when you poke them with a small sharp knife. Set the meat aside to rest for about 5 minutes.

WHILE THE MEAT RESTS, PREPARE THE SALSA. Cut the corn off the cob. Remove the stems from the chilies and whirl them with the shallots and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. In a medium bowl, stir together the shallot mixture, corn, apricots, cilantro, chives, vinegar, and brown sugar. Season to taste with additional smoked chipotle salt and freshly ground pepper. Slice the ribs into single portions and place a generous spoonful of salsa on top of each. Sprinkle salsa and ribs with another pinch of smoked chipotle salt and serve immediately.

Roast Beef and Mashed Potato Hand Pies from Scratch

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 04:00:00 -0800

Total time 2 hours 15 minutes, plus marinating time
Makes 8 meal-sized hand pies

Fillings should be chilled when they are stuffed into the pastry, so Piper Davis usually makes them the night before she bakes and serves the pies.

INGREDIENTS

Roast Beef
(Time: 20 minutes, plus marinating time. Makes 1 lb roast beef.)
1 lb of tri-tip, top sirloin, rib roast, or tenderloin (if you’re feeling fancy)
1 tsp kosher salt

Mashed potatoes
(Time: 20 minutes. Makes about 1½ cups.)
1 baking potato (about 8 oz)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
⅓ cup half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Caramelized Onions
(Time: 45 minutes. Makes about 1 cup.)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large white onion, julienned
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup water, white wine, or cooking sherry

Hand Pies
3 lb rough puff pastry (or 1 sheet of Grand Central U-bake puff pastry), chilled
1 egg, separated
1 tbsp water
Pinch salt
Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the roast beef, mashed potatoes, and caramelized onions. Rub the salt all over the raw beef and allow to sit for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator, uncovered. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast beef for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the outside is caramelized and the inside temperature reads 130 degrees. Remove from oven and cool at room temperature.

Peel, dice, and cover potatoes with cold water. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and add butter and half-and-half while potatoes are still hot. Mash or whip until smooth and creamy, then season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then onions, and sprinkle with salt. Saute until onions begin to brown. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to saute, resisting the urge to stir and instead giving the whole pan a quick shake every 5 minutes or so. When onions are golden brown and natural sugars are caramelizing on the bottom of the pan, add water, white wine, or cooking sherry and stir to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce liquid until the onions are a dark, toasty brown.

Prepare the pies. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment and set aside. Roll dough into a 12-by-20-inch rectangle on a lightly floured board. Using a large, sharp knife or a pizza cutter, trim the edges of the dough so they’re square. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, then cut each strip into four equal pieces, for a total of 8 dough rectangles that are about the same size.

Whisk the egg white, water, and salt together in a small bowl, reserving the yolk, and use a pastry brush to lightly paint the egg white mixture around the edges of each rectangle. In the center of the lower half of each rectangle, place 2 heaping tablespoons mashed potatoes, then 1¼ ounces roast beef, and top with 1 tablespoon of caramelized onions. Season filling with pepper.

Fold the top half of each rectangle over the filling so the edges meet. Seal each rectangle using the sides of your hands and use the floured tines of a fork to crimp and reinforce the seal. Trim the edges with a sharp knife, then slice steam vents in the top of each hand pie. Whisk the egg yolk into the egg white mixture, brush the pies with it, and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until pies are a deep, golden brown.

Note: Pies should be cold when they go into the oven. You may want to refrigerate softening dough during folding, before sealing, and/or before brushing with egg.

Rough Puff Pastry

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:00:00 -0800

Excerpted from The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson

Some of the cooks I respect most tell me that ready-made puff pastry is one ingredient they will buy. They scoff at the notion that puff pastry can be made easily in a home kitchen. The solution is rough puff pastry, which refers to a technique for making lovely puff pastry without the time, special equipment, or precision required for classic puff pastry. The simple formula and straightforward technique are proof that making puff pastry at home doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming.

Rough puff pastry dough is, by nature, a bit of a mess. There will be irregular chunks of butter and floury dry patches no matter which method you choose. Don’t lose faith; the end result is always stunning.

Puff pastry owes its dramatic appearance and flaky texture to lamination. For a better understanding of the process, it’s helpful to compare the structure of laminated dough to a cross section of plywood: microscopic layers of dough and butter are stacked up repeatedly, one on the other, without mingling. As the dough bakes, the butter releases steam, which is trapped by the layers of dough, causing the pastry to puff. In the case of rough puff, this structure is achieved by cutting large chunks of butter into the dry ingredients, where they’re distributed randomly, and then by folding the dough repeatedly.

Rough puff dough can be mixed by hand or with a stand mixer. I prefer to use my hands if I’m making a small quantity; it’s just as fast and there’s less cleanup. When I want to stock up, I pull out my KitchenAid to mix a large batch.

INGREDIENTS

To yield about 3 lb rough puff pastry (the most a home KitchenAid mixer will hold):
4½ cups (1 lb, 6.5 oz) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp salt
2¼ cups (1 lb, 2 oz, or 4½ sticks) butter
1 cup (8 fl oz) water
1½ tbsp lemon juice

To yield about 2 lb rough puff pastry:
3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp salt
1½ cups (12 oz, or 3 sticks) butter
¾ cup (6 fl oz) water
1 tbsp lemon juice

To yield about 1 lb rough puff pastry:
1½ cups (7.5 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
¾ cup (6 oz, or 1½ sticks) butter
½ cup (4 fl oz) water
1½ tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Measure flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl you’ll use for mixing and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Cut butter into 1-inch chunks.

Working with a stand mixer: Using the paddle attachment on medium-low speed, add the butter all at once and mix for 1 minute. The texture of the flour will go from silky to shaggy, and the dough will still contain some larger chunks of butter. You’re likely to find unincorporated flour at the bottom of the bowl and dry patches throughout. To hydrate the dough, reduce the speed to the lowest setting and, with the mixer running, drizzle in three-fourths of the ice water and lemon juice. Check the hydration of the dough by gathering a small fistful; if it holds together, it’s ready. If it’s dry or crumbly, mix the dough a little longer (2 or 3 rotations) before adding more water, 1 tbsp at a time, testing the dough after each addition by pinching it.

Working by hand: Use your fingertips and thumbs to quickly rub the butter pieces into the chilled dry ingredients. Stop mixing when the texture of the flour begins to change from silky to mealy. There should still be chunks of flattened butter ranging from the size of a nickel to the size of a quarter. Make a well in the flour mixture. To hydrate the dough, drizzle in three-fourths of the ice water and lemon juice while gradually pulling the dry ingredients into the middle with a fork and mixing gently. Check the hydration of the dough by gathering a small fistful; if it holds together, it’s ready. If it’s dry or crumbly, mix a little longer before adding more water, 1 tbsp at a time, testing the dough after each addition by pinching it.

Form and chill the dough. Bringing the dough together into a rough but cohesive mass is the first step in developing the structure of puff pastry.

{page break}

Pull out a length of plastic wrap, leaving it attached to the roll. Begin building layers by loosely arranging handfuls of dough on top of one another. Use the heel of your hand or a dough scraper to pat and guide the dough into the center of the piece of plastic wrap. Gradually form the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle using the heel of your hand. (Don’t poke or prod the dough with your fingers or a utensil, as that will interrupt the development of the layers.) The height, or thickness, of the rectangle is what matters here, not its length or width.

When you have piled all the dough into a rough rectangle, fold the plastic wrap up around the dough’s edges, then fold the 2 sides into the center, tugging firmly on the ends of the dough to coax it to hold its shape. Tear the plastic wrap and wrap it tightly around the dough, using the heel of your hand to lightly pack the dough as you do so. Chill for at least 2 hours.

The microscopic layers of butter and dough in puff pastry are created by rolling the rectangle of dough and folding it like a letter, also known as “giving it turns.” To begin the process, lightly flour a work surface. Arrange the rectangle so the short ends are at the top and bottom of the work surface. Roll the dough out to 3 times its original length; it will be about ¼-inch thick. Always roll the pastry into a square or rectangular shape, and roll in only one direction. The dough may be difficult to work with or fall apart as you make the first fold. Use a dough scraper and your hands to redistribute the dough, pat the pieces together, and keep the rectangle true. Take the bottom edge of the dough and fold it two-thirds of the way up the rectangle. Bring the top edge down to meet the new bottom edge, like a business letter. Wrap or cover the dough with plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes after the first turn.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and arrange it so the short ends are at the top and bottom. Repeat the process of rolling and folding and refrigerating 2 more times for a total of 3 turns. As you further develop the gluten in the dough, it will want to shrink or spring back when it’s rolled. It is crucial to let the dough rest after each turn. If it becomes elastic or difficult to roll out in the middle of a fold, let it sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

(Feel free to interrupt the process of adding folds at any point, as long as you pick up where you left off within the next 24 hours or so. If you wait longer, the dough may begin to oxidize. The flavor shouldn’t be affected if it’s well wrapped.)

After it has all of its folds, you can use it immediately. Alternatively, you can roll the whole sheet up and freeze it, dividing large batches into two or more pieces. An 8-ounce chunk of puff pastry is the smallest size you’re likely to find useful. It’s most helpful to divide and freeze your dough in 12- to 16-ounce pieces. It can be used almost immediately after removing it from the freezer.

Puff pastry can be frozen for up to a year. Double wrap the dough in plastic or store it in a resealable bag. Once it’s defrosted, the dough shouldn’t sit in the refrigerator for more than 2 days, or its ability to rise will be significantly impaired. Put it back in the freezer as soon as possible if you can’t use it all. The dough can be refrozen twice after its initial freezing without affecting its puff.

Sauteed Greens and Caramelized Onion Hand Pies

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:00:00 -0800

Total Time 1 hour
Makes 8 Meal-Sized Hand Pies

Fillings should be chilled when they are stuffed into the pastry, so Piper Davis usually makes them the night before she bakes and serves the pies. It always seems like there are too many greens, but they cook down considerably, she says. The water content of the greens will determine how much you end up with, so rather than measuring them, divide them into 8 equal piles before assembling.

INGREDIENTS

Greens and Onions
2 medium yellow onions
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
¼ cup water, cooking sherry or white wine
1 pound hearty greens, washed, dried, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

Hand Pies
3 lb rough puff pastry (or 1 sheet of Grand Central U-bake puff pastry), chilled
1 egg, separated
1 tbsp water
Pinch salt
Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the fillings. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then onions, and sprinkle with salt. Saute until onions begin to brown. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to saute, resisting the urge to stir and instead giving the whole pan a quick shake every 5 minutes or so. When the onions are golden brown and the natural sugars are caramelizing on the bottom of the pan, add the water, cooking sherry, or white wine and stir to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce liquid until the onions are dark, toasty brown.

When onions have achieved a rich brown color, add greens and cover with a lid. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally with tongs, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and refrigerate overnight, or until chilled through.

Prepare the pies. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper, and set aside.

Roll dough into a 12-by-20-inch rectangle on a lightly floured board. Using a large, sharp knife or a pizza cutter, trim the edges of the dough so they’re square. Cut the dough rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each strip into four equal pieces, so you have a total of eight dough rectangles that are about the same size.

Whisk the egg white, water, and salt together in a small bowl, reserving the yolk, and use a pastry brush to lightly paint the egg white mixture around the edges of each rectangle. Place one-eighth of the filling in the center of the bottom half of each rectangle. Season with pepper.

Fold the top half of each rectangle over the filling, so that the edges meet. Seal each rectangle using the sides of your hands, then use the floured tines of a fork to crimp and reinforce the seal. Trim the edges with a sharp knife, then slice steam vents in the top of each hand pie. Whisk the egg yolk into the egg white mixture, brush the pies with the egg, then bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until pies are deep golden brown.

Note: Pies should be cold when they go into the oven. You may want to refrigerate softening dough during folding, before sealing, and/or before brushing with egg.

Chocolate Ganache Hand Pies

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:00:00 -0800

Total time 45 minutes
Makes 12 dessert-sized hand pies

Fillings should be chilled when they are stuffed into the pastry, so Piper Davis usually makes them the night before she bakes and serves the pies. Serve these warm from the oven with small bowls of sweetened whipped cream on the side, for dipping.

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate ganache
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream

Hand Pies
3 lb rough puff pastry (or 1 sheet Grand Central U-bake puff pastry), chilled
1 egg, separated
1 tbsp water
Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

The night before, make the ganache. Place chocolate in a small bowl, and pour scalded cream over it. Let sit for 1 or 2 minutes, then stir until the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate overnight, or until chilled through.

About 2 hours before baking, bring the ganache to room temperature, so that it can be scooped when you form the hand pies.

Make the pies. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper, and set aside.

Roll the dough into a 12-by-20-inch rectangle on a lightly floured board. Using a large, sharp knife or a pizza cutter, trim the edges of the dough so they’re square. Cut the dough rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each strip into six equal pieces, so you have a total of twelve dough rectangles that are about the same size. (Final size will depend on how much dough you started with.)

Whisk egg white, water, and salt together in a small bowl, reserving the yolk, and use a pastry brush to lightly paint the egg white mixture around the edges of each rectangle. Place 2 tbsps ganache in the center of the bottom half of each rectangle.

Fold the top half of each rectangle over the ganache, so that the edges meet. Seal each rectangle using the sides of your hands, then use the floured tines of a fork to crimp and reinforce the seal. Trim the edges with a sharp knife, then slice a steam vent in the top of each hand pie. Whisk the egg yolk into the egg white mixture, brush the pies with egg, then bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until the pies are deep golden brown.

Note: Pies should be cold when they go into the oven. You may want to refrigerate softening dough during folding, before sealing, and/or before brushing with egg.

Sweet Cranberry Hand Pies with Candied Orange Peel

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:00:00 -0800

Total time 1 hour 10 minutes
Makes 8 dessert-sized hand pies

Fillings should be chilled when they are stuffed into the pastry, so Piper Davis usually makes them the night before she bakes and serves the pies.

Serve these directly from the oven with small bowls of sweetened whipping cream for dipping.

INGREDIENTS

Candied orange peel
1 orange
1 cup granulated white sugar for syrup, plus additional for dredging
Water for blanching orange peels, plus ¾ cup water for syrup

Cranberry filling
10 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
½ cup white sugar
½ cup water

Hand Pies
3 lb rough puff pastry (or 1 sheet of Grand Central U-bake puff pastry), chilled
1 egg, separated
1 tbsp water
Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

The night before, start making the candied orange peel. Score the skin of the orange into quarters and pull away from the fruit. Remove any citrus membrane and scrape the soft pith out with small spoon or paring knife. Slice lengthwise in ¼-inch strips.

Put the peels in a nonreactive pan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes 3 separate times, using fresh water each time. (This removes any bitterness.) Drain peels after third blanching and set aside.

Next, prepare the syrup: Dissolve sugar in water over medium-high heat. Add blanched peels to simple syrup and poach until translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely in syrup before draining and placing on a wire rack set over aluminum foil to dry overnight. The next day, dredge the candied orange pieces in sugar and return to the wire rack to dry out. Dice the candied peel into irregular pieces and toss with sugar again.

Make the cranberry filling: Put cranberries, sugar and water together in a saucepan and boil for 5 to 8 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened. When the cranberries have cooled, stir in diced dried peel. Refrigerate the mixture overnight, or until chilled through.

Prepare the pies: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper, and set aside.

Whisk egg white, water, and salt together in a small bowl, reserving the yolk, and use a pastry brush to lightly paint egg white mixture around the edges of each rectangle. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling in the center of the bottom half of each rectangle.

Fold the top half of each rectangle over the filling so the edges meet. Seal each rectangle using the sides of your hands, then use the floured tines of a fork to crimp and reinforce the seal. Trim the edges with a sharp knife, then slice a steam vent in the top of each hand pie. Whisk egg yolk into egg white mixture, brush the pies with egg, then bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees, and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until the pies are deep golden brown.

Note: Pies should be cold when they go into the oven. You may want to refrigerate softening dough during folding, before sealing, and/or before brushing with egg.

Slide Show: Palm Pielets

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:00:00 -0800

ADORABLE AND CONVENIENT, individually sized “hand” pies are suddenly showing up in bakeries all over Seattle. Piper Davis (pictured above), co-owner of Grand Central Bakery, loves them for using up sa...

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Pregame Pig Out

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:00:00 -0700

Image: Chad Coleman

Number one fan Josh Henderson feeds the tailgate crowd without getting stranded on the party sidelines.

JOSH HENDERSON is the guy who made Seattle’s Skillet Street Food (skilletstreetfood.com) —and its artery-slapping “bacon jam,” the mixture of bacon, onions, and spices that he spreads on his burgers—a national sensation. He’s also a lifelong Dawgs fan who has spent many an hour manning the grill outside Husky Stadium. And while Skillet’s shiny Airstream trailer may seem better suited to tailgating than just about any vehicle on the road—there’s a grill, of course, plus a four-burner range, two deep-fryers, a refrigerator, work tables, and a three-compartment sink—Henderson says he’ll never need it at Husky Stadium.

That’s because football, he says, should be about football. And chef or no chef, Henderson doesn’t like it when people get too serious about the food. “I just want to hang out and carry on,” says the cook, who plans to open a diner on Capitol Hill in 2011. Next time you hit the lot before the game, follow Henderson’s tips for scoring a culinary touchdown without missing a minute of fun.

The Secret “If you’re going to be drinking for six to eight hours, you need to prepare and pace yourself. That applies to food, too,” says Henderson. Rather than trying to please all your pals’ palates, focus on one item and do it up right, using the best ingredients you can find. Henderson likes porchetta sandwiches: roasted pork belly stuffed with rosemary and fennel, then squished between two pieces of good bread. He preps the day before so that his parking lot time can be all about the party.

The Sandwich When cooking for about 25 friends, Henderson buys a 10– to 13–pound slab of pork belly from a local butcher (the cut is hard to find at the supermarket), and rubs it inside and out with pesto made from rosemary, fennel, garlic, roasted onions, and toasted walnuts. He rolls it up, ties it, and roasts it over a low, open fire for a few hours, basting it with apple juice and butter. Then he slices it and serves it on bread that’s hearty enough to hold up to the juice but not so crunchy it scrapes the roof of your mouth—Macrina’s potato roll would work well—with caramelized onions and a big slathering of lemon-fennel aioli.

The Trimmings In the snack department, Henderson keeps things simple—he suggests serving the meatwiches with a roasted potato salad and some greens.

The Booze Even for a chef, the goal of tailgating is straightforward: to drink. Henderson goes for growlers, the glass half-gallon beer bottles that allow grown-ups to play Edward Fortyhands without feeling immature. Good matches with porchetta? Stone Brewing Co.’s IPA, or, for local flavor, Maritime’s Pale Ale.

You Can't Give It Away

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:00:00 -0700

Image: Erik Skaar

Endless options Zucchini and walnut, sweet potato and hazelnut, banana and chocolate chip, and carrot and pecan breads.

ZUCCHINI ARE THE RABBITS of the vegetable world. This time of year they’re multiplying, their vines curling out into alleys and under cars. The squash themselves morph into titanic specimens that end up orphaned on neighbors’ porches under the guise of giving. When you’ve grilled and stuffed and sliced and handed off as much as you can stand, turn to Essential Baking Company’s (essentialbaking.com) zucchini bread. It’s the one we determined, after extensive research, to be the best in town. Packed with walnuts and just the right amount of spice, it breathes sweet new life into even older zucchini, and freezes beautifully.

Zucchini Bread with Walnuts

Recipe courtesy Essential Baking Company

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Makes: 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS
Butter and flour for greasing the pan
1 cup sugar
½ cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1½ tsp vanilla
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup shredded zucchini
½ cup finely chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-5 loaf pan.
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together the sugar and canola oil on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the eggs and mix until creamy, another 2 minutes, then stir in the vanilla.

In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon) together. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. Fold in zucchini and walnuts using a spatula or wooden spoon.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the bread for approximately 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove bread from the pan and complete cooling on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy!

For tasty variations on this recipe, in place of zucchini and walnuts use sweet potatoes and hazelnuts; mashed, ripe bananas and chocolate chips; or carrots and pecans. Cardamom can replace cinnamon in any combination.

Recipes

Traditional Yakitori Sauce

Grilled Pork Ribs with Corn and Apricot Salsa

Roast Beef and Mashed Potato Hand Pies from Scratch

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Rough Puff Pastry

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Sauteed Greens and Caramelized Onion Hand Pies

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Chocolate Ganache Hand Pies

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Sweet Cranberry Hand Pies with Candied Orange Peel

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Slide Show: Palm Pielets

Pregame Pig Out

Lemon-Fennel Aioli

You Can't Give It Away