squash power
a big week for zucchini, and the transition to soup season
It really feels like the transitory period between summer and fall, now. I’ve had to wear socks in the house again (I loathe it) as the oppressive heat of late August and early September seems to have disappeared. I took Kayla to the beach at Whytecliff Park on her birthday, but it was breezy enough that I kept my jacket on, and we had to leave by seven so we didn’t get stuck making our way back up to the parking lot after sunset. Every day I have one more ripe tomato to pluck out of the garden, the squash vines have begun to wither, and just when I thought we were in the clear, the city was blanketed in a thick haze of smoke from late-season forest fires. I hope you’re all staying safe and managing to make the most of harvest time.
I looked in the produce drawer and discovered I somehow had 4 zucchinis in there, so it was a zucchini-heavy week at our house. First, I was inspired by this pizza on Erin Alderson’s instagram— it looked so good my mouth actually watered. The recipe is apparently in the most recent of her Casual zines, which I love the look of but have not bought any of because the paper copies until recently only shipped within the US, and I just know I wouldn’t use an e-copy (bundles of past zines now ship internationally though, so I may treat myself).
I started by cooking sliced onions at a medium-low temperature for 15-20 minutes, not quite caramelizing them but getting them really soft and brown, before adding some chili flakes and shredded zucchini, cooking it down too. I added a big splash of oat milk at the end to keep it from getting too dry in the oven; I just brushed the crust with olive oil instead of using a base sauce, though I think pesto or a white sauce would totally work. The cheese is just a mix of mozza and parmesan with lots of black pepper, and it was perfect after 12 minutes in a 500° oven. The whole thing was so creamy and just spicy enough to make it super satisfying to eat, and it was really easy to throw together the topping while the dough was rising.
I revisited this tomato galette with corn and zucchini because I’d grilled a few ears of corn that had been in the produce drawer awhile. I made it with the addition of kalamata olives and fresh herbs like I had done initially since I loved that flavour combo so much, but I did use grape tomatoes this time which gave the filling a bit more texture. And the grilled corn was so flavourful and juicy; this is such a perfect dish for the harvest season as you relax into the swan song of summer.
A tip for working with galette dough: it has more moisture than a traditional pie crust so it holds together more easily, but it can also be fairly sticky, depending on what the humidity’s like where you are (it’s not often it dips below 70% here). I like to roll it out on a piece of floured parchment which I can then transfer to the baking pan altogether to assemble the galette, rather than trying to pick up the dough itself. Sometimes I’ll also use the plastic wrap from the chilling stage on top, between the rolling pin and the dough, so I don’t have to use as much flour to keep it from sticking.
Since the galette only used one ear of corn and I still had more of both that and zucchini, I made a variation on the zucchini butter pasta I’ve fallen in love with this summer. I’ve never made it exactly like the recipe, and actually no longer look at it when I make this dish, but then that’s the power of a good recipe. It can give you a delicious meal in its own right, but it can also give you an idea you can work with and make your own.
If you’re making this, get ready to really taste the butter in it. It is perfect. I put kalamata olives in, too, because it’s nice to have something so briny and intense to contrast the creamy, mild flavour of the zucchini. I added them and the corn just before adding the parmesan and pasta water to turn the cooked-down zucchini and garlic into a sauce. The corn was really lovely here, punching up the sweetness and adding a little crunch— and we all know how fabulously corn and butter go together. This was one of those meals we devoured in almost complete silence, except for the occasional reverential comment on how delicious it was.
Soup season is like a wizard in that it is never late, nor is it early; it arrives precisely when it means to. The other day when my produce drawers were empty and I threw some white beans into the instant pot as a starting point for dinner, I didn’t know I was about to make the first soup of the fall, but it happened. I’m still not ready for summer to be over, but you just have to embrace it (you can be kind of mad about it at the same time). I had a cup or two of roasted squash hanging out in the fridge after taking it out of the freezer for something else, and a tomato from the garden that was rapidly softening on the counter, so those went in, along with some fresh oregano, thyme, and basil, and some smoked paprika for colour and flavour.
One benefit of soup is that you get a complete meal without a lot of dishes or effort, and another is that it makes your house smell amazing. If I made this again I’d use a little less broth (I eyeballed it and it came out a bit thin after blending) but other than that the Italian-ish flavour and rich, creamy texture from the beans and squash were lovely. The tomato gave it great colour and a little acidity, along with some lemon juice I added at the end to finish. You don’t need a grilled cheese on the side, but don’t you think you deserve one?
Also this week I made a cobbler, similar to the one Jeff made last week with apple and peach (the recipe is in that newsletter), but with the addition of some strawberries we got off the dollar rack at the produce store. Jeff made some vegan vanilla ice cream to go with it, which meant I finally got to use the vintage galvanized steel ice cream scoop I got at the thrift store in Quesnel; I much prefer a one-piece scoop to the kind with the little lever release. Also, quick aside, why do none of the fancy local ice cream shops sell just straight-up dairy-free vanilla? I promise we don’t always want cookies and cream or salted chocolate pretzel or whatever— sometimes you just need a side for a baked good that doesn’t have lactose in it!
Media:
I loved Alicia Kennedy’s newsletter this week, on the pressures of having to, as a food writer, not only sell your writing, but your lifestyle as well. Whether you choose a particular style or not, you’ll be perceived as having one, one which will be subject to all kinds of aesthetic trends and judgements:
“I’ve settled into an aesthetic groove with my photos that I’m quite proud of, until someone mentions to me that they like them for being tossed off or imperfect, and then I feel embarrassed. It’s hard to deviate from what is understood as “good” food imagery.”
This is something I relate to even with this little newsletter, which I started in 2020 mainly so as not to feel compelled to respond individually to friends’ requests for recipes or advice after sharing photos of things I’d made on instagram or twitter. I do it as a way to help organise my own notes when I cook something, and to provide inspiration to others, because thinking of new things to cook every week is tiring, especially if you aren’t already a confident cook.
It’s ironic that taking photos of my food and sharing them— the thing that drove me to create this newsletter— is the part of creating it every week that I now find the most tiresome. I’ve put things into serving dishes when I would normally dish it up straight out of the pan, gone outside to photograph my plate even if I’m planning to eat in front of the tv. If I’m too hungry or tired or the lighting is bad because it’s December and the sun sets at 3:45pm, I’m not going to get a photo that meets the aesthetic I prefer, and how can I inspire people to make something if it doesn’t look good to eat?
Thanks for reading— if you enjoyed this newsletter, please smash that like button below, or share it with someone new! I like providing this to you for free, but it does still involve time and effort, so donations I can use towards cookbooks or future treats are much appreciated. Anyway, is living under capitalism feeling like a nightmare to you? Me too.