Zucchini With Goat Cheese Food

ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE CRUSTLESS QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shred the squash on the large holes of a box grater, into a colander. Sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon salt and toss well. Place in the sink and drain for 15 minutes. Rinse and the squeeze firmly, by the handful, to remove excess water. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, pulse bread into crumbs in a food processor. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add bread crumbs and stir until evenly toasted, about 5 minutes. Evenly spread crumbs in a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan. Place pan on a baking sheet.
• Wipe out the skillet, add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the onions and garlic and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cook over medium-high heat, until onions are start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in parsley, dill and marjoram or oregano. Remove from heat, cool slightly.
• Whisk half-and-half, eggs and yolks in large glass measuring cup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the zucchini mixture in the prepared pan. Crumble the goat cheese and evenly scatter on the vegetables. Sprinkle Gruyere on top and pour the custard over the fillings.
• Bake until the quiche is just set in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before serving.

ZUCCHINI RIBBONS WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter melts; cook and stir the shallot until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until the garlic softens and releases its fragrance, about 3 more minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and zucchini ribbons, and cook, lightly stirring, until the chicken broth has come to a boil and the zucchini strips are cooked through but not mushy, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with finely sliced basil leaves and crumbled goat cheese.

ZUCCHINI GRATIN (GOAT CHEESE)

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 400 °F, and coat a 1-quart shallow baking or casserole dish with non-stick spray.
• Place the shredded zucchini in a bowl and add salt to taste, mixing well.
• This will be a seasoning as well as an agent to draw out moisture.
• Let stand for 5 minutes, then drain the water that has collected at the bottom of the bowl.
• Heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet.
• Add the zucchini and black pepper to taste, and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until all the moisture has evaporated.
• If this goes well beyond 10 minutes, you may drain the zucchini and return to the skillet, but you really do want to get rid of all the moisture.
• Add the garlic, mix well and cook 5 minutes more, stirring as needed.
• Stir in the parsley and basil, and remove from heat.
• Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
• Beat the eggs and goat cheese together in a bowl.
• This may be done with a whisk, but do try to break the cheese down into small bits and incorporate well with the eggs.
• Stir the cooled zucchini into the egg mixture, then spoon into the baking dish.
• Top with bread crumbs and drizzle the remaining TBS olive oil over the top.
• Bake until golden brown, approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE FRITTATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Slice the zucchini lengthwise in half and cut each half into very thin half moon shapes. Melt the butter in a large (preferably nonstick) skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and then add the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook just until slightly tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Spread the onion and zucchini evenly over the bottom of the pan and top with the beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and allow it to cook until just starting to set at edges. Crumble the goat cheese evenly over the top, and put it in the oven until golden on top, about 3 to 5 minutes. Slightly cool the frittata in the pan before slicing. Serve it from the pan or invert it onto a plate, then slice and serve.

ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and the butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse 12 to 14 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the processor running, pour the vinegar and ice water through the feed tube and continue to process and pulse until the dough just comes together. Dump out on a floured board, form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the zucchini in a colander set over a plate. Toss it with 2 teaspoons of salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Spread the zucchini out on a clean dish towel, roll it up, and squeeze gently to remove some of the liquid. Put the zucchini slices into a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. With a fork, mash together the goat cheese, thyme, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the dough out on a floured board to an 11-inch circle and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spread the dough with the goat cheese mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Lay the zucchini slices in tightly overlapping circles, starting at the very edge of the pastry (the zucchini will shrink when it bakes). Continue overlapping circles of zucchini until the whole tart is covered. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Cut in wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1 C cooking water, drain and return to pot.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until zucchini is tender and liquid is evaporated (about 5 min.).
• Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more.
• Add all but 2 T of the goat cheese to the pasta. Add reserved pasta water, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir until creamy.
• Serve pasta topped with zucchini, lemon zest, and remaining goat cheese.