Stuffed Zucchini

When things come into season and produce is really cheap at the supermarket I can't help myself. A trait I inherited from my mother, if it's on sale and fresh, buy it! However, it can lead to an overstuffed refrigerator and ten pounds of zucchini that needs to be consumed.

When you have too much of an ingredient, that ingredient needs to become the main component of a meal, as to use as much of it as possible. Luckily, I love zucchini so I made delicious stuffed zucchini boats and had it for dinner and lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

4 zucchinis
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Italian parsley
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the zucchini length-wise and scoop the inside out of the halves. Chop the flesh of the zucchini into similar sized pieces like the onions and tomatoes.

Heat the skillet over high heat. Put oil into the pan. Add the chopped zucchini, onions and garlic in with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper while letting the vegetables soften. After 5 minutes, the onions start to look translucent; add tomatoes to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.

Line an oven safe sheet pan with aluminum foil and place emptied zucchini halves onto the baking sheet. Fill the zucchini boats with the zucchini, onion & tomatoes. Stir together the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and Italian parsley in a bowl and top the zucchini halves with the mixture.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve with a side salad for a light meal or add a pasta or protein for a more filling dinner.

Maple Roasted Pork Belly

On a cold afternoon when you have nothing planned for the rest of the night and the warmth of your couch blanket beckons you to do nothing but stay in and enjoy a book or movie, you need a slow cooking rich meal to go along with it. In this situation, pork belly is perfection.

Ingredients:

1 lb pork belly
4 heirloom carrots
1 medium onion (1/2 large onion)
1 cup dark beer
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon butter
salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Score the skin of the pork with deep slits, cutting through the fat but not into the meat. Sprinkle both sides of the belly with liberal amounts of salt and pepper. Peel the carrots and cut into chunks. Larger pieces are better because they need to withstand hours of cooking; smaller pieces would fall apart. Cut the onion into large chunks as well.

Place carrots and onions at the bottom of a small dutch oven or oven safe pot. Season with salt and pepper and add 1 cup of dark beer and 1 cup of water. Place the belly on top of the carrots and onions. Place into the oven for 30 minutes. (Enjoy the rest of the beer while waiting!)

Mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce into a small bowl. After the first 30 minutes of cooking the pork belly in the oven, take belly out of the oven and lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Bast the pork with a third of the maple syrup glaze, put cover on pot and return to oven. Bake the pork belly for an additional 3 hours, occasionally basting with the maple glaze.

After the 3 hours pull the pork belly out of the oven and crank the oven up to broil. Pour on the remaining bit of maple glaze and return pork belly to broiler for 5-7 minutes to crisp the skin. Keep a watchful eye on the oven at this point because the maple can burn.

Let the pork belly cool for a few minutes on a cutting board, meanwhile put the carrots and onions on the serving platter. Slice the pork belly and place on top of the vegetables. Reduce the remaining liquid in the pan and thicken with a tablespoon of butter. Pour over the belly slices and serve hot!