Skordalia (Greek Potato and Garlic Dip) with Zucchini Fritters

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know. I know. Just yesterday I promised there'd be no more recipes for zucchini. Actually, I promised no more recipes for zucchini bread, so I haven't really gone back on my word. While this post does feature zucchini fritters - incredibly good zucchini fritters, I might add - its real purpose is to share a recipe for Skordalia, a Greek garlic and potato dip that is wonderful to serve with fritters, crusty bread or substantial chips. Not many folks know about Skordalia, or how easy and inexpensive it is to make. I hope we can remedy that tonight. I have two cautions to share with you. First, while the dip can be made with mashed or riced potatoes, it is infinitely easier to make with a food processor. With that fillip taken care of, the remaining caution is that the potatoes must be warm when they go into the processor if you want your dip to have a smooth texture. The dip is full-flavored and tasty, and if you are looking for an uncommon dip or spread, do give this one a try. It is wonderful when served warm with zucchini fritters. Here is how it is made.

The Culinary Institute's Orange Zucchini Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This will be the last of the zucchini bread recipes for this year. I may still have a muffin or two up my sleeve, but I promise there will be no more bread. I wanted to feature this recipe because of its pedigree. It comes from the Culinary Institute of America and the orange zest used in their version adds a nice twist to an otherwise plain bread. Once again, we have a quick bread that can be made without special equipment. If you have two bowls and a spoon, you can have warm zucchini bread on the table in about an hour. The bread has a faint orange flavor and a lovely crumb. The zucchini assures it will be moist when first made, as well as later if the bread is frozen and thawed. The loaf is nearly effortless to make and it is a great way to use up your garden squash. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here is how the Orange Zucchini Bread is made.

Zucchini Bread with Cranberries and Pecans

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's that time of year. Zucchini is being passed from neighbor to neighbor and there is a good chance you'll end up with a surplus of it on your kitchen counter if there are vegetable gardens and friendly gardeners in your area. I have a hopper full of recipes for zucchini, but when I was gifted with two large specimens, I decided to look for new ways to prepare them. I found this recipe on What's Cooking America and it sounded so good that I simply had to give it a try. I keep cranberries in the freezer, so I actually had everything I needed to make this colorful bread on hand. This is an extremely easy bread to make and it can be made by anyone who has two bowls and a wooden spoon. I think those of you who give this recipe a try, will like the tart play of the cranberries and sugar in this sweet bread. The zucchini keeps it moist and the bread can be stored at room temperature for several days if it is well wrap. It will freeze for up to a month before it starts to dry out. I really like this simple quick bread and I think you will, too. Here is how it's made.

Zucchini Soup with Gruyere and Asiago Cheese

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This recipe began life as an experiment designed to make a simple first course for a special lunch or dinner. A recipe I found in Eating Well magazine served as the base for the zucchini soup I wanted to make, but my first stab at making it was bland. Never one to waste food, I did a quick scan of the refrigerator to find something that might perk up the flavor of what was sitting in the pot. I pulled out some cheese and a lemon and incrementally began to add them to the soup, tasting as I went along. I think I finally got it right. At the very least, I can promise it is better than the undoctored version of the soup with which I started. I like this soup, but I am not crazy about it. I will make it again when zucchini is cheap and plentiful, but I will hold off until then. Here is the version of the recipe I used to make the soup.

Bread and Butter Zucchini Pickles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wish you all could experience an early summer morning in Eugene. When there is no haze, the sky is a brilliant azure and the temperature, which will rise as surely as the sun, still hovers in a range the rest of the country would find invigorating. It is perfect walking weather, and every Tuesday morning I begin the first of my 10,000 daily steps on a bike path that parallels the river. A local inn has found room for my writer's group to meet and we talk craft and chat over coffee as the river meanders by. We are occasionally interrupted by excited squeals coming from the water. The river is low at this time of year and local day camps bring young campers to ride the "rapids". There is a lot of white water, and while the kids don't know it, it would be difficult to drown in waters as shallow as these. They are having an adventure, and years from now, a handful of them will ride the rapids of the Snake and those few will remember with great fondness, their first experience with white water here on the Willamette in the center of Eugene. Summer seems to pack more memories than other times of year. There are, of course, visual triggers that churn memory, but mine are stirred by sound and smell as well as sight. I found this recipe for bread and butter pickles in Food and Wine magazine and it seemed so simple that I had to give it a try. The aroma of the brine used to pickle the zucchini took me back to the kitchens of my childhood where a mustard based chow-chow, we called it hot-dog relish, was made every summer in almost every kitchen on the block. Lest you think I am not too tightly wrapped, the Silver Fox came through the door sniffing. "Are you making chow-chow?" I wasn't but it sure smelled that way. Not everybody loves chow-chow, so it is reasonable to assume, that despite the ease with which they can be made, not everyone will enjoy these mustard based zucchini pickles. If, however, you like chow-chow or hot-dog relish, I think you'll enjoy snacking on these crisp puppies, and will find that they are quite good served alongside grilled sausage or burgers. They are easy and inexpensive to make, but do remember they will need to be chilled a full 24 hours before they are ready to eat. Once made, they will keep about a week in the refrigerator. I hope a few of you will give these pickles a try. They really are quite good. Here is how they are made.