I knew it was too early for tomatoes in our neck of the woods, so I wasn't expecting any (I wasn't disappointed!). I also knew zucchini season was on and I was ready with some recipes but I wasn't prepared for our basket to be almost completely taken over by the green and yellow stuff!
What you see on the picture above is just a sample of the crop. We had way more than that and I knew I had to go beyond sautéed garlic zucchini, zucchini risotto or courgettes farcies (stuffed zucchini). I needed to make something we could freeze and enjoy later, maybe when summer would be but a memory.
It so happened I had just put away a little bag of candied ginger I had bought in Vermont on my way back from Gérard Rubaud's bakery (I have noticed that ginger helps me stay alert when I have to drive long-distance, maybe because it is so spicy) and I had been wondering what to use it for now that I was back home.
So when I saw a recipe for a bread using zucchini, carrots and candied ginger in Janet Fletcher's beautifully photographed book, Eating Local, The Cookbook Inspired by American Farmers, I knew I had found what I was looking for.
I adapted the recipe a bit: I replaced all of the all-purpose flour by white whole wheat flour and all of the canola oil (which I didn't have) by extra-light olive oil; I more than halved the sugar (using 150 g instead of a whooping 390 g!) and I didn't use any cinnamon (which I don't much care for). It came out so tasty that even my eleven-month old granddaughter (already a miniature foodie) loved it (despite the heat of the ginger). Try it if you are swimming in zucchini. You won't regret it...
Ingredients: (for two quick breads)
- 400 g freshly-milled white whole wheat flour (I had white wheat berries I needed to use but store-bought flour would work just fine)
- 3 g ground ginger
- 5 g baking soda (1.5 tsp)
- 1 (scant) g baking powder (1/4 tsp)
- 4 g sea salt
- 90 g chopped candied ginger
- 3 large eggs
- 200 g extra-light olive oil
- 150 g sugar
- 10 g vanilla extract
- 110 g carrots, scrubbed and grated
- 150 g zucchini, grated (unpeeled)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C and lightly oil two quick-bread pans (Fletcher says to use 8.5 x 4.5 pans but I only have the two I bought at Ikea and they are 10 x 4.5)
- Mix together flour, ginger, baking soda and baking powder, sifting if you like (I didn't sift but I whisked). Add salt and candied ginger and whisk
- In large bowl, whisk eggs until foamy. Whisk in oil, sugar and vanilla. Add carrots and zucchini and whisk again
- Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and stir with wooden spoon until roughly blended
- Divide the batter between the two pans
- Bake about one hour (do the toothpick test to judge doneness)
- Cool on a rack (but wait 10 minutes before taking the breads out of the pans)
- Enjoy!
It is a lovely book to own if you have a garden or have access to a farm or farmer's market. I got mine used online and it is stamped "No longer the property of the St. Louis Public Library" in bold red letters. It still bears its Dewey identification number: 641.5 EATING. Since it was only published in 2010, your local library might also still own it.
Zucchini bread has always been a favorite, but I bet with the addition of carrots, it's even better. I love the natural moistness both veggies offer.
ReplyDeleteI do too. I also like the tiny flecks of color in the crumb...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful recipe and the pictures are fantastic, especially the last one : bravo!
ReplyDeleteBises de France :)
Merci, Flo! :-) Bisous itou...
Deletelovely the idea of carrots and zucchini in the same cake. and, wow, that's a real lot of olive oil, this yummy bread is packed with nutrients! I happen to have some candied ginger home, so why not... love the pics of your vegetable garden. will you use the zucchini flowers for some dish? wish I could get hold of some here...
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara, I wish I could have had some of the zucchini flowers but the CSA seems bent of producing even more zucchini than it already has and specifically asked its members not to pick the flowers. Maybe I'll find some at the farmers market this weekend...
DeleteDer Kuchen ist sehr lecker. Danke für Das Rezept. Grüsse Gaby
ReplyDelete