Round is good

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Last weekend I picked up three small round zucchini from Culton Organics at Headhouse Square market.  It was kind of silly.  I mean, what do you do with three golf ball-sized zucchini?  Well, maybe not that silly: it’s just my husband and I.  Three of them actually makes a perfect side dish size.

Because of their pleasing shape, one of the only things to do with round zucchini is to hollow them out and stuff them.  Before stuffing, though, you have to boil the zucchini for about three minutes and then blanch.  I made risotto last week using the last of last Fall’s butternut squash and some kale from the CSA share (the only non-local part of the risotto was the arborio rice and white wine) and had a little left, so I stuffed the squash with spoonfuls of risotto.  And then the stuffed zucchini got baked for about seven or eight minutes, as my honey-glazed pork cutlets from Country Time Farm finished baking.

Along with that, I served up an onion and swiss chard saute.  The onion came from Landisdale Farm, as did the chard (through my CSA share this week).

While it’s cheating just a little to count this as a One Local Summer meal (on account of the non-local wine and arborio rice), I think I will anyway.  It’s pretty darn close!

The details:
round zucchini, Culton Organics
butternut squash, Lancaster Farm Fresh
kale, Landisdale Farm - 100 miles
butter, homemade from Dutch Way Dairy cream - 100 miles
onions, Landisdale Farm - 100 miles
chicken stock, homemade from local carcass - 50 miles
parmesan cheese, Hendricks Farm - 39 miles
swiss chard, Landisdale Farm - 100 miles
pork cutlet, Country Time Farm - 81 miles
honey, Bee Natural - 59 miles

not local: salt and pepper, arborio rice, white wine