SALT CHUNK MARY belongs to a CSA. This means dealing with a motherlode of zucchini. To help kill some zucchini, she suggested a zucchini Iron Chef. Her friends responded to the call by creating many lovely zucchini treats. In fact, it was difficult, if not impossible, to name one person as the Iron Chef winner. Entries included a lovely roasted zucchini pizza with shallots, red pepper and fresh basil (shown above).

EVERY DAY ART TIP - the crafty lady who created the pizza above used dough from a local pizzeria. It's like making pizza from scratch, without making it from scratch.

Here is a beautimous, creamy zucchini risotto.

SALT CHUNK MARY made zucchini bread ice cream. Even she was surprised by how good it tasted. Squeezing the water out of the zucchini gives it a kind of coconut texture that blends nicely with the toasted nuts and the sweet tang of the buttermilk base. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can add your zucchini, raisin, nut mixture to softened vanilla ice cream.

The stir-ins
3 large zucchini, unpeeled and shredded
juice from half a lemon
zest of one lemon
½ c. sugar
1 t . cinnamon
1 t. ground nutmeg
¼ t. ground clove

Put shredded zucchini in cheesecloth or a dishtowel, and squeeze as much water as you can out of it. Toss zucchini with mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for roughly two hours. Stir mixture occasionally.  Before adding to ice cream base, drain liquid from zucchini.

½ c toasted and finely chopped walnuts
½ c. raisins, softened by soaking in enough hot water to cover and (optional) ¼ c Grand Marnier for at least one hour.  Drain liquid from raisins and set aside.

While your zukes and raisins are getting good and juicy, start working on the

ice cream base
1 c. buttermilk
1 and ½ c. heavy or whipping cream
2 eggs
¾ c sugar

Whisk eggs in bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in sugar, a little at a time, and then continue whisking a minute more until completely blended. Pour in cream and buttermilk, and then whisk to blend. You can use this base without cooking it. Since SALT CHUNK MARY is not comfortable eating ice cream made with raw eggs, she put the blended base in a saucepot on a low flame, and cook through until steam rises from the top, and bubbles form around the edges.  Place base in freezer for a rapid cool down. Note: If have too many cooked egg pieces in your base, use a stick blender to puree once the base cools.  Once base is cold, put in ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions.

Add drained zucchini, nuts and raisins just before the ice cream is solid.