Recipe: Five things to do with shredded zucchini

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My husband categorically hates zucchini. I'm sure my kids would say the same if I actually asked them. Which I don't - because I've learned to hide it, disguise it, slip it in where it's completely unexpected. So here, Dave Letterman-style, are my top five things (I couldn't think of ten) to do with shredded zucchini:

5. Make muffins. I use a recipe from The Martha Stewart Cookbook, page 111, omitting the walnuts and walnut oil because my kids go to a (&^###) nut-free school, and adding a few healthy things. Yes, I would really prefer to put in the nuts. My kids know these muffins have zucchini, but they taste so good that they don't care. My favorite recipe: Whole wheat zucchini muffins with wheat germ

4. Make zucchini squares. Mix a few eggs, some chopped green onions, a cup of Bisquick or the equivalent, shredded cheese of any kind, and shredded zucchini, and bake at 350 degrees in a brownie pan until golden brown on top. Cool, cut into squares, eat as finger food. Does not taste like zucchini. At all. Great for brunches or cocktail parties. See the recipe: Zucchini squares

3. Make a Mexican casserole. Mix leftover rice or crushed tortilla chips, some leftover cooked chicken or ground meat, salsa or enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, and shredded zucchini. Does it really need the zucchini? No, it's fine without, but any chance I get to put vegetables into my kids, I take. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top. I often make this for breakfast - I mix it up the night before, stick it in the oven, turn the timer on so it starts baking at 5:30am, and it's ready when the kids get up. See the recipe: Mexican chilaquile casserole

2. Make meatloaf. With zucchini. It keeps things moist, doesn't add any strong flavors, and again, the vegetable thing.

1. And my favorite thing to do with shredded zucchini: Zucchini pancakes. Mix a couple of eggs, a few cups of shredded zucchini, some chopped green onions, feta cheese, a half-cup of Bisquick (just enough to bind it), salt and plenty of pepper, and a tablespoon of herbes de Provence (or a mixture of tarragon, oregano, chives, basil...whatever you like). Heat a skillet, add a little olive oil, and fry up heaping dollops into pancakes. My kids eat these with their hands right out of the pan. And yes, they know what's in them. They just choose to ignore it. See the recipe: Zucchini pancakes (also called Bisquick zucchini fritters)

Recipe: Short ribs of beef, braised in wine and port

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Well, that may be the least appetizing food picture I've ever taken. Aren't you glad I shared it with you anyway? Rest assured that these short ribs, braised in port and red wine with dried fruit, tasted much, much better than they look here. Sort of a brown plate, eh? Clearly I forgot to pick parsley from the garden while it was still light outside.

I love cooking short ribs because the actual work part is so short (about 15 minutes) and most of the cooking happens on the stove or in the oven without any human interaction whatsoever. I got so much done while these were cooking! And still, when it was time for dinner, there they were, steaming and falling apart and filling the house with this absolutely fabulous scent.

This can be a very grownup dinner, a big hit at a dinner party, but all the kids at the table tonight - and the one under the table, too - ate it up.

I used boneless short ribs, which are called English cut in my store, but the bone-in kind are fine too, and in fact they probably have slightly more flavor. I just don't like the hassle of picking out the bones and cartilage, personally. And I used the dried fruit I had on hand, but other good choices would be prunes, cranberries, cherries or raisins. Also, my husband has a wonderful port collection, so there's always something on hand for me to use in a recipe, but if you don't have port, use more wine and a little brown sugar.

Erika's sweet short ribs

4-5 lbs short ribs
salt and pepper to taste
3 large onions, sliced
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup dried chopped dates
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup dried apricots
3 cups red wine
1 cup port
2 cups beef stock (I used water plus three packages of Savory Choice liquid beef stock concentrate)

Sprinkle both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper.

In a heavy pot over high heat, sear the short ribs in batches until they are dark brown on all sides. Do not move them while they are cooking; let them get good and brown before you turn them. Don't crowd the pan, either, or they will steam instead of browning. When one batch is done, move it to a plate and do the next. This process should take about 10 minutes total. While the ribs are browning, slice the onions into half-moons.

When the ribs are browned and resting on the plate, put the onions into the pan. Using the fat left in the pan, saute the onions about five minutes, until they start to soften. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and cook for another minute, until the flour is all mixed in and you don't see any white. This flour will thicken the sauce as the ribs cook.

Now add the wine, port and stock to the pan. Stir briefly. Put the ribs and any juice that has accumulated on the plate into the pot, and then put in the dried fruit. The liquid should just reach the top of the ribs.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for two hours. Or three. Or even four. You want the meat to be soft, falling off the bones if there are any, so soft you can pull it apart with a fork. If you have to go out, as I did today, move the pot to a 300 degree oven, where it will cook just the same and you don't have to leave an open flame burning in an empty house.

When you're ready to eat, taste the broth and adjust the seasonings. It should taste both salty and sweet, which probably means you'll need to add salt at the end to balance out the wine/port/fruit sweetness.

Serve over mashed potatoes, or rice, or noodles, or just with some crusty bread to soak up the delectable juices.

Recipe: French lentil salad (or, The romantic lentils of Le Puy)

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The first time I ate this sort of French lentil salad was in Paris, at a restaurant on the Left Bank - perhaps called L'Entrecote? - that my husband says he has tried and failed to find again on subsequent trips. But it's by no means unique to that particular venue; tiny "lentilles du Puy" in a garlicky, mustardy vinaigrette with herbs and lardons (meaty chunks of bacon), served at room temperature or perhaps a tad warm.

The lentils are the key to this dish. They're not the normal brown American lentils we use for soup. They're smaller, darker brown or greenish, and the authentic ones are grown in and near Le Puy, which incidentally is a charming town in the Auvergne where my husband proposed to me on a snowy March evening many years ago. Did we eat this lentil salad that night? I have no idea. But it's possible.

I can find these lentils in my local grocery store, but depending on where in the world you are, you might have to hit more of a gourmet shop.

French lentil salad

1 500-gram box lentilles du Puy (also called green lentils)
juice and zest of two lemons
four cloves of garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped cooked bacon (I use the bagged kind from Costco, but any will do) (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, any kind (I used parsley, chervil, tarragon, cilantro, rosemary, savory) (and if you only have dried herbs, that's fine too)

Rinse the lentils in a strainer and pick out any rocks - yes, sometimes there are rocks, and your teeth will appreciate the two minutes it takes to look for them.

Put the lentils in a saucepan, cover with water by a few inches, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer the lentils about half an hour, or until al dente. You don't want them mushy, and the exact cooking time will depend on how long they've been sitting on the shelf in the store, so start checking them after about 20 minutes.

While the lentils are cooking, mix together the lemon juice and zest, garlic, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper in a big bowl. If you're using dried herbs, add them now.

Drain the lentils when they're ready and add them to the vinaigrette. You want to do this while the lentils are hot so they absorb the flavors of the dressing. Add the chopped bacon and toss everything together.

Wait 10 minutes, until the lentils have cooled slightly, and then add the fresh herbs. (They will wilt less, and lose less of their color, if you let the salad cool before adding them.)

Let the lentils stand at room temperature for an hour or two before serving.

Recipe: The last (cheese) straw

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What is it with me and cheese lately? First, on New Year's Day, an experiment with gougeres (French cheese puffs), which were tasty if a bit deflated. This morning I woke up thinking about two wedges of leftover cheese in the top refrigerator drawer. One was Manchego, the other I have no idea.

Inspired by a recent entry on Macheesmo about his homemade cheese straws, I decided to attempt something similar. Snack food for breakfast? Why not?

Cheese straws with smoked salt
makes about 4 dozen small logs

4 Tbsp cold butter, cut into little pieces
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups (approximately) shredded cheese (I used Manchego and my mystery cheese)
4 Tbsp (approximately) cold water
1 tsp smoked salt

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Put the butter and flour in a mixing bowl and rub together with your fingers until the butter is in pea-sized lumps. You don't want it to be uniform; it should have a bit of texture to it.

Mix in the cheese with your hands until it is all coated with the butter-flour mixture.

One tablespoon at a time, add the water, mixing with your hands as you go. When the dough starts to come together, STOP ADDING WATER and squeeze the dough into a ball. You can let the dough rest in the refrigerator at this point, or you can bake it right away.

Roll out the dough (I did this on a piece of parchment paper) and cut into whatever shapes you like. Sprinkle with the smoked salt. Regular coarse salt will work too, of course. Bake on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 8-10 minutes, or until slightly golden on top. Try mightily not to eat all at once (you will fail, as I have).

The mysteries of my pantry

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Every few months I get into home-organization mode, and invariably I start with the pantry. Last time I cleaned out I found these lovely items that must have seemed interesting when I bought them but have not yet inspired me to use them. I need help. What to do with these? 1. Habanero honey. Use in a marinade for pork tenderloin, maybe?

2. Green masala paste. Mix with yogurt and braise chicken thighs? Not sure how spicy this is, but even if it is I suppose the yogurt will tame it a bit.

3. Sun-dried tomato pesto. The problem here is that my husband hates sun-dried tomatoes. I should have used this on some of the crostini on New Year's Eve. Maybe this will wait until the Superbowl party we always attend.

4. Chestnut puree. I had never tasted chestnuts until I met my Hungarian husband and his Hungarian parents, and now I'm hooked. I could eat this stuff straight out of the jar, but there must be a better use for it. Sometimes we make palacinta (Hungarian crepes) and use this to fill them. Other suggestions welcome.

5. Danish something jam, given to us by our lovely neighbors who travel to Denmark each summer to see relatives. I wish I knew what kind of jam this was....

6. Lingonberries in syrup. One of the best reasons to shop at Ikea! But a year later, here they are in the pantry. Other than eating them as jam, I have no brilliant ideas. And we don't seem to go through a lot of jam in our house.

Help. Post suggestions!