Zucchini baked with Fetta and herbs

This is an adaptation from Paul Gayler. We ate it a lot last summer, and have just begun to bring it to the table again with the glut of new season zucchini. He makes it with a yellow tomato sauce which I didn't care for, so we eat this on its own, as a side, or as a delicious leftover the next day.


~Zucchini baked with Fetta & Herbs~
8 small to medium zucchini about 2.5cm thick (or the equivalent - this is particulary good with golden button squash)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed with a little salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
100g crumbled fetta
2 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
black pepper

If you wish to follow Paul Gayler using small baton-like zucchini, slice off their ends and remove the centres with an apple corer (easier than it sounds). Or if, like me, your zucchini have grown past baton size or are the round type, halve and scoop out the flesh. Either way, chop the scooped out flesh into a small dice.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add shallots, garlic and zucchini flesh, then cook down until tender and a little reduced. Turn into a bowl and cool a little, then add the cheese, breadcrumbs, herbs and pepper and mix well. Extra herbs are always good.

Par cook the zucchini shells in the microwave if you wish (I do this as my oven is a dud and seems to burn without cooking). Stuff baton zucchini with your fingers and a teaspoon, or the large halved type by piling the filling high.

Paul then grills the oiled and stuffed batons under a hot grill, and this is quite delicious, but generally I bake them in a moderate oven for a while until they are nicely browned and smell good.

Mather Street Tuna Pasta

The boys helped me create this recipe when we lived at Mather Street. T was only 4 but he chose what veges to add, and the result was delish.


~Mather Street Tuna Pasta~
6 single handfuls dry spiral pasta (can substitute cous cous)
4 large broccoli florets, cut small
1/2 large sweet potato, cubed into 1cm squares (sustitute pumpkin/zucchini/squash)
1 large tin tuna in oil
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 finely sliced scallions
handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
black pepper
(parmesan to serve)

Cook pasta and drain cooking water into large serving bowl to warm the bowl.

Steam the veges, drain oil from tuna, then combine all ingredients in the (empty) serving bowl and toss well.

Serve with plenty of grated parmesan.

Neverfail Vegetable Muffins

The original recipe for these surfaced in my consciousness at a bush BBQ about 30 years ago, but since it is in imperial measures it must be a bit older than that. I've seen it in so many places since; it would be fascinating to know the origins and how it spread across Australia...

I haven't come across anyone, man, dog or child, who won't eat these :)

~Zucchini Slice~
12oz zucchini, grated
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 rashers bacon, chopped
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup SR flour
1/2 cup oil
5 eggs, beaten
black pepper

Mix zucchini, onion and SR flour, until veges are "coated" in flour. Mix in bacon and cheese, then stir through oil and eggs until it's all well combined.

(Original recipe says - Pour into well greased tin and bake in mod oven about 30-40 min until firm.)

But I like to make muffins b/c they freeze well for school lunches, and use less power to cook - Spoon into silicone muffin trays and bake in a moderate oven (about 150 degrees) for about 15 minutes. Turn tray around at 10 minutes and check if they're cooked by poking a knife into the centre.

Remove from oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto wire racks to cool.

Variations :

Silverbeet & Corn
replace zucchini with :
4 leaves silverbeet (deveined & chopped finely)
1 tin of corn (drained)

Leek & Semi Dried Tomato
replace zucchini, onion and bacon with :
2 leeks, washed and finely sliced
6 halves of semi-dried tomato in oil, sliced
2 tab chopped parsley

Substitutes :
you could probably substitute whatever you wanted into this, in the way of veges, or meat instead of bacon, or different cheeses, but I'd recommend that the ratios of flour:eggs:oil be left somewhat similar to the original.