Baked Zucchini and a Favor

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market, you can expect to find the following offerings from Sweetwater Farm and Fair Valley Farm:

• raspberries and marionberries
• many varieties of greens and cabbage (try this stuffed cabbage)
• carrots, turnips, and potatoes (make some salad Nicoise for a picnic)
• broccoli and cauliflower (try roasted)
• fennel and peppers
• zucchini (make ladybugs on a log, recipe below)
• tomatoes (whip up some gazpacho)
• fresh herbs, including basil and parsley
• onions and garlic
• tomato sauce and pesto (make fresh pasta)
• pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi (make a stir fry)
• homemade jams
• fresh eggs
• pastured chicken (try spatchcocking)
• pork chops, pork roast, ham, and bacon (treat yourself to a summer BLT)

Our market is a grassroots neighborhood effort and we need your help to publicize it. Please download our Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market Poster here, print out a few copies to hang around town, and forward it to your friends. Thanks!

For summer's bounty of squash, here is a recipe for baked zucchini with herby, cheesy breadcrumbs and a spattering of cherry tomatoes. These tender zucchini come out looking like logs overrun with a cluster of ladybugs, lucky rewards your publicity efforts.

Ladybugs on a Log

6 small zucchini
~16 red cherry tomatoes
olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano
1/4 cup pine nuts
~20 leaves basil
2 anchovy fillets
freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 


2. Remove the ends of the zucchini and slice them into 1/4 inch strips lengthwise (about 3 or 4 strips per small zucchini). Halve the cherry tomatoes.


3. Spread some olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish and arrange the zucchini slices in a single layer. Brush the zucchini with a little more olive oil and arrange the tomato halves on top, cut side down. Sprinkle over the pine nuts.


4. Finely chop the basil and anchovy fillets and combine in a bowl with the bread crumbs, grated cheese, and a generous amount of black pepper, using your hands to mix the anchovy bits into the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the zucchini and tomatoes.


5. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the tomatoes have collapsed and the breadcrumb mixture is nicely browned. Serve warm.