Grated zucchini getting a moisture treatment; curry on the stove.

It was 102 in Philly tonight around dinner time, and I needed something light.  In addition to that, tonight is my first night at home with Emily away on her singing program, so I am cooking for myself.  I am never one to go all out in the kitchen for myself; I tend to just end up eating a crust of bread while watching the Phils.  But, I promised Em I would feed myself real meals while she was away.  And, so, I have made it challenge: Cook something that is quick, easy, and is will not give me the meat sweats.

Oh – and I guess I should add one more criterion: Clean out the fridge.  So many random bits and leftovers in there – and this is a perfect time to find a way to use them all up.  With a quick scan, I came up with a list of ingredients that needed to be dealt before nature had its way:

- 1 Zucchini
- 1/2 cup Cannelloni beans
- 1/2 Onion
- Half and Half

Everything else looked it like would keep another day or three.  First thought was to combine everything into a pasta sauce or maybe serve it over rice – but then I thought the beans would be enough starch and I really wanted to crack into that nice new loaf of sourdough from Four Worlds. Squash curry it would be — a little Indian heat always goes well in the hot weather and with mostly veggies it would be perfectly light.

(I will return to The Victory Garden Cookbook in more depth in another post – but lets just say that it is an absolute must when cooking with veg.  Most of this recipe came from items in VGC, especially the zucchini prep.)

Wash and trim the ends off a medium zuke, and grate using the larger holes on a grater.  Place a colander in a bowl and fill with the zuke.  Sprinkle with salt and wait 30 mins.  If you have a really moist squash, this should pull some of the extra liquid out – I did not, but it helps to dry it out a bit for the cooking.

Chop an onion and saute it in about 2 tbs of butter for about 3 mins.  Add 2 tbs of curry powder and cook until tender.  Toss in the cannelloni beans and the zukes.  Cook for about 5 mins and then add half a cup of half and half (or cream).  Cook for another 5 mins or so, until the cream starts to boil.  Serve with warm bread.