For someone who has spent the past two months bemoaning the swirling heat vortex that is DC in the summer, you would think I’d have been thrilled to see the food blogosphere explode into a panoply of apple-studded, pumpkin-spiced foods on September 1. But no: now that it’s cool enough you can go outside without instantly breaking into a sweat, I’m ready for summer 2.0.
Thankfully, the produce stands around here agree with me. Sure, apples are starting to take up some real estate, but there are still plenty of peaches and our CSA bag arrives stuffed with zucchini each week. I appreciate zucchini for what it is: the tofu of the vegetable world. It plays well with others ingredients and takes on whatever flavors and characteristics you might want it to. This recipe plays with zucchini on two levels, first liberating it from the cloyingly sweet quick breads you tend to see and then pairing it with an old favorite, feta, as often seen in dishes from around the Mediterranean. The result is a savory muffin that goes well with other late-summer produce like eggplant, red peppers, and tomatoes. They’re good enough to make you want to pause your fall fare and hold onto the last of summer for a bit longer.
Zucchini-Feta Muffins
Source: I Thought There Would Be Free Food
Makes 12 muffins
Active time: ~25 minutes; total time ~55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 medium zucchini, ~10 ounces or 292 grams
- ~4.5 ounces feta
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 scant cup milk
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Trim the ends off of your zucchini and then grate it using a box grater, large-holed microplane, or food processor. Working with a handful of zucchini at a time and standing over your kitchen sink, squeeze the zucchini in your fists until most of the liquid has run out. Repeat with the remaining handfuls, then set all of the zucchini aside.
- Crumble the feta into small chunks no larger than a pencil eraser. You should have about one cup. Set aside.
- Mix together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold to combine them. When the ingredients are mostly combined, add the zucchini and feta. Fold them into the batter until they are well distributed.
- Divide the muffin batter evenly amongst the cups. Bake for ~30 minutes, until lightly browned. Enjoy warm or toasted with a pat of butter.