Meredith was searching the archives for photos of a very young Beau yesterday and picked up a photo album for 2012–the ones that Apple used to do so well.
We spent an enjoyable half-hour revisiting what turns out to have been an eventful year–Meredith’s 60th and my 70th.
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles!
My first cookbook, Delicious Dishes, was published; a revised and expanded version of my memoir, Making Poldark came out; then there was helping with the olive harvest in Tuscany, and seeing it pressed it for stupendous oil
Ten years ago!? Pas possible!
Next year: 70 and 80 loom! Chin up!
Continuing in that spirit revisiting our yesteryears, and this being serious courgette/zucchini season, this morning, I pulled out a couple of old favourites from the cookbook-laden shelves in the larder, hoping to rediscover lost gems to cook for supper this evening.
Marcella’s Kitchen often yields rich pickens out of left field.
A short section entitled sautéed zucchini offers four summer recipes using fresh, young courgettes with a choice of three herbs–or smoked bacon–as agents of taste.
Bingo!
I shall do the others later, as the harvest from our four plants continues–but tonight’s little dish will be sautéed zucchini with onion, thyme, olive oil and a little butter.
I fancy it–perhaps the only reason to cook something.
Marcella says in her memoir that she taught herself to cook in NYC after she married Victor, a naturalized Italian-American:
…there I was, having to feed a young, hard-working husband who could deal cheerfully with most of life’s ups and downs, but not with an indifferent meal.
Lucky Victor–how times have changed!
She says recalling how her grandmother’s cooking tasted and smelled, helped calm her nerves and guide her cooking.
It’s done when it smells done!
Imagine the young Marcella willing that Disney-like wisp of flavourful smoke from her Grandma’s Venetian stove to drift West across the ocean to her Manhattan kitchen–what a resource!
I must try it with Mother Molly’s recipe for stuffed marrow!
A young Bob Dylan once sang that his sixties girlfriend…
...got everything she needs, she’s an artist
She don’t look back…
Sure, but a touch of nostalgia can pass an idle half-hour–looking back over a busy year.
And nostalgia got Victor Hazan fed, and us an evening meal.
Robin Ellis 
Zucchini Fritters
SERVINGS: 6 , YIELDS 12 FRITTERS PREP TIME: 5 MINS COOK TIME: 10 MINS TOTAL TIME: 15 MINS
These Zucchini Fritters are quick and easy to make (10-15 minutes start to :inish), and involve only a handful of simple ingredients. The fritters also happen to be dairy-free, and are toddler friendly!
Ingredients
1.5 lbs zucchini (2 large)
1/3 cup crush pork rinds
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for frying, (1/2 cup maximum needed)
Instructions
1. Shred the zucchini. My preferred method, which I find to be the easiest and fastest for shredding zucchini, is to use the shredding blade of the food processor. You can also shred by using a box grater.
2. Place the shredded zucchini into a thin kitchen towel and squeeze as much water out as you can.
3. Place the squeezed zucchini into a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients except the olive oil. Lightly scramble the eggs in the bowl, then mix everything well until the mixture is moist and all ingredients are distributed.
4. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Use a 3Tbsp cookie scoop to portion mounds directly into the pan, then gently press down with a turner to flatten.
5. Fry the zucchini fritters for about 4 minutes on the first side, and 3 minutes on the other, or until golden brown on each side. Enjoy while hot!
I will enjoy! Thanks.
You may be 80 soon, but still the best Poldark!
Bless!
We had some fresh zucchini just a few days ago in a salad I made. It was a simple humble salad of red, yellow and green bell peppers, a sliced zucchini, lettuce and some tomato 🍅. We used some French dressing to top it off. It tasted like summer. 😁
Such a lovely post! Thanks for staying in touch with your many faithful fans.
Thank you for sharing the picture of beau. And happy birthday to you both. I just turned 60 on the 16th of August. Corriene
You got me thinking, it’s Friday night, G&T in hand. Nostalgia, memories, all the good bits (printable ones) are food, friends, family. Usually all of the above. I most remember my much loved mother in law asking how I’d made my pastry. Yeeha!
Greeting Robin and Meridith from North Cyprus. Havn’t done much cooking recently due to personal issues. We have a similar recipie here too but we often add carrots and onion. Thanks for reminding me about this recipie it was a favourite of my late mum and dads.
Feels greek/cypriot indeed.
Nice! Enjoyed this.
What a blessing to have a garden! I have had gardens in the past which I enjoyed so very much. So rewarding!
Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Hello Robin and Meredith,
I hope you will like the following recipe. It may be similar to other recipes, but it uses the squash flowers and not the zucchini itself.
Every summer, a friend of mine who has a large garden, gives me a big bag of zucchini/squash flowers, and every summer I try to duplicate the squash fritters that my Italian grandmother used to make. This summer I came close to making them as well as my grandmother did. The recipe was never written down. Basically, you wash the squash flowers and remove the stems. You just use the soft part of the flowers, but you need a large bowl full. Make a batter with a beaten egg, a little flour and baking powder, salt and pepper to taste, and some water. (Sorry to be vague, but you have to experiment.) The batter is about the consistency of pancake batter. Add the squash flowers and coat them with the batter. Drop the mixture by the tablespoon into a frying pan with a good amount of olive oil and flatten them with a fork. They are about the size of a small pancake. Stay with them and turn them over when you see that the bottom half is cooked. Drain them on a paper towel, add more salt, if needed, and enjoy.
On another note, congratulations on restoring your “church”. The pictures are beautiful and how nice to have concerts there!
My husband and I just turned 70 a few days ago. It is always hard to start a new decade! I met you both at the book signing in New York, five years ago already!
Enjoy the last weeks of summer,
Sandy
Thank you for this. Sounds simple and delicious.