Jared AxelrodWriter of Adventure

Tomorrow is the chosen date for the first of what I am hoping is many IRON CHEF: PHILADELPHIA battles.  I am incredibly nervous. The best way to decrease nervousness is to prepare in advance, but there is only so much one can do with the “mystery ingredient” remaining, well, a mystery.

Luckily, Jenn and Russell–dear friends, through and through–came over to do a test run.  What mystery ingrediant did they bring?  Why, none other than…ZUCCHINI!!! The timer was set for an hour, and we got to work!

This was a good test, as it gave me experience not only cooking on the fly, but also directing various sous cooks. Having twice as many people as normal also gave a good safety net, and allowed us to make not one, not two, not three but FIVE dishes in the space of one hour:

Zucchini Stir Fry

With yellow peppers, chantrelle mushrooms and onions. I put very little seasoning in this beyond hot pepper flakes and garlic. Zucchini has such delicate flavor, I didn’t want to overwhelm it.  This was basically a hot salad.

Singular Ratatouille

A riff on ratatouille, only without eggplant and yellow squash. Thinly sliced zucchini baked with parmesean, olive oil and a chunky, bacon-infused tomato sauce. Probably my favorite dish of the evening.

Zucchini Mac & Cheese

Grated zucchini in a parmesean and goat cheese sauce, with whole wheat penne. While the goat cheese added a delicious creaminess to the sauce, it overwhelmed the zucchini. Still, so tasty I found myself craving it today.

Zucchini Stew

Zucchini and chicken stew infused with the flavors of bacon, curry, smoked paprika and pale ale. Despite the multitude of ingredients, zucchini did stand out in this hearty stew, just not near enough. Lesson learned: you can never add too much of the secret ingrediant.

Zucchini and Apple Puree

The puree was blended with cinnamon, vanilla and sugar, and topped with yogurt and shredded Gruyere cheese. The inspiration for this came from Jenn, who mentioned eating a zucchini pie that tasted like apples. I handed this one off to J.R., Mistress of Apple Sauce, and she developed an almost-puddling like puree that managed to be sweet and taste like the vegetable at it’s base. The yogurt and Gruyere added a wonderful creamy bite to the desert as a whole.

So, lessons learned? I only have one oven, so it’s use is crucial. If I want a cold desert, start it early. Salt is a friend, especially with watery vegetables. Dogfish Pale Ale is very sweet. Listen to J.R. about what cheese to put where.

All in all, a fabulous evening, a good test run, and a lovely dinner with friends. Who could ask for more?