Who needs a farmer’s market when I have my parents? You’d think from the size of their garden that they are the soul provider for a third world nation – not two 80-somethings that should be spending their days on a cruise ship or, at the very least, with their feet up watching old John Wayne or Fred Astaire classics (ok…so maybe they do actually do that).
Instead, preparation for the next year begins just after the last plants from this year are pulled from the ground and worked into the compost bin. Seed catalogs will be perused but not too rigorously as the tried and trues have long ago been established. While most of us are still muddling through winter, trays of seeds will be started and tended in the homemade greenhouse. Much like the garden bounty there’s always a bumper crop of starts that my brother and I and probably half the neighbors benefit from. Eggplant. Multiple types of tomatoes. Peppers both hot and sweet.
While I don’t get out there as often as I should, when I do I remember why it was good growing up a farm kid (although I never would have admitted that at the time). This time of year the air is heavy with the smell of harvest. Onions. Potatoes. Sugar beets. It brings back good memories as does walking down the long rows in the garden harvesting as I make my way. Between the firewood they’d already loaded in the back of my car and the haul from the garden I’m going to need a bigger vehicle.
Once home I survey the jackpot bounty that covers pretty much my whole kitchen counter. I had just made ricotta, so with the fresh zucchini, tomatoes, onions and garlic I devised a plan. The recipe below is really free form so feel free to tweak to your own ingredients and palette.
Setting up the mandoline, I sliced long, thin ribbons.
Fresh ricotta went into a bowl and was mixed with the herbs growing just outside the back door, before being wrapped spiral-like in the zucchini strips. A layer of marinara over the top and finished with freshly grated Parmesan. Bake until it comes out ooey and gooey. Find the complete recipe below.
I have to admit, the zucchini was a convincing stand in for noodles. The dish was filling, satisfying and a perfect homage to the harvest from my parent’s garden.
- Medium zucchini – this is where those big long ones come in handy
- 1 cup ricotta
- ½ cup fresh herbs – I used a mixture of fresh rosemary, oregano and parsley
- Salt & pepper
- 1½ cups marinara sauce
- ¼ Parmesan, freshly grated
- Preheat over to 350°F. Prepare a baking dish by spraying it with nonstick spray and putting a little of the marinara in the bottom.
- Using a mandoline set on one of the thinnest settings, slice 8 long strips of zucchini.
- Mix the ricotta with the fresh herbs and season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Taking one of the zucchini strips, place about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture at the end and roll up jellyroll style. Lay seam side down in the prepared dish. Repeat with the other 7 slices of zucchini packing all the rolls in tight together.
- Top with the remaining marinara sauce and Parmesan.
- Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until heat through and Parmesan has melted.
