Zucchini steaks and homemade gnocchi

Joe had several hours to himself yesterday before I returned from my weekend away, and he whipped up a fabulous dinner to greet my return :)

True to our local passion, he used ONLY ingredients from the farmer's market. I love that he's embraced the local movement as much as I have.

We started with zucchini steaks (chunked zucchini that was breaded and fried), topped with a tomato and hot pepper salsa and drizzled with freshly squeezed lime juice.

Next was homemade gnocchi from Yukon Gold potatoes. (According to our friend Dex, these are the best for gnocchi. Makes for a sweeter taste). Joe had boiled fresh tomatoes and eggplant down to a thick sauce, and he topped the gnocchi with this.

It was amazing! Do I really get to eat like this all the time? We bookended the meal with a nameless Cabernet Sauvignon and Pink, a special rose that my brother chose for me from Sullivan Vineyards when he was in California. A delightful wine that added a sweet ending to our dinner. We'd been saving it for a significant meal, and last night was perfect.

Homemade zucchini bread

At one point this summer, I'd accumulated several large zucchini that I had no idea how to put to good use. I had a flashback to 6th grade when my friends were rotating through home economics, and they all got on the bus one day with warm, sweet smelling loaves of zucchini bread. I was so jealous I never got to make that bread.

So I called mom, and here's the zucchini bread recipe she shared with me. The following ingredients are enough for 3 loaves of bread. Divide accordingly for fewer loaves.

• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinammon
• 4 eggs
• 1.5 cups vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl (no raisins or zucchini). Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl and add to dry mix until moistened. Fold in zucchini, pecans and raisins.

Pour into pre-greased and floured pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes, remove and enjoy! Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a subtley sweet treat.