Toni’s OrIental Skillet

The year I planted five kinds of zucchini in the big garden we shared with our neighbor was also the year that we camped for a week on Kentucky Lake with our friends, Dave and Toni.  We had camped together several times before but only for two or three days at a time.  We had found a beautiful small peninsula with a deep little cove behind it that sheltered the boat and usually made possible a breeze across the narrow spit of land that discouraged insects.  We agreed it would be a great place to spend some hot summer days.

 

Since Dave and I were both teaching summer school, we would have to commute via boat and car to the university to meet our classes, but we could also pick up fresh meat, cold melons for dessert and ice for the coolers.  Dave and Toni had a big jon boat with a cabin on it, so they met us at the marina of Kenlake State Park where we left our car.

 

Besides the camping gear and duffle bag, we loaded the boat with a cooler, a toddler and a black diamond zucchini.  It was a large dark green beauty five or six inches in diameter and about two feet long, enough to provide us with Toni’s Oriental Skillet for the whole week.  In fact, it was more than enough. We left what was left for the raccoons as we headed home after our adventure.

 

And it was a true adventure.  Every morning Dave and I would take a refreshing swim, eat a good breakfast and motor a few miles to the marina leaving Toni and Jerri with two toddlers in a beautiful place to relax with cool breezes from the lake.  After a few hours inspiring students with our enthusiasm for English literature, we would pick up any needed items and head “home” to the lake.

 

Every evening, Toni made a large pan of her oriental skillet with three or four cups of chopped black diamond zucchini, onions and tomatoes from their garden.  Added to fresh catfish and new potatoes, dinners were gourmet affairs.  We even had blackberry cobbler one night.

 

Toni introduced us to this recipe, and Jerri and I have been making it for many years.  You can adjust quantities to fit the amount of zucchini on hand or the number of people you are cooking for.  For two people, Jerri uses approximately the following amounts:

 
NGREDIENTS:

2 T olive oil or butter
1/3 cup onion
1 small clove garlic
1/2 tsp minced ginger root or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. curry powder
2 cups prepared zucchini
1 4 oz. can mushrooms pieces and stems
1 medium tomato (about 3 inches in diameter)
Salt and pepper to taste

The proportions are not crucial, and you should feel free to adjust the spices to suit your taste.

PROCEDURE:

Wash and slice zucchini into 1/3 inch slices. If the zucchini are more than 1 inch in diameter, cut in half before slicing. Slice onion into 1/4” rings and cut rings in half. Wash and cut the tomato into bite sized pieces. Mince ginger root and garlic (if using garlic).

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, curry powder, garlic and onion. Sauté about 1 minute. Add the zucchini and sauté until al dente. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté until just heated through. Season with a dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve as a side dish with just about anything.

WARNING:  Do not plant five kinds of zucchini in your garden, or if you do, follow the advice of a friend who told me what to do with my extra zucchini:  “Put it in a brown paper bag on someone’s porch, ring the bell and run fast.”

Marinade for Steaks and Chops

“Now, I have to get up at 4 tomorrow morning, get dressed, have breakfast at 4:30, pick Pete and Harold up at 5 and be at Leroy’s by 5:30,” explained my father.  “We have to be on our stands by 6.”

My mother was a new bride determined to be the best wife in Hayward.  She sliced the breakfast bacon, got the percolator ready to go on the stove and made my Dad’s lunch  before setting the alarm clock and going to bed.  This was many years before at least one wife decided to sleep in on the opening day of deer hunting season while her husband cooked his own breakfast.
 
The alarm went off, Mom woke Dad and started breakfast while Dad clothed himself in long underwear, a wool jack shirt, three pairs of socks, wool breeches that laced above the ankles and tall leather boots that laced nearly to his knees.
 
After a strengthening breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and coffee, he got out his pocket watch to see if he had time for another cup before picking up his fellow hunters.
 
“What!!” says he as he holds his watch up to his ear to see if it has stopped. “It’s midnight!”
 
So it’s off with the clothes and back in bed to snuggle with Mom after checking to make sure that the alarm is set for 4.
 
“I was just so nervous,” Mom would explain as Dad told the story.  “I wanted to be sure to do everything right.”
 
Dad would laugh and say that at least she got him up in plenty of time.
 
I don’t remember whether he got his buck that morning, but he shot a lot of deer over the years.  We ate a lot of venison when I was a kid.  Mom fried it, roasted it, canned it and made chili and stew with it.
 
The one thing she did not do was serve it rare or even medium rare.  Meat was well done in our house until I started cooking, and then most family members refused to eat my attempts at gourmet cuisine.  Maybe if I had had a good marinade like this one….

I found this recipe on the web and have used it many times since, both for venison and beef. This marinade seasons and tenderizes lean meat exquisitely. Once you try it, you will be using it often.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
1/3 cup red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
Dash of allspice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 venison steaks or chops

PROCEDURE:

Mince two large cloves of garlic and finely chop half a small onion. You should have about one-third cup of chopped onion. Combine the onion and garlic with the other marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together.

Put the steaks or chops in a plastic bag and pour the marinade over the meat. Seal the bag, making sure that the meat is well coated with the marinade. Marinate the meat for three to five hours in your refrigerator, turning it every hour or so. Take it out of the refrigerator a half hour before cooking to let it warm a bit.

You can grill or sauté the meat. Grill the meat over a hot charcoal or gas grill for two or three minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the meat and your preference. If you choose to sauté the meat, have your skillet very hot. Add a small amount of shortening and sear the meat in the pan on each side, again for two or three minutes. Venison should be served rare to medium rare.

NOTES: This marinade goes well with beef grill steaks or even round steak if you do not overcook it. If you don’t have any Dijon mustard, substitute a half teaspoon of dry mustard.