Bolos
svg90 Min

Zucchini Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze

Dias de Nossa Senhora
Cozinha: Americana

Main Description.

The genius of the glaze is adding granulated sugar, which gives it an especially lemony, sweet, yet tangy crunch. The glaze is not a looker (which finally made me break out my silicone pastry brush for the first time, and I’m never going back to bristles again) but it tastes amazing with the spicy zucchini cake and I’m happy to let looks step aside to give way to flavor.

That adorable thing would be called a kalette: a cross between kale and brussels sprouts. I bought mine at Super Target, so it would appear that we regulars have access to these little wonders without a trip to any special grocery store

It is peak cozy, nutritious, and cool-weather wonderful.

Ingredients

  • for the cauliflower mash
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 6 cups)
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    1 cup milk
    3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
    1 14-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
    1/2 cup cornmeal
    1/2 cup shredded cheese, like sharp cheddar or havarti
    1 teaspoon salt
  • for the kale
    1 tablespoon sheep fat (or olive oil)
    3 cups kalettes OR chopped kale
    3 cloves garlic, minced
  • for the shrimp
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1/2 lb. shrimp (enough for 4 people)
    a few good shakes of garlic salt, chili powder, cayenne, and/or black pepper
Serves
People

Instructions

  • 01
    Cauliflower Mash: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the cauliflower and garlic. Saute for a minute or two, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the milk and 2 cups broth. Simmer for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the white beans and mash roughly with the back of a large wooden spoon. It will be soupy - that is okay. Stir in the cornmeal and things will start to thicken a bit. Adjust the consistency by adding in the last cup of broth as needed. Stir in the cheese and season to taste.
  • 02
    Kale: Heat the sheep fat in a nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add the greens and garlic and saute until softened. For the kalettes, I added a little water at the end to sort of steam them to finish them off. Remove kale and wipe out pan with a paper towel.
  • 03
    Shrimp: In the same skillet, add the oil over medium heat. Pat the shrimp dry. Add to the pan and sprinkle with seasonings to taste. Cook for just a few minutes and then add a quick splash of water or broth to the pan (about 2 tablespoons) to pull the browned bits and spices into something of a saucy-coating for the shrimp. It is delicious.
  • 04
    Serve: Serve the shrimp and kale over a big pile of cauliflower mash! SO yummy.
Notes

Make sure to perform a quick release when beef is done cooking. A natural release will overcook the beef, breaking it down to a stew-meat like texture. Choose a tender beef cut like flank steak or top sirloi. Make sure to slice the beef against the grain.