Zucchini Walnut Bread

A delicious recipe for your extra summer vegetables.

By Khalil Hymore

Six weeks into our CSA--Community Supported Agriculture, and Scott and I have have hit the wall. Every week our CSA share has contained an abundance of zucchini and yellow squash. I love all vegetables, really I do, but I am all out of ideas on how to use this stuff up. I've made soup, I've sautéed it, I've roasted, and I've made bread with it (by far the most popular way to eat it in our house!). I suppose I could make fritters or slaw out of it, but frankly I can't take any more summer squash. Maybe I'll bake up a loaf each week and start stockpiling it in the fridge--that should make Scott happy.

Anyway, this recipe is great. I added a couple of non-traditional flavors--cardamom and black pepper, for a slight kick. I was inspired by Rebecca Charles, chef at Pearl Oyster Bar here in New York City. She always adds black pepper to her Blueberry Crumble Pie. I figured the it would be fabulous in my sweet zucchini bread and it was!

Makes one 9-inch loaf

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher of sea salt
  
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
• 1 3/4 cups grated zucchini (about 1 medium), squeezed dry
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Butter a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla paste, and stir into the dry ingredients.

Gently fold in the zucchini and and walnuts and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes, remove loaf from pan and cool completely.