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| A blueberry muffin in a paper muffin cup. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The long, straight necked zucchini is by far the best known and most popular of the summer squashes. These dark green or bright gold squashes are actually gourds, just like winter squashes, but are harvested when they are immature and their seeds and skin are sweet and tender. Known as courgette in France and England, the zucchini is harvested from a plant that originated in Italian home gardens. Before using the zucchini in this recipe, rinse and dry, then cut off the stem end before shredding onto layers of paper towels to absorb some the excess moisture.
ZUCCHINI MUFFINS
You will need:
1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz/235 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 cup (6 oz/185 g) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (3 fl oz/80 ml) canola oil or almond oil
1/4 cup (2 1/2 oz/75 g) orange marmalade
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)
1 zucchini, 4 oz (125 g) total weight, shredded & drained on paper towels
3/4 cup (3 oz/90 g) dark raisins or dried sweet cherries
1/4 cup (1 oz/30 g) pecans or almonds, chopped
Here's how:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 10 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, marmalade, vanilla, and zucchini until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture in 3 increments and beat just evenly moistened and smooth. Stir in the raisins and nuts just until evenly distributed. The batter will be stiff.
Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it no more than three-fourths full.
Bake until golden, dry and springy to the touch, 17-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve them warm or at room temperature, with butter.
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