Zucchini Artichoke Heart Frittatas

Ages ago, C&M Italian delicatessen, on Girard Avenue in La Jolla, made the best frittata sandwiches (zucchini or artichoke) in the '70s. Sure would love their recipe for these two options -- I saved my tips in order to afford a sammie here on occasion.

Here's my hybrid copycat recipe.

There are a couple of ways you can approach this recipe. Make a thin frittata and top it with marinara and parm. Or make a sandwich patty. Or make chicken-nugget-sized patties and dip them in  the sauce. My children enjoyed these.

If you have time, shred rather than chop the zucchini, sprinkle lightly with salt to leach out the excess liquid, and let drain for 20 minutes before adding to mix. Rinse off the salt, squeeze out the liquid before adding to the mix.

For extra crispiness, bread the patty with bread crumbs before sauteing.

Zucchini Artichoke Heart Frittatas

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini
1/2 c marinated artichokes, chopped and drained
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 clove minced garlic
3 eggs
1/4 c. parmesan
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
2 T. milk
1/2 c. minced onion

Directions: Mix. Saute. Top or dip in a seasoned tomato sauce. Or stuff into a sourdough roll with a slice of provolone.

Zucchini Madeleines

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I'm always trying savory variations of popular recipes. It's worth splurging to get non-stick madeleine pans to make these!

fyi, I didn't invent this recipe, but I no longer have the original and can't find it online, so I'm not sure what I've tweaked over the years.

Zucchini Madeleines
Ingredients
4 medium-size zucchini (about 1 1/2 lb.) shredded
2 t. salt
6 T. olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
5 large eggs
2 T. milk
1 1/2 c. (about 5 oz.) grated parmesan
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 T. chopped fresh basil or 1 t. dried basil
1/4 t. pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix zucchini with salt. Let stand until limp and liquid has drained from it, about 30 minutes. Rinse well; drain, squeezing out as much water as possible.
2. Meanwhile, put 2 T. of the oil into a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add onion, stirring occasionally, until limp and lightly browned. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir flour with baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk until blended eggs, milk, remaining oil, cheese, garlic, basil and pepper.
4. Add zucchini and onion and mix well. Stir zucchini into flour mixture until evenly moistened.
5. Butter and flour madeleine pans or small muffin pans. (even if you have non-stick pans)
6. Spoon batter into pans, filling to rims. Bake in a 400 degree oven until puffed and lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes, then invert pans to remove; use a spatula to loosen them gently, if necessary.
7. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 2 dozen.