Thursday, January 7, 2010

Funeral Zucchini


I know this is a strange name for a recipe, let me explain. If you live in Utah or near a group of Latter Day Saints you have surely had "Funeral Potatoes". These are standard fare not only at funerals but church gatherings too. Traditionally they are made with shredded potatoes, sour cream, cheddar cheese, cream of chicken soup, green onions, butter and topped with corn flakes (almost all the ingredients are SCD illegal) and served with baked ham. My mom made these recently for our family Christmas party and I just couldn't get them out of my head, they are the ultimate comfort food especially if you were raised with them.

It took me about a week but I figured it out; zucchini for the potatoes, a little cheddar cheese, green onion, dripped yogurt, SCD whipping cream, a little chicken broth and almond flour bread crumbs for the topping. My daughter laughed and said it wouldn't work.....she ate 3 helpings at dinner tonight and said she liked them better than the potatoes!

Here is my version of the famous "Funeral Potatoes"

Funeral Zucchini

2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. SCD whipping cream, unwhipped
1/2 c. dripped yogurt
1/4 c. strong chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
3 medium zucchini
1/2 c. SCD "Breadcrumbs"

Begin at least 5 hours before you want to serve this dish. Wash and trim the zucchini then coarsely shred all of them. Place the shredded zucchini in a dish towel and twist the ends up so the towel tightens around the zucchini. Place in a bowl (towel and all) and let rest 2 hours. Twist the towel up again, by now it should be quite wet, and let sit another hour. Alternatively you could let it sit overnight, the idea is to dry out the zucchini so it has a potato like texture.

Combine all ingredients except breadcrumbs and zucchini in a microwavable bowl. Heat 1 minute on high and stir. Heat and stir in 30 second intervals until the cheese starts to melt. Stir in the zucchini and thoroughly mix ingredients. Spread evenly into an 8x8 inch glass pan. Sprinkle "breadcrumbs" (actually seasoned almond flour) over the top. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake at 350 degrees 45-60 minutes. The edges should be bubbly and the topping browned. I must say I am pretty impressed by how good this turned out...maybe I will take it to our next church party and see what they think.



2 comments:

  1. These sound great. I have been thinking alot lately about homey casseroles, perhaps it's a chilly weather thing. In the summer I want to be outside but in the winter I want ot be on the couch wearing sweats and eating a homey casserole. I spent my high school years in the Salt Lake area. I'm not LDS but many of my friends were. I ate many a wonderful casserole while I was there. I think that's where my mom and I picked up our habit of keeping a well stocked pantry, which has served us well from time to time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are right Mrs. Ed, I think it is the cold weather. I like your idea of sitting on the couch in sweats eating a casserole, I think I may try it for research purposes. I am glad you had good experiences in Salt Lake, storing and being thrifty with food is a big part of the culture here, and it sounds like it rubbed off on you. Have a great day! Karen

    ReplyDelete