Zapple Bars

Summer is winding down here at our house.  Even though I know there are roughly 18 days left... What I mean by winding down is that the flurry of activity is coming to a close (at least with the kids). For me it is all about the harvest now and spending many days in the kitchen freezing vegetables and fruit or canning them.  While I love it and love the fact that I have it in the winter even more, all I want to do is sit down with my sewing machine and sew.

The day I made these bars I was literally in the kitchen the entire day with all my produce from the Farmers Market! Phew!  These bars were totally worth the extra time that I had to be there to make them.  You would NEVER know it was zucchini.  If you carefully peel all the green off, no one will have a clue.  And this is a good thing because my daughter is not exactly keen on zucchini.  The slight pale green that is under the skin is okay because it is kind of like a green apple. This recipe was a lot of fun because it was like an experiment.

ZAPPLE BARS
Source: The Classic Zucchini Cookbook , by Nancy C. Ralston, Marynor Jordan, and Andrea Chesman.

A very nice lady at the farmers market told me about these bars.  I had to try them.

The filling:
6 cups zucchini, peeled and diced
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup Dutch Jell ( you could use corn starch or tapioca or some other thickener)

The crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the zucchini and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Simmer, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.

To make the crust, in a food processor combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter. Process or combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press half of the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Spread the zucchini mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining crust mixture evenly on top of the zucchini. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

It is delicious served like a crumble while still warm.  If you want bars, then serve after it is completely chilled.