I’m on another Emeril kick. When am I not? I’ve been eying zucchini cake recipes for a while, and now our CSA is stuffed full of all kinds of squash, so I decided it was time to try something new. This recipe is not too hard, but I have a few of my own changes that make it a little easier. The tomato sauce that goes with it is incredibly fast, easy, and delicious. It uses everything I have on hand – carrots, tomatoes, herbs from my garden – the only real change I made was to not bother peeling the tomatoes. Since it goes in the blender, it doesn’t really matter.

1 lb zucchini or summer squash of any kind
1/4 cup grated onion
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tsp chopped lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped garlic
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
5 oz log goat cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Olive oil
tomato sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Fit your food processor with grating blade if you have it and push the squash through. Dump on a large square of cheesecloth, gather edges of cloth together so the squash is in a ball in the middle, and squeeze until most of the liquid is released. Spread on paper towels to dry further. Grate onion in food processor. Combine onion, squash, lemon, garlic, basil, eggs, and salt in a large bowl. Mix flour and baking powder in separate bowl and mix with zucchini mixture until just combined. Season to taste with pepper.

The original recipe says to slice the goat cheese thinly, but that doesn’t work in Texas. The cheese got way to soft, so I separated it into small globs on a plate and put it next to the stove before cooking. Add enough oil to your pan so that it’s fully coated and heat over medium high heat. Add batter to pan by the tablespoon, leaving about an inch between cakes. Add dollop of goat cheese to the center of each cake and then top with another scant tablespoon of batter. Fry until lightly browned on the bottom, and then flip and brown the other side. Put on a parchment lined baking sheet. When all the cakes are done, sprinkle with Parmesan and  put them in the oven for about 10 minutes to finish up. Serve hot with fresh tomato sauce, recipe below.

Tomato Sauce (original recipe)

1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 c finely chopped carrot
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1.5 cups fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
salt to taste
pinch cayenne
1/2 cup chicken stock

Heat olive oil in a large pan and sauté onion and carrot until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another half-minute. Add tomatoes, herbs, salt and cayenne to taste and cook for another minute. Add broth and simmer for 15 minutes until fragrant and tomatoes have broken down. Puree in blender and adjust seasoning as needed.