07.23.07
Unlikely Milestones
Every once in a while, I look down at the plate of food I am about to eat, and realize just how far I have come. Even so recently as last summer I would never have considered making the meal we ate for dinner last night. But there it was in front of me: zucchini cakes with a garlicky yogurt sauce for dipping, prepared by my own hands with no prompting from anyone. And what’s more, I really enjoyed it, wished vaguely that I had made more, and have no doubt that we’ll be eating these again before the summer is out.
Zucchini, being a squash, has always been one of those vegetables (or, technically, fruits) that I have avoided eating at all costs. I disliked its squishy, slimy cooked interior texture and its blandness, and still do, frankly. But this may be the recipe that reconciles me to zucchini, being neither bland nor mushy. Actually, it didn’t taste of zucchini at all, particularly; I half imagined I was eating potato cakes for dinner, and that’s not a bad thought.
The recipe wasn’t really even a recipe, more of a guide that I found at Nosheteria, and it was the dill and feta that talked me into trying it. The bright zing of garlic, feta, and dill in the yogurt dip—some of my favorite flavors, but still shocking that I now sometimes eat unsweetened, or even savory, yogurt—were echoed perfectly in the crisp and golden brown cakes. This may even be a reason to try growing some zucchini plants in the back yard next year.