Party Flavors: Zucchini-walnut loaf

The party food landscape has become increasingly homogeneous, with its ubiquitous bag of Doritos rather than homemade fudge or stuffed mushrooms. Columnist Erin Nyren would like to bring back the house parties of yore, in which everyone cooked or baked something to share.

In a “Parks and Recreation” episode, characters April and Andy throw a dinner party. They request that their guests bring food to share since they have no money – just like college students.

Chris Traeger, city of Pawnee’s resident optimist and health nut, is tasked with bringing a cake, but instead shows up with a vegetable loaf, complete with mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, spinach and a fruit reduction as a sweetener.

As I struggled to think of a recipe for this week’s column, my mind strayed to that episode, and I thought it would be amusing to make this week’s recipe as though I was the Chris Traeger of my friend group.

I didn’t want to go quite as hard as Chris with the vegetables, because, after all, I wanted people to actually enjoy eating. So, instead of a “vegetable loaf,” I found a recipe for a zucchini-walnut loaf. It made more sense for party food since zucchini bread is actually found in most stores, whereas I’ve never come across mushroom bread.

Many of the ingredients can be subbed out for less health-conscious options. For example, using all regular flour would work just as well as partially whole wheat, and it’s perfectly acceptable to use whole eggs instead of just egg whites. I opted for the healthy options because I like having as clean a conscience as possible when eating carbs.

At Ralphs, it was easy to find loose walnuts, but the Vons that I went to first only had a disappointing selection of flavored peanuts and almonds.

I used my favorite Santoku knife to finely chop the walnuts. When I sink my teeth into a soft baked good, I expect chewy goodness, not cracking my tooth on an errant chunk of tree nut. The knife easily sliced through the nuts, effortlessly chopping them into almost powder.

I shredded the zucchini into fairly large strips using my mandoline slicer’s larger-holed grating blade. I was a bit apprehensive that the pieces were too large and would make the bread stringy or perhaps fall apart. However, as I consumed my first piece, the zucchini was hardly the first thing I noticed.

The prep process is fairly simple – one ingredient after another is poured into a bowl to marry as the bread bakes. I’m not sure whether “folding in” the walnuts rather than just dumping them all in and mixing the dough up makes a difference. Apparently, “folding in” just implies a gentler motion than mixing or stirring.

I love nutmeg because it reminds me of eggnog at Christmas time, and I liked the warmth it brought to the bread. As I mixed together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda, I could smell the sharp scent of the nutmeg even though there was only 1/4 teaspoon of it. It reminded me of fall turning to winter, which is my favorite time of year. I suspect the nutmeg lent a transformative spice to the bread, without which it may have tasted bland.

Instead of using two mini bread loaf pans, I used a large one instead. As I nibbled on my second piece, I experienced an unexpectedly mushy texture. I should have put the bread in for a full hour, checking every 5 minutes or so after the first 45.

I was surprised to see that the recipe called for applesauce, but apparently applesauce can be a substitute for oil. The recipe only called for two tablespoons of canola oil, an unusually small amount for baking. For comparison, many out-of-the-box brownies call for 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Despite using unsweetened applesauce, the inherent sweetness of apples allowed the tangy, crisp apple flavor to creep through the bread.

Although I’m more likely to use this recipe for a breakfast item, if someone brought it to a party I was hosting, I’d be totally thrilled – probably more thrilled than Ron Swanson was with Chris’ “vegetable loaf.”

– Erin Nyren

What’s the best food you’ve ever eaten at a party? Email Nyren at [email protected].