{"id":7887,"date":"2021-09-15T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T15:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=7887"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:36","slug":"sformato-di-zucchini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/15\/sformato-di-zucchini\/","title":{"rendered":"Sformato di Zucchini (Italian Zucchini Bake)"},"content":{"rendered":"

September 15, 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot has happened in the seven months since my last blog post.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll understand why I haven\u2019t posted in a while.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re no longer in Santa Fe!<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right, we\u2019ve moved full time to Palm Springs, California.<\/p>\n

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An aerial view of the “new” Villa Sentieri, foreground, with the hiking trail just beyond, that prompted the name of the Villa.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was, and remains, exceedingly difficult to have left all our close friends in Santa Fe but Palm Springs called to us.<\/p>\n

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Join our mailing list<\/a> and you\u2019ll never miss a recipe again!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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We get two growing seasons each year.\u00a0 Since we\u2019re just a few hundred feet above sea level, I don\u2019t need to be concerned about testing recipes at high altitude.\u00a0 The weather is pretty darn great, too!<\/p>\n

The variety of what we can grow here is amazing.\u00a0 We have ten citrus trees, three fig trees and an apricot tree.\u00a0 We\u2019re considering adding a pomegranate tree.\u00a0 We have table grapes trellised up a side wall.\u00a0 There are four raised beds for herbs and vegetables.<\/p>\n

Frank grew the most awesome tomatoes this year.\u00a0 I have quite a stash of homemade passata (tomato puree) in the freezer.<\/p>\n

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Naso di Cane (Nose of the Dog) peppers from Calabria. Seeds I brought back in 2019 just got planted in our garden in Palm Springs. I’m hoping to make “Olio Santo” (Holy Oil, aka Hot Chile Oil) in a few months.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The timing of our seasons takes a bit of getting used to.\u00a0 Our first season pretty much ended in June.\u00a0 That\u2019s probably the time that most of you were just getting started with your gardens.\u00a0 Though the herbs have continued to grow through the summer heat, all the vegetables were done by the end of June.<\/p>\n

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Right now we have an abundance of fresh limes.\u00a0 The other citrus trees have fruit but it won\u2019t be ripe for a few more months.<\/p>\n

The vegetable beds sat fallow for the summer.\u00a0 Just a few days ago, Frank planted them with seeds for what will be our second harvest of the year.\u00a0 That will take place in November and December.<\/p>\n

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The “new” Villa Sentieri has an interior atrium with a koi pond filled with 17 koi.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though we\u2019re not harvesting vegetables at the moment, this is the perfect time for zucchini in most of the country.\u00a0 When there\u2019s an abundance of zucchini, sformato is the answer.

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Sformato di Zucchini (Italian Zucchini Bake)<\/h2>\n
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This was the first item that I cooked with Zia Fidalma at her home in Tuscany in August 2019. Green beans, cut in small pieces, can be prepared the same way except the beans are boiled and not saut\u00e9ed. A combo of beans and zucchini is also possible. Zia does not usually add herbs to her sformato but since she had some niepita she added it. Though you\u2019re not likely to have niepita (aka mentuccia romana), unless you grow your own, adding a small amount of marjoram or oregano is a welcome addition. If you don\u2019t have fresh herbs, use a light sprinkling of dry herbs. In any case, herbs are totally optional.<\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>20 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span> 20 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>6<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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