[Sigh of Relief] It's over.

December has arrived, meaning that Notre November has reached an end. Phew.

Honestly, I've enjoyed it but there has been stress. Trying to make at least one of our favorites everyday, having enough pictures of food so I could leave for nine days, wanting good pictures despite the lack of light and the desire to eat the food while it was still hot...like I said, phew.

A few things I've learned this month:

1) I love all these foods but I got bored. New recipes add quite a bit of fun to cooking.
2) The Skinny Pukeko will have two types of food that are not made in its kitchen - pasta and bread.
3) Having all the food posts to do made me feel I shouldn't blog about other stuff. My preference is to have a random blog that includes a bit of everything but not all of one thing. I hope that's okay with all of you!

Thanks for sticking with us through the last month. I hope the photos made you hungry to eat something really good, whether it was one of Skinny Pukeko's menu items or something in your fridge. Many people did ask for the Roasted Zucchini Torta, so I'll end the month with the recipe. Oh, and December has no theme.

Roasted Zucchini Torta with Tomatoes & Mozzarella
from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook

6 medium zucchini
5 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt & black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 cups canned crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil leaves
10 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Lay the slices on 2 large baking sheets. Brush both sides with 3 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the slices start to brown around the edges, about 25 minutes. Cool.
2. While zucchini is in the oven, heat 1 Tbsp oil in medium saucepan. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer until sauce is thick and has reduced to about 1 1/3 cups, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil; add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Brush bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Line bottom with layer of zucchini slices, cutting pieces if necessary to cover the pan completely. Do not overlap slices. Spoon 1/3 cup sauce over zucchini and sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1 Tbsp. Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat process, making 3 more layers of zucchini, tomato sauce and cheese.
4. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until middle bubbles and sides begin to brown. Let sit 15 minutes on wire rack, then take off pan sides. Serve lukewarm.

Notes: It seems like a lot of zucchini but you do need it. It really is much better served lukewarm. You can wrap the torta tightly and refrigerate overnight. Just unwrap and put in the oven when ready, increasing the bake time by 5 to 10 minutes.