Sophie’s Zucchini Bread

I came across this article recently “How I Cooked My Way Through Grief“. The author describes how the kitchen and making comfort foods became the space where she most naturally could process her grief. “Cooking gave a purpose and rhythm to my days: where I would otherwise have been speaking to my mum…” Most of my days spent in the kitchen until now have involved a call or text to my mom, often more than one, to confirm a baking time, an ingredient substitution, or wanting some acknowledgement of a finished product. It became a space where I was her apprentice, trying to absorb the knowledge that she had taught herself over many years through continuous absorption of recipes, PBS cooking shows (anything Lidia Bastianich), and testing dishes in her little kitchen. I’m holding that space close as a way to keep our bond strong and carry on her legacy.

This classic zucchini bread, a family recipe from my grandmother Sophie on my Dad’s side, is special. My Aunt Val, Sophie’s daughter, hand-wrote it for my mom in 1981, soon after my parents’ wedding. We have referenced it as appears in the photo each time making it for many years. I should know it by heart, but there is something about going to a hand-written recipe that feels more intentional and connected. I can visualize the other person making it and writing down the process step by step.

It has become my go-to recipe when I want to give a homemade gift, or have too many zucchini leftovers from my CSA in the summer, or want to wake up to one in the morning with coffee. I’ve made about eight loaves in the last four months (that’s right!) for family friends, for my dad, and for myself…the need for love in the form of baked goods has been extra high lately.

The recipe accounts for two loaves and as written at the end, “Eat one & freeze one to eat later!”. The amount of sugar can be reduced by roughly a quarter, but making it as-is, is the best.