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zucchini (zucchine) - what to do with them?

5K views 42 replies 21 participants last post by  siduri 
#1 ·
It's summer and there are tons of zucchine.  They don't have all that much flavor, and i have a hard time foisting them on my family (and i am pretty sick of them too).

Advantages: nothing to peel, nothing to wash in tons of water and lift out to get rid of sand, cheap, plentiful

Disadvantages: not much taste.

So, while i do enjoy an occasional baby zucchina just barely blanched with olive oil, the pleasure fades fast, and the tiny ones are not so easy to find.

Here is all i can come up with (I detest vegetables boiled in tomato so i ignore any recipe that involves boiling in tomato:

- cut up and sauteed with garlic and oil

- cut up, sauteed in garlic and oil till soft and used over pasta

- grated and cooked in butter and garlic (julia child)

- grated and cooked in butter and oil and garlic over pasta

- sauteed with garlic, put in a baking dish with tomatoes, origano and mozarella and baked

- sliced lengthwise and put on baking sheets with a mixture of breadcrumbs and grated or smashed garlic, origano, oil, salt and pepper on top, and baked.

- breaded and fried or batter fried

and that's about it.

i know people do stuff like zucchine alla parmigiana, but really why bother to do all that work with zucchine when eggplant is so much tastier?  

It seems like a lot of different dishes, but somehow it seems there should be more you can do with it.  Maybe some non-italian dishes. 

thanks

p.s i know i can look on internet, but i want dishes someone has actually tried and liked. 
 
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#4 · (Edited)
Leave them on neighbours doorsteps /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif then they can worry about them. Or if you really have that many, I'm sure a local charity would accept them.

Ok - down to ideas......

Make savoury muffins using grated and squeezed out in a tea towel zucchini.

Zucchini chips - slice finely, salt, toss, put into a colander to drain the liquid out, rinse, dry on a tea towel then shallow fry.

Grill lengthwise slices, then stuff with a chunk of mozarella, roll it up, secure with a cocktail stick and grill briefly tilll cheese oozes out.

Add to a veg. soup diced up finely.

Slice lengthwise very finely, blanch until just soft, drain, use to line a dariole mould, then fill with chicken mousse, fold overhanging ends to cover and bake.

Slice very finely lengthwise then slice into thin strips lengthwise, and use as a "pasta" after blanching with whatever sauce you like.

Cut into 2 inch lengths, hollow out with apple corer, stuff with savoury filling of choice, bake until done.

When making skewers for a bbq, add chunks of zuk (maybe dressed with lemon and pepper) with mushrooms, capsicum, marinated meats, onion wedges etc. Oil skewered bits well while cooking.

Hope something in the above helped - DC
 
#6 ·
Mix it in with Capponatta, Cream of zuch soup. stuffed zuch. Zuchinni boats with julianne of vege, Mushrooom and zuchinni a la Greque(cooked cold Salad). Minestrone soup.
 
#7 ·
Mix it in with Capponatta, Cream of zuch soup. stuffed zuch. Zuchinni boats with julianne of vege, Mushrooom and zuchinni a la Greque(cooked cold Salad). Minestrone soup.
Thanks ed. I once tried to make a vegetable a la greque with a recipe that took the better part of a day (each vegetable had to be cooked separately). It seemed interesting, but hardly worth the effort. Can you give me a recipe?

Also, what's your way of making cream of zucchini soup? They haven't got much flavor of their own, adding cream or flour and milk would seem to cover what flavor they have - or no?
 
#8 ·
#9 ·
I like courgette (pace, Siduri, but we use the French name here in the UK!) - stuffed with a savoury mince/tomato/onion sauce!

Or, dredged in flour and almost dry-fried as an accompaniment for barbecued (British barbecue - not getting into american BBQ/barbecue contretemps!) chicken

Add as a 'bulker' to any kind of casserole

Make lots of ratatouille
 
#10 ·
Cut them the long way in thinnish strips. Grill them. brush with olive oil and season with lemon pepper.
That's exactly what I do too, sometimes adding some balsamic vinegar too. Along with eggplants, onions, tomatoes...

You can also bake them, or pan sautee them until golden brown with onions and add some cream to finish. Delicious with a ground beef patty.

Stuff them with anything (I like meat stuffings).

Make ratatouille. Couscous. Tajines. For the last two you can keep them in big, big chunks.

Grate them and mix them with grated carrots, leave raw and serve as a salad with olive oil, lemon, S&P.

Grate them and mix them with grated carrots and potatoes, make pancakes or hash browns.

Slice them in super thin slices in the length using a peeler, and add raw to salads, or very quickly cook and serve as a side dish.
 
#11 · (Edited)
They're a good vegie for a chinese stir fry too.

Cut in half the long way. The cut thinly on the bias giving you half oval shapes.

HOT HOT Wok or pan. Add a little oil then some ginger. then the zucchini seasoned with a little salt. I like to add them in small groups, stirring between addition so they don't clump so much. Sprinkle with a little sugar and rice wine or dry sherry. Toss about in the pan for another minute or two, maybe three, then serve

I like a little slivered green onion cooked with this sometimes. Or a little soy sauce instead of the salt.

Zucchini are also terrific fried tempura style. Bit of work and mess, but quite tasty.

Or cut very thinly and dressed with a little nuoc cham they make a good addition to goi cuon (Vietnamese fresh summer rolls in rice paper) in place of cucumber
 
#14 ·
Grated & squeeze dried they provide body, texture & colour for fritters based on subtle flavours eg. seafood.

Ribbons done with a peeler present well and can be deep-fried to crisp for garnish.

Halved lengthways & chargrilled marks them nicely & the caramelising boosts overall flavour. Usually just flavour them (& mush, caps, red on. etc.) briefly then finish in the oven (so as not to be too overpowering) finish with a balsamic vin for a bbq side.

The flowers battered are supposed to be something special...
 
#15 ·
Don;t  know why it took all day? could it be the type of vegies used > I only use celery, onion, garlic,whole button mushrooms, red peppers, zuchinni, yellow squash., olive oil vinegar, spices fresh herbs basil, greek oregano,thyme lemon balm , rosemary  add them in at the level of their softness. IE celery first, onion, Do not over cook.cook( Al Dente ) After cooking, Cool quick by putting it all on a large flat pan and turn frequently chill. I have even tossed it with pasta for a cold pasta vege salad.
 
#16 ·
One of my favorites: Cut lengthwise into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with olive oil and grill until just tender.

Spread with your favorite filling (such as herbed goat cheese) and roll like a pinwheel. Tie with a wilted chive.

We also enjoy Mid-Eastern style zucchini fritters.

If you're in to preserving, zucchini can substitute for cucumber in any pickle or relish recipe.

You can get pretty creative with summer squash. In James McNair's Squash Cookbook, for instance, he has 17 recipes for summer squash, some of them rather unique. Among them:

Summer Squash Soup

Summer Squash Timbale

Zucchini, Leek, and Chevre Tart in Wild Rice Crust.

Spicy Squash Cakes with Tomato Salsa

Orange and Squash Muffins

If any of those sound intriquing, I'll type out the recipe for you.
 
#17 ·
It's summer and there are tons of zucchine. They don't have all that much flavor, and i have a hard time foisting them on my family (and i am pretty sick of them too).

Advantages: nothing to peel, nothing to wash in tons of water and lift out to get rid of sand, cheap, plentiful

Disadvantages: not much taste.

So, while i do enjoy an occasional baby zucchina just barely blanched with olive oil, the pleasure fades fast, and the tiny ones are not so easy to find.

Here is all i can come up with (I detest vegetables boiled in tomato so i ignore any recipe that involves boiling in tomato:

- cut up and sauteed with garlic and oil

- cut up, sauteed in garlic and oil till soft and used over pasta

- grated and cooked in butter and garlic (julia child)

- grated and cooked in butter and oil and garlic over pasta

- sauteed with garlic, put in a baking dish with tomatoes, origano and mozarella and baked

- sliced lengthwise and put on baking sheets with a mixture of breadcrumbs and grated or smashed garlic, origano, oil, salt and pepper on top, and baked.

- breaded and fried or batter fried

and that's about it.

i know people do stuff like zucchine alla parmigiana, but really why bother to do all that work with zucchine when eggplant is so much tastier?

It seems like a lot of different dishes, but somehow it seems there should be more you can do with it. Maybe some non-italian dishes.

thanks

p.s i know i can look on internet, but i want dishes someone has actually tried and liked.

Siduri, you need to get a pig, and take it for a walk through Piazza Novona, and then a walk over to the Trevi Fountain for a drink. You would be the talk of the town, and just think of all the farmers market leftover produce at Campo Dei Fiori. We put in our garden a few weeks ago and look forward to all the Zucchini, the pigs will have their fill. We are finishing one right now and look to having an abundance of this crop real soon............Take care........Chef BillyB
 
#19 · (Edited)
Summer Squash Timbale

Zucchini, Leek, and Chevre Tart in Wild Rice Crust.

Spicy Squash Cakes with Tomato Salsa

If any of those sound intriquing, I'll type out the recipe for you.
these, or if that's greedy, any one of your choice.

thanks

(recipe can be roughly indicative)
 
#20 ·
Chef billyB

yeah, I could make nice prosciutti right? 

I don't grow them, but there are always so many at the market, and they require little preparation like other vegetables (no peeling, no massive washing like with greens, no breaking down into flowerets... so i like to buy them but basically all the recipes i mentioned are either fried or they amount to sauteeing in garlic, period.
 
#22 ·
Here you go, Siduri. Hope you enjoy them.



One thing to keep in mind is that all summer squashes are interchangeable in most recipes.



Summer Squash Timbale.



(Although this can be made in one large mold or individual timbales, I usually go with the individual ones)



4 cups (about 1 ½ pounds) grated young summer squash

Salt

2 tbls extra virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped yellow onions

1 tsp minced or pressed garlic

3 tbls minced fresh herbs such as basil, chives, marjoram, parsley, savory, alone or in combination.

5 eggs, beaten

2 cups heavy cream

Salt

Black pepper

Butter for greasing molds

About 1 cup fine bread crumbs

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh herb sprigs for garnish



Place the squash in a colander set over a bowl or in a sink, generously sprinkle with salt, mix with fingertips, and let stand 30 minutes. Gather squash in your hand and gently squeeze to release additional surface moisture. Reserve. (note: I gather the squash in a towel and squeeze it that way)



Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat, toss with the squash, and stir in the minced herbs. Add the beaten eggs and cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.



Preheat oven to 350F.



Butter the bottom and sides of a 5-cup mold or 10 ½-cup metal timbale molds or ceramic custard cups. Dust molds with bread crumbs to coat completely; shake out excess crumbs. Fill the crumb-lined containers with the squash mixture. Transfer to a deep baking pan and add hot water to reach two-thirds up the sides of the timbales. Bake, uncovered, until set, about 1 hour for a large mold, or about 30 minutes for small ones. Remove from the oven and let stand about 5 minutes, then run a thin-bladed knife or rubber spatula around the inside edge of the molds and invert onto a platter or individual serving plates. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh herb sprigs.
[h1]ZUCCHINI, LEEK, AND CHEVRE TART IN WILD RICE CRUST[/h1]


Wild Rice Crust:



1 egg

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbls freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tbls unsalted butter, melted

2 ½ cups cooked wild rice

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper



Custard Filling:



2 cups (about 10 oz) finely chopped or coarsely shredded summer squash

Salt

¼ lb thinly sliced leeks, including some of the green tops

4 eggs

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 tsp Dijon style mustard

1 cup crumbled chevre cheese

1 tbls chopped fresh marjoram or savory

Freshly ground black pepper



Preheat oven to 350F.



To make the crust, beat the egg, cheese, lemon juice and melted butter together in bowl. Stir in the cooked rice, season to taste with salt and pepper, transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, and press with your fingertips to cover bottom and sides evenly. Bake until set and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes (Or cover and refrigerate as long as overnight; return to room temperature before filling).*



Meanwhile, make the filling. Place the squash in a colander set over a bowl or in a sink. Generously sprinkle with salt, mix with your fingertips to distribute the salt, and let stand for 30 minutes. Gather squash in your hand and gently squeeze to release any additional surface moisture. Reserve.



Heat the gutter in a sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat, add the leek, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the drained squash and sauté about 5 minutes longer; reserve.



In a bowl, combine the eggs, cream, mustard, cheese, marjoram and salt and pepper to taste and whisk to blend well. Stir in the leek and squash mixture, pour into the rice shell, and bake in the 350F oven until filling is set and the top is golden, about 30-35 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

*I make similar crusts with cooked brown rice and with grated potatoes. So let your imagination go wild.
[h1]SPICY SQUASH CAKES WITH TOMATO SALSA[/h1]


Tomato salsa:



2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 medium sized yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

3 or 4 fresh hot chili peppers, minced

½ cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Salt



Spicy squash cakes:



4 eggs

4 cups (about 1 1/3 lbs) finely chopped or grated summer squash

1 cup fresh corn kernels (cut from about 2 large ears)

¼ cup finely chopped green onion

1 tbls minced fresh mild to hot chili pepper

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese

½ cup unbleached all purpose flour

3 tbls unsalted butter, melted

Salt

Black pepper

Ground cayenne pepper

Safflower or other high-quality vegetable oil for sautéing



Sour cream (optional)

Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish



To make the salsa, combine the tomato, onion, garlic, chili pepper, cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste in a bowl; reserve.



To make the cakes, beat the eggs in a large bowl. Beat in the squash, corn, green onion, chili pepper, Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses, flour, and melted butter. Season to taste with salt and black & cayenne peppers.



Heat about 2 tablespoons oil in a sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the squash mixture per cake into the hot oil and flatten to create uniform thickness; do not crowd the pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, then turn and cook the other side until golden brown, about 3 minutes total cooking time per cake. Transfer to a dish or pan lined with paper toweling and place in a warm oven. Cook remaining cakes.



To serve, arrange the cakes on individual plates with some of the salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.



Recipes courtesy "James McNair's Squash Cookbook," written by James McNair, published by Chronicle Books, 1989.
 
#23 ·
Siduri, how sad to hear you don't love zucchini.  It's one of my favorites.  I don't know what you mean by 'boil in tomato" but do you mean stew with tomatoes?  Do you feel likewise towards "roast with tomatoes?"  Here's somethings I do with zuccini.

Greek ratatouille - slices of zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and potatoes.  Tossed with garlic, olive oil, dill and parsley and fresh mint.  Roasted covered for 1 hour and then uncovered for another 30min.  Excellent accompaniment to fish.

Zucchini fritters - grated zucchinni mixed with grated onions, garlic, a little carrot, and parsley and mint, egg, and breadcrumbs (basically a meatless meatball lol), dust in flour and fry till golden crisp.
 
#25 ·
Siduri,

A really enjoyable pasta dish with raw grated zucchiine:

(portion sizes as looks right - I know you'll know)...looking to serve about 4 with this:

Coarsley grated raw zucchine - say 1 medium or 2 small

Spiralli or Penne pasta (I use dried) say 500g/1lb dried(or pasta of choice)

Chunks of butter (to taste) or EVOO if you prefer

Good sploosh of lemon juice

Slivers of parmagianno

Zest of one lemon

S&P

Cook your pasta, a bit further than al dente is best.

Meanwhile, grate up your zucchine.  Heat a big serving bowl until it's as hot as it can safely go.

Once pasta is done. immediately toss thru butter, lemon juice & zest, grated zucchine. Season.

Into hot serving dish, serve with heaps of parmiaganno.

Quick & delicious, but the serving bowl must be very hot or the zucchine takes the remperature of the pasta way down to cool.
 
#26 · (Edited)
KY thanks so much. those are unusual and interesting, and a lot of work to write out for me, thanks

Koukovagia - yeah, i mean stewed in tomato - I don't like much of anything stewed in tomato or with tomato - ratatouille, and all it's cousins - i don't much like meat cooked in tomato either.  Anyway, baked is different.  I do throw some zucchine in the oven with potatoes, onions, carrots, etc, when i make roasts, to cook in the roast drippings.  The fritters (yours and someone else's) look good. 

DC thanks, that one is similar to the grated pasta I listed albeit without any instructions (i use garlic to add some flavor)
 
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