Keeping ahead of Zucchini....

[zoe b]

The first zucchinis arrived at my door this AM--we would never plant them for this reason---everyone else does!

So what do you all do with them? I'm not too imaginative--

I like grated zukes, sauteed quickly in OO with some garlic and a squeeze of lemon to finish.

in any kind of stir fry, or summer veggie pasta sauce.

pancakes, and zuke parm is good.

grilled as part of a grilled veggie platter.

I don't care much for zuke bread--but maybe i just don't have a good recipe for it.

Zoe

[sparrowgrass]

The zucchini plants in my garden are trying for world domination.

At least the chickens like eating them.

[HungryChris]

I like to pick them when they are about 4 inches long. I cut them in half lengthwise and lay them out in a group of about six halves on a sheet of heavy duty aluminium foil, drizzle them with olive oil add a little garlic powder, salt and pepper. I grate some hard Romano cheese onto them (cut sides up). Then I wrap them into a little package as tightly as possible with them still lying side by side and put the package on a hot grill for 20 minutes. If the package puffs up with steam, you've done it right. They are quite good that way.

I have also made them into fishing plugs for Stripers with some success when I am overrun with them.

HC

[CMN]

So far this season:

1) "stir fried" with a) tomatoes, peppers, corn, onions, italian seasonings and a squeeze of lime. b) peppers, onions, spanish seasonings

2) stuffed with garlic, onion, tomatoes, zucchini (what I scooped out), herbs, bread crumbs, and parm.

3) curried soup: onions, garlic, curry powder, broth, milk, butter blended together.

4) simply grilled

I'm thinking about a batc of zucchini bread next...

[Live It Up]

It sounds weird, 'cause I know a a lot of people find them bland, but I can't imagine actually having too many zucchini--I could eat it everyday. Some of my favorites are zucchini and feta fritters, roasted zucchini added to pasta carbonara, and just plain sauteed with garlic.

Another way of making sauce for pasta that uses a lot of zucchini is to slice the squash lengthwise on a mandoline so they're super thin. Sautee with olive oil, garlic, anchovies, red pepper flake and fresh herbs (I like thyme and basil, but oregano, mint, parsley, chives would all be good). You can add a little white wine if you want, then toss with fresh pasta. Top with some parm. You can use 6 or 7 small-medium zucchini for a pound of pasta in this preparation because they shrink down so much.

[cmsoulbrother]

Rosti style zucchini and potato (equal parts) pancakes with sour cream!!!

Shred and squeeze out zee juice. A little egg and salt, mold into patties and fry until crispy with lots of butter...can't beat them!!!

[christine007]

The zucchini plants in my garden are trying for world domination.

At least the chickens like eating them.

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Hee, I'm ascared of my pumpkins this year.

For Zucchini, I love to split them lenghtwise and stuff them.

Here's some that have been really tasty

Tomatos, onions, garlic, chopped, sauteed briefly in a little oil, throw in some cooked sausage and toss. Add the guts you scooped out of the zucchini, and bake in a moderate oven until the zukes are soft. You can throw some mozzaralla on the top too, let it melt.

Also, white and wild rice, cooked in broth, with onions and mushrooms. stuff and cook as above.

Hope these help.

[Anna Friedman Herlihy]

I supposedly *only* grow my zucchini for the flowers But, of course, every year I get busy, don't pick them for a few days, get some rain, and then all of a sudden have giant zukes on every plant! (This happened recently--forgot to collect flowers during and after the busy 4th of July--also forgot to collect the okra when it was small, and now have much giant unuseable okra).

So with six gargantuans collected in the past week, I've made: simple sauteed (but I slice it into sticks, not rounds which I think gives it a better texture with a contrast between pieces of skin and pieces of just flesh); zucchini bread (but baked in muffin tins for easier freezing/single servings) topped with a goat cheese icing (allergic to cow's milk, so I use goat cheese instead of cream cheese); and best of all grilled zucchini with mushrooms and onions (I halve the mushrooms and quarter small onions and cut the zukes into big chunks, marinate everything in olive oil, s/p, and whatever herbs tempt me from the garden--marinate the onions/mushrooms separately from the zukes--then toss the veggies in one of those bbq baskets over a direct fire--mushrooms and onions first for about an extra 5 minutes, then about 15 more minutes total once you add the zukes--toss or stir every few minutes so you don't get burned pieces on the bottom--when it comes off toss with a bit of vinegar of your preference, and serve). I think I'm going to have the leftover grilled zucchini salad cold tonight with the addition of some crumbled feta and bacon.

At this point there is only one left in the fridge! For now...

Barbara Kafka's veggie book has a nice zucchini custard recipe that I've made (substituting goat/sheep products for the cow). I also find surplus zukes good for green gazpachos. Also very good spiced up with curry (Indian or Thai) in a saute (also I've been thinking of making that zuke custard recipe with coconut cream and curry).

[christine007]

All these ideas sound good.

I also forgot, they're an excellent addition to vegetarian chili. Give it a nice, bland balance to the heat.

[amapola]

Maybe you could make a batch of pickles out of them.

[Emily_R]

Sigh -- I hear ya! Between yesterday and today I now have 18 zukes and yellow squash...

One of my favorites is in a pasta sauce, a little like a ratatouille without the eggplant / peppers... Lighly caramelize a bunch of onions, add garlic and two medium sized zukes and two medium sized yellow squash that have been diced... Saute for a little, then add a can of Muir Glen crushed roasted tomatoes, a splash of red or white wine, a handful of fresh basil, salt and pepper, and let stew for a good 30 minutes... Serve over pasta with parmesan... Very very yummy!

Emily

[hummingbirdkiss]

curry!

[Sony]

curry!

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What kind of curry? Thai? Indian? Japanese?

-I like making zucchini in an Indian dish with "light spices" (as my Mom calls it). Sweat a chopped onion in a little neutral oil with some salt over medium heat. Add a clove of chopped garlic and enough turmeric to turn the onions a pale golden color and cayenne to taste. Add zucchini sliced into thick half moons (about 1 cm thick). Add water to partially cover, and simmer in half-covered pot until zucchini is tender. Add salt to taste and serve with hot rice.

It tastes much better than the sum of its parts. Shrimp, interestingly enough, can be added to this as a flavoring agent (e.g. 1/4 pound shrimp for 2 pounds of raw zucchini) and is a lovely complement to the sweetness of fresh zucchini.

-Zucchini is great is moussaka.

-I like to stuff zucchini boats with the chopped zucchini innards, onion, chopped mushrooms, breadcrumbs and lean ground meat seasoned with sweet Italian sausage spices (fennel, corriander, thyme, black pepper, a little rosemary and garlic). Bake 'em off plain or glazed with a little tomato sauce.

-For vegetables en scapece, zucchini is one of my favorites.

-I very rarely fry vegetables at home, but when I do, zucchini sticks are lovely. In tempura batter or a chickpea flour batter (spiced with cayenne and lightened with a little baking powder), they are wonderful.

[hummingbirdkiss]

all of the above I love zucchini in any curries!

Thai green curry with chicken and other veggies would be great

indian curry you can just stir fry it alone then curry it and eat it with toasted tortillas!!! very good!!!

[jackal10]

I grow my zucchini/courgettes next to the compost heap. That way they can go straight on there, rather than festering for a week in the fridge first.

Courgette souffle is OK (there is a recipe in Elizabeth David. Even better without the courgette.

[zoe b]

I grow my zucchini/courgettes next to the compost heap. That way they can go straight on there, rather than festering for a week in the fridge first.

Courgette souffle is OK (there is a recipe in Elizabeth David. Even better without the courgette.

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HAH!

yes, we do love/hate the zukes.

I feel slightly inspired by all the delicious sounding dishes--I think I'll make zuke/corn fritters for dinner tonight--if I make about 500 of them i'll have worked my way through half of the zukes looming on the kitchen table....

[DanConnor]

I like them sauteed in a very lot of olive oil and an even larger amount of salt. Cook them until it is an oily, salty mush. No other ingredients! Then eat with a really good quality crusty italian bread. Comfort food....

[cmsoulbrother]

How about zucchini pasta? You know, use your mandolin to make pasta shapes shreds of zucchini, blanch them very quickly and toss with most any pasta sauce. Can be good for hot day when you crave a little pasta...but you know that's CRAZY!

[andiesenji]

Maybe you could make a batch of pickles out of them.

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Yes indeed! Zucchini make great bread and butter pickles. They are also good in mixed pickles, with broccoli, caluiflower, spiral sliced carrots, and baby onions.

This is a small batch recipe that keeps in the refrigerator, without the complications of canning.

I use a food processor to slice them with the extra-thin blade because they are easier to add to sandwiches this way, but you can slice them however you like. For mixed pickles you want them thicker.

If you pickle them with red onions, they will get a pink tint.

Andie's bread & butter pickles.

[zoe b]

ooh, andi--I'm making these--thanks!

I managed to get rid of one last night (3 to go)--the fritters were sublime--Joy of Cooking fritter batter--I was lazy and didn't separate the eggs--used beer for the liquid--the good advice from Joy was that if you don't have time to let the batter rest use beer for the liquid--

used leftover corn and grated zuke--just kept adding until the batter looked right--and the advantage of watery zukes is that the fritter batter was quite thick--I like working with the qualities of an ingredient rather than fighting it.

Added a lot of chopped basil, forgot to add onion, but it wasn't actually needed.

Served sprinkled with parmesan and a delicious green salad--all from the garden--the first cherry tomatoes and tender leaf lettuce.

I'm actually considering making them again tonight, they were so good.

zOE

[Lisa1349]

I love Zucchini Pie I sub olive oil for veg oil and always add extra parm. Great to bring to someone's house, always tasty, I just made one the other day.

In a post above there was a suggestion to slice lengthwise on a mandoline and add to pasta - that's wonderful. I also slice them lengthwise with a peeler, blanch for a second, and drizzle pesto made with a plethora of garden basil as a great side dish.

Alternately, cut in 2" lengths, scoop out center with a melon baller leaving 1/4" in the bottom, and stuff with seasoned italian breadcrumbs, parm cheese, garlic and anchovies. Roast until tender. Edited to add: drizzle with liberal amounts of olive oil

Edited July 20, 2007 by Lisa1349 (log)

[jaynesb]

Add them to a veggie lasagna to give it some extra bulk. (I know what you are probably thinking. It was a veggie lasagna anyway so what's the big deal. It's just that mostly,

I make spinach or swiss chard lasagna and they tend to be a little compressed.) I've never tried adding it to other baked pasta dishes.

The grated zucchini lightens it up with the extra bulk.

Just give it a little extra flavor before adding it to a layer.

I grate them, squeeze out as much liquid as I can and mix with seasoned olive oil (containing chopped garlic, some herbs, salt & pepper)

jayne

[zeffer81]

This thread inspired me to forgo leftovers last night for a delicious zucchini dinner. What a topic for a vegetarian! I was inspired by the fritters and found a recipe for zucchini cakes with basil-chive sour cream on Epicurious. Delicious! Thanks to everyone for (re)opening my eyes to the glorious zucchini!

[Peter the eater]

Faced with a dearth of zukes last year I made stock. It sucked.

We sometimes have the blossoms battered and fried, and I have pickled them.

AFAIC, the best way is grilled with oil and salt.

[Norm357]

I slice zucchini length wise, toss in oil and salt and pepper, and throw them on a rocket hot grill for a couple of minutes each side.

I do the same thing with eggplant.