Zucchini Anyone?

[butch-innj]

Here in the Garden State, zucchini is coming in season.
I have 3 of them setting on my counter top that are at least
12" long each.
Anyone have any good recipes to share so we can use these up?
Gardeners always plant so many that they almost throw them at you to get rid of them.

 

[polkanut]

Let me be the first::

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups peeled and grated zucchini
3 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat eggs until foamy, add oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix lightly but well. Add flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and baking powder. Mix together thoroughly. Divide batter into 2 greased 9"x5" loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

My Grandma Wilde made this recipe every year, in fact the recipe is in her handwriting.

 

[maytagbear]

suggestions, not recipes, as such.

slice them across, oil them with olive oil, grill them.

Shred them lightly, lightly salt them, put them in a spaghetti strainer, let the water disgorge for a half hour or so, squeeze them, put them in a frittata.

Shred them, don't salt, but get a recipe for zucchini bread....

Use this size as softball bats????

Look for the zucchini blossoms, UNSPRAYED with chemicals. Dip them in tempura batter or beer batter (1.5 cups flour, 1.5 cups beer (a 12 ounce can) and fry them.

Next year, don't plant them at all, and just buy them.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[rp2813]

Lawrence, all of what you wrote is excellent advice. I'm not much of a zucchini person but do know that you should harvest them when small. Think about the size you find in the stores.

I'd rather eat the blossoms than the zucchini. One of the most memorable things I've ever eaten was a pair of tacos from a stand on the plaza in the tiny village of Tepoztlan outside of Cuernavaca, Mexico back in 1981. One was all mushrooms, the best ones I've ever tasted, and the other squash blossoms, made by an old woman who was likely passing along the food of her native ancestors. This was one of the highlights of the trip; I and my friend who ordered the same thing still talk about those simple but amazing tacos. I think in U.S. money they probably cost a little over a dime apiece.

Ralph

 

[kenmoreforever]

Zuch is the bomb man. There is no bad way to prepare it. Kinda like Bubba and his shrimp on Forest Gump for me here. but try it pickled overnight in vinegar, u will love it. Grilled is great too basted with really good olive oil.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I like it steamed and lightly buttered with garlic salt and pepper.

Smaller zuchs can be sliced and used like cucumbers in salad. or if you are in the mood pickled.

Rolled in a beer batter an fried.

 

[butch-innj]

Polkanut......

I have that exact same recipe in my Mom's handwriting.
She got it from her Mom or maybe older sister.
It makes wonderful zucchini bread.
I love it with cream cheese on.

 

[retro-man]

I love cutting them up into 1 inch slices, cover them with Adobo seasoning. Cover let sit for1 hr. Either grill or sautee with butter. Great side dish. I actually love the large ones that you find later in the summer. Cut the stem top off. Slice in half lengthwise. Take a large spoon and clean out the seeds so you only leave the meat. Stuff with any thing you want. I have made meatloaf and stuffed both halfs a little sphagetti sauce cover with foil and back for at least an hour at 350 - 375. I have used taco meat, sausage stuffing, american chop suey. Let cool slice into pieces, people can't believe it comes out so tender.
Jon

 

[ronhic]

Anything much larger than 12" is starting to become a Marrow. My father is king of them in our family. I've seen them come out of his garden over 2' long and so heavy you can barely lift them....

Everything that people have suggested are lovely ways to eat them....but mum also bakes them when they get large...

Simply slice in half and put in the pan with the meat when it is nearly done flesh side down, turn and then add some cracked pepper and salt.....

or

Grate them with some carrot and use to bulk out bolognaise sauce....

or

us a heavy bolognaise sauce, and some rice and tasty cheese. Cut sections 4" thick, hollow out. A little foil around the bottom. Fill with bolognaise/rice/cheese mix. Top with a little cheese and bake until tender....

 

[brisnat81]

I like the big ones sliced into 1" steaks and fried in butter, they look amazing and taste great.

The other thing I do, is a Zuchini and Salmon Slice.

Tts just a combo of the following
Grated Zucchini
6 Eggs
Grated Carrot
1 Large Can of Pink Salmon
200g Bacon
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup flour

Mix all of the above together and bake until golden.

Tastes better the next day, and is great as a cold picnic food.

 

[kenmoreforever]

ronhic, forgive me for my culinary ignorance but what is bolgnaise? It sounds good. tell me more of it.

 

[xraytech]

I use a very similar zucchini bread recipe as Polkanut, except mine has crushed pineapple in it and I add some rasins and chopped dates if I have dates on stock. Those loaves freeze really well.

but, my favorite way to fix zucchini is fried.
you slice into thin rounds, then in 3 pie plates have flour seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder in one, a few eggs beaten with a touch of water in another, and seasoned breadcrumbs in the third.

First lightly flour, tapping off all excess, then dip into egg, then cover well in bread crumbs.
Then fry in an electric skillet with about 1" of salad oil set at 375 degrees, flip over once while frying until both sides are golden, remove from fat an ddrain on paper.

I lik ethese served best with a little fresh squeezed lemon juice drizzled over the slices and I like to dip in either marinara, or a mild horseradish sauce

 

[maytagbear]

Bolognese

is the correct Italian for what most people in the States call "tomato meat sauce."

When I am doing it right, I use pork neck bones in addition to ground beef or ground veal. When I can't get neck bones, I use boneless pork chops, coarsely chopped/ground.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[ronhic]

What Lawrence said ^^^^^^^

 

[sudsmaster]

Ralph,

Don't forget: Hayward has a Zucchini Festival every summer.

It's probably coming up pretty soon.

I got a late start on the garden this year but one volunteer plant is putting out interesting little jade green squash. Sort of like a cross between the humongous Trombetta di Albenga climbing squash I planted last summer, and a yellow crookneck that never bore much. The jade squash tastes a lot like the Trombetta, which is a good thing.

 

[phillygrl]

Zuchinni Stew

This is when we eat lots of zuchinni stew. Saute a couple of big cloves of minced garlic, a chopped onion, and some chopped carrots. When the onions are soft, add a can of stewed tomatoes, some basil, and a peeled whole potato. One big potato or a couple of small ones. I like to use yukon golds. Nestle the potato right in the center. Add enough chicken broth to barely cover all. Let this cook till the potato is soft. Add the chopped zuchinni (small ones are the best). Now break up the potato with a fork. Let it cook for about ten minutes. The potato will thicken the sauce, and the zuchinni will be tender, but not mushy. I like it over rice, with some grated parmesean on top. My Mom always made this in the summer.

Lisa

 

[alanlendaro]

the King Artthur Whole Grain baking book ...

has a super recipie for a Chocolate Zuchini Cake... Uses whole wheat flour and cocco along with the chopped Zuchinni. Realy a nice moist, not too sweet, but very chocolaty cake.

 

[alanlendaro]

Lisa, your stew sounds very similar to a dish I make...

Only I don't put potatoes and carrots in it. Just green and yellow squash sauteed in Olive oil until they just start to brown. Then add a clove or two of garlic, a little white wine if its handy, and either some fresh chopped tomatoes or some good canned San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy. The only way my partner will eat zuchinni aside from it being dipped in batter and deep fried.

 

[jeffg]

The term Bolognese is frequently misused in Italian-American restaurants. It's not simply a tomato-based pasta sauce that contains meat. Authentic Bolognese sauce (what you'd find in Italy) is a meat ragu: it's a brown sauce, not red, and is almost entirely meat (ground beef, sausage and bracciole), spices, and occasionally mushrooms. It contains very little tomato, and sometimes none at all.

Over the years I've come across only one restaurant that served an authentic Bolognese sauce (Cafe Roma in San Luis Obispo, CA). It's exquisitely rich and tasty (and filling!).

 

[sudsmaster]

I find that zucchini is a good addition to just about any kind of soup or stew. I also add it to beans when I'm making up a large pot of them from scratch. They are added during the last 15-30 minutes of so of cooking, along with other tasty veggies and herbs.

Stir fried young zucchini is also great - along with any number of other veggies, such as snow peas, green beans, chard, etc. Goes very well with chicken over rice.

 

[appnut]

THIS ONE CAN'T VEGETATE

 

[petek]

I make a zuccini soup good hot or cold but the recipe is in my head unmeasured and I wing it as I go but the basis is.

Saute 1/2 sliced onion in butter
add about a cup or two of sliced zuccini and saute till lightly brown

Liquid portion:
One cup water, one cup chicken stock, dash of curry powder and about 4 tablespoons lemon juice.

Put everything in a blender and pulse until the zuccini and onion is in small bits, not liquified.

Heat and serve or serve cold.

 

[appnut]

recipe bump

 

[perc-o-prince]

Fried zucchini

Slice it about 1/2" thick. Season and dredge in flour, then egg wash, then seasoned breadcrumbs. Fry on both sides in as little oil as possible (I use EVOO) until browned on both sides as serve. DELISH!!!

For seasoning, I use granulated garlic, ground pepper, grated parmesan, and just a touch of ground nutmeg. But be creative and use what you like!

Chuck

 

[twintubdexter]

Chuck...

My mom used to do fried zucchini just like that and it was to die for. It used to grow in the Santa Clara Valley like a weed, but here in the desert you need to buy it. Now I gotta have me some.

 

[steve1-18]

OLE

They are great in Frajita's too! Down here,in GA, they are all but gone.

 

[perc-o-prince]

My mom used to do fried zucchini just like that and it was t

We've been so damn busy w/ the house problems that I haven't even made it once this year yet! I gotta make it this week, and that's a promise!

Chuck

 

[sudsmaster]

Stir Fry Zucchini And Chicken

Slice baby zucchini (no longer than six inches, please) into bite size bits. Set aside.

Make a paste of corn starch, 1 tsp salt, couple tbs water, couple tbs very dry sherry (or Chinese cooking wine). Add some minced garlic and minced hot pepper (serrano is good). Add some minced ginger if you like it.

Slice chicken breasts (or better, yet, chicken breast tenders) into bite size bits. Add chicken to corn starch mixture and mix well, coating all the pieces.

Get wok or large frying pan going with liberal amounts of quality cooking oil. I like safflower oil; peanut oil is also good. Put a small piece of meat into oil; when it sizzles vigorously add the marinated chicken, stirring/tossing rapidly to sear all the sides. You do not want to cook the chicken completely - this step should only take a minute or two.

Remove chicken and drain. Put drained oil back into wok. Return it to sizzling heat and add in the sliced zucchini. Cook zucchini until almost al dente. Then add back in the seared chicken bits and cook another minute or two. It won't take long for the chicken to cook thoroughly. Add some sesame oil and fresh basil in the last minute. Season to taste with salt or soy sauce. The dish is not supposed to have soy sauce, but if you like it, I won't tell.

Serve piping hot with steamed rice.

 

[yogitunes]

my simple recipe

2 medium zuchinni
2 medium yellow squash
1 large vidalia onion
1 red, green, and yellow pepper
2 cups of white mushrooms

chop all ingredients, add to fry pan with either a stick of butter or olive oil, add some garlic, and salt and pepper, and saute until tender.....

you can add chicken breast to this or serve with steak off the grill........

 

[angus]

Don't forget you can prepare zucchini just as you would prepare eggplant parmigiana.

Also, you can incorporate it into a plain aglio e olio (garlic and oil) for pasta. Cut the zucchini into dice approx 1/2 - 3/4 inch, place in colander and sprinkle well with Kosher salt. :Let sit for an hour or two to get the water out. Rinse and blot dry in kitchen towel. Saute in single layers in a a few tablespoons of vegetable oil until well browned. Stir this into whatever garlic and oil sauce you are using. The flavor of the zucchini after getting the water out and browning is amazing -very concentrated and rich.