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Posted on 08/14/2009 3:41:38 PM PDT by nickcarraway
As the last weeks of August rolled around, my sister-in-law's vegetable garden used to be overrun with zucchinis (that was before she gave up growing vegetables). For mysterious reasons, Wendy's garden sprouted more zucchinis than a family of four could possibly consume, particularly since one of her sons didn't eat anything green. It didn't help that some of these specimens were the size of my forearm.
In my grandmother's day, bumper crops like these would be blanched and stored in Mason jars for the winter. But by the dawn of this century, home preserving was history.
This left Wendy wondering, "How many nights a week can I sauté, steam or grill zucchini?"
To help her out, I volunteered to bake tea breads from several of her monster squash. I gave her half of the loaves and kept the rest for myself.
"At least these breads can be frozen until I feel like eating zucchini again," she said one August afternoon when I dropped off her share.
Right now, many people are in her predicament. Backyard gardens, farmer's markets and supermarkets are flooded with zucchinis. For that reason, their price has dropped, creating an opportunity for budget minded cooks. But how many zucchinis should you buy, and can they be easily preserved for future use?
I am a great proponent of both eating produce in season and incorporating unexpected extras in recipes that lend themselves to freezing, such as pastries and soups.
Think in terms of expanding zucchini possibilities beyond the obvious. Give loaves of zucchini bread as gifts when you're invited for dinner, instead of flowers or wine. Sauté this versatile vegetable in olive oil and serve it as a side dish or on top of pasta.
Besides grilling zucchini for dinner, layer slices into sandwiches. Sautéed in butter, zucchini is tasty inside of omelets. Sliced zucchini compliments most salads. Zucchini perks up any chicken or vegetable soup, which, like the one below, can be made now, frozen, and served at Rosh Hashanah. The possibilities are endless.
However, if you can't face another long green squash, don't despair. September is coming. Soon you'll be debating what to do with the annual deluge of apples.
Puree of Zucchini Soup (Pareve or Dairy)
A versatile soup that can be served hot or cold, and freezes well.
1 onion 2 medium-sized zucchinis, cleaned 2 carrots, peeled and cleaned 1 potato, peeled 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 vegetable bouillon cubes 1/2 tsp. curry powder kosher salt, if needed 1 cup low-fat sour cream (optional) Garnish: 2 Tbsps. chopped parsley and sour cream Dice onion, zucchini, carrots and potato. Place these vegetables in a 41/2-quart pot, along with garlic, bouillon and curry powder. Pour in a quart of water, or enough to slightly submerge vegetables. Cover pot and simmer on a medium flame until potatoes and carrots are soft, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Taste broth to check if salt is needed.
Bring vegetable mixture to room temperature. Move mixture and broth in batches to a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until mixture is pureed. Add 2/3 cup sour cream and process again until completely incorporated. (Omit sour cream for a pareve soup, which will be a bit spicy.)
Serve soup cold, or heat it on a low flame until hot. Garnish soup bowls with parsley and dollops of the remaining 1/3 cup of sour cream.
Serves 4.
Stir-Fried Zucchini (Pareve)
A zesty side dish that adds Asian flair to everyday foods.
1 bunch scallions 4 medium-sized zucchinis, cleaned 3 Tbsps. sesame oil (preferably from toasted sesame seeds), or more, if needed 2 tsps. peeled and minced ginger (from about 2-inches of ginger root) 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 Tbsps. low-sodium soy sauce, or more, if needed Remove outer leaves from scallions. Finely dice white ends, discarding the coarse green parts and outer leaves. Reserve.
Cut zucchini horizontally into half or thirds, depending on length. (If serving with rice, prepare the rice while making the zucchini.) Pieces should be about 31/2 inches long. Cut zucchini pieces lengthwise into 2 or 3 long wedges.
Heat oil in a wok or a large pot. Add zucchini and stir frequently. When zucchini starts to brown, add ginger and more oil, if needed. Keep stirring.
When zucchini is browned, add scallions, garlic and soy sauce all at once. Stir constantly for about 1 minute.
Optional: Serve with white or brown rice, prepared according to package directions
Serve immediately.
Serves 4 to 6.
Chunky Zucchini And Tomato (Pareve or Dairy)
A snappy side dish with Italian soul.
1 medium-sized onion 3 Tbsps. olive oil, or more, if needed 4 medium-sized zucchini, cut into thin, round slices kosher salt to taste 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 Tbsps. fresh parsley, chopped 1/4 tsp. oregano 4 Italian plum tomatoes, diced Optional garnish: 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, preferably high quality Cut the onion into thin slices. Separate the slices into rings.
In a large pot, heat olive oil on a medium flame. Sauté onions until they start to brown, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini and sprinkle in salt. Stir occasionally until zucchini starts to brown. This takes 20 minutes, or more. Drizzle in more olive oil, if needed. Stir in garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add parsley, oregano, tomatoes and more salt, if needed. Sauté until tomatoes are wilted but still chunky.
Serve immediately or cooled to room temperature. Place zucchini in a bowl. For a dairy accent, dot with dollops of ricotta cheese.
Serves 4.
Three Petite Zucchini Breads (Pareve)
These tea breads are delightful for breakfast, dessert, and afternoon coffee or tea.
3/4 cup golden raisins nonstick vegetable spray 3 medium-sized zucchinis, cleaned 3 eggs 11/4 cups vegetable oil 11/2 cups sugar 3/4 tsp. almond extract 2 cups flour 2 tsps. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 3/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. cardamom Boil 2 cups water. Remove from flame and add raisins. Soak raisins in water while assembling ingredients.
Spray three aluminum bread pans (8x33/4x21/2) generously with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350°.
With the grating blade of a food processor, grate zucchini. Place grated zucchini in a colander. Press down with your palm and squeeze out as much excess water from the zucchini as possible. Continue draining over a colander.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar and almond extract, until well incorporated.
Squeeze zucchini again with your palm, draining out more water. Measure zucchini to 2 cups. (If there's excess zucchini, use it for another purpose.*) Add zucchini to mixing bowl and gently blend on low speed. Sift in the remaining ingredients and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.
Drain raisins in the colander. Place on a paper towel and pat dry. Add raisins to zucchini mixture and combine.
Pour 1/3 of batter into each prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until tester inserted into center of pans comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
Breads taste even better the next day. Wrap in aluminum foil and place in plastic bags. Recipe freezes well.
Serves 10 to 12 slices per bread or 30 to 36 slices in all.
(*Excess grated zucchini can be sautéed in olive oil until crisp and served as a nibble.)
The recipe calls for two medium zucchini.
Any thoughts on how that might translate into preposterously ginormous zucchini? That seems to be the only size we can grow. ;OD
-—Petronski sends...
At this stage of our lives my First Wife and I buy our Summer Squash at the twice a week Farmers Markets and buy then in the near premature stage of 4 to 6 inches and 3 inches for Patty Pan and lightly saute them in Olive Oil with a few slivers of our Garlic, salt and pepper. We prefer them crunchy...
i could eat deep-fried, breaded zuch every day. yummy.
I have NEVER NOT had a bumper crop of zuchinni. I fianlly moved down to one hill, and even that is tooooooo much. do you know how unpopular a neighbor with a bucket of zuchinni is 2 weeks after first picking??? People will do all sorts of things to avoid you.
Funny .. I don’t have bad breath, I took a shower this morning, of course that was at 5:00. Been in the garden since 9 .. a bit gamy maybe. Two wildebeast and a kangaroo are gamy. Hey .. if I take a shower and then take my bucket of zuchinnis through the neighborhood???
Nah .. didn’t think so
I gotz a lovely pair a coconuts ....
That soup looks absolutely delicious. Thanks for posting this article!
I had a nice zucchini crop this year.
I like ‘em breaded and fried, then after they cool a little I grate Parmesan cheese on top.
In Indiana, we lock our car doors in order to keep people from leaving zucchini in them.
I have a garden at a friends house, and I couldn’t get over there for a couple weeks. When I got back there was a huge zucchini that hadn’t even been there before. It was 3.3 lbs and 22 inches. I’d rather have a bunch of smaller ones.
That’s why you never leave your car unlocked in Amish country. You come back to find the car filled with zucchini bread.
I grill mine as jdub said. I usually grill yellow squash right next to them prepared the same way, with either sliced red or Vidalia onions (sometimes both), and sweet corn in the husks. There's usually some meat in there somewhere too. Sunday I grilled some tuna steaks (caught a bunch on a charter a few weeks ago) and topped them off with the wife's homemade apple-peach-mango chutney. A cold beer, and I'm good.
I have TWENTY-TWO zucchini on the porch awaiting processing, but they are lovely and NOT the size of baseball bats, LOL! (With Zuke ya gotta pick early and OFTEN!)
Today was ‘Pickling Day,’ so that’s about all that happened around here today, LOL!
Thanks for the new recipes. I usually grate it or chop it and use it all winter long. I love adding it to soups, and I make this awesome casserole involving zucchini, a box of Stove Top Stuffing, some cream-o-whatever soup and onions.
Man, I love that stuff! It’s not like you can’t substitute ANY vegetable in that recipe; I just make myself WAIT until it’s Zucchini Season.
The truly preternatural—even sinister—thing about our zucchinis is the way we can pick them clean one night and return the next morning to find eighteen inchers that somehow grew overnight.
It’s a bit scary, actually.
My favorite local Japanese restaurant makes that dish on the grill right in front of you. It is soooo yummy! I’ve not been able to duplicate it at home, though.
Think I need one of those 500-degree griddles to get it just right? ;)
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I was taught to cook Zuchinni this way from an English Lady when I was 16. (love it mixed with yellow crook neck!)
Slice small Zuchinni 1/4” thick more/less.
Melt 1/4 cube butter (cover bottom well) in saute’ pan,
add fresh rosemary branches, diced garlic, chopped onion, course pepper, Zuchinni,
stir to cover with butter, cover and simmer 20 min/until tender.
(With the rosemary, you need no salt)
Oh c’mon, you’re making me salivate now!
Well, at least I have got a *cold one* in my hands...;-)
Yum! I made zucchini soup for dinner last night. Wonderful with Italian bread, and it can be frozen and enjoyed this winter when it’s cold outside. Had fried breaded zucchini with parmesan last week. I’ll be making zucchini relish and I’m making a zucchini pineapple cake tomorrow!
Can you tell I LOVE zucchini? LOL!
Thanks for the ping, RD.
Anyone know how zucchini stands up to canning?
I LOVE zucchini. But am trying to stop myself from freezing things and filling up the freezer and learning how to can instead.
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