RECIPE: Zucchini (four amazing ways)
This Real Dirt post is by Annie McMahon, River Road Community Gardener and zucchini advocate. Get ready to be excited about zucchini once more!
The brunt of many a joke, zucchini often go unappreciated.
People tell stories of neighbors sneaking excess zucchini into unlocked cars, garages, or front porches. They are prolific! However, to me zucchini are the harbinger of summer. They are the first true summer vegetable that ripens and brings with it the abundance of the season. This abundance is what makes them challenging to cook with. The first precious zucchini in July tastes a lot different than the 1,000th at the end of August.
Despite the inevitable monotony of zucchini by the end of the season, they are a true workhorse in the kitchen. Their bright vegetal flavor pairs well with many different flavors and cuisines. They are a true shapeshifter, able to take many forms depending on the needs of the recipe. I appreciate this utility and it enables me to be creative.
These recipes help me to make it through from 1 to 1,000 and keep things interesting.
I love to rely on zucchini recipes that utilize a lot at once, so you can quickly dispatch the 5 pounds that have accumulated in the fridge. Below are some of the things I have learned gardening and cooking zucchini, that hopefully will help you push past the zucchini bread rut.
Gardening:
Choose varieties that keep their blossoms attached to the zucchini. Examples include Romanesco and Florentino. Both varieties have performed well in our climate at River Road Farm
Plant zucchini individually. Mounds (planting multiple plants in a grouping) get messy and are difficult to weed.
Utilize weed barrier, heavy mulch, paper, anything to prevent having to weed through the giant, prickly stems.
Stems and leaves have small prickles that can cause skin irritation or rashes
Harvest daily. I think it improves production
Harvest smaller zucchini. Harvesting when zucchini are between 3-5 inches ensures maximum flavor and lower moisture
Water only at the base of the plant to prevent mildew on leaves
Cooking:
The enemy of any zucchini based dish is excess moisture. When cooked, zucchini give off a lot of water which dilutes flavor and creates mush. Mushy zucchini is not delicious! That’s the issue many run into when creating zucchini noodles or zucchini lasagna.
Zucchini is labor intensive. To coax out the best flavors and textures, there are often multiple steps to preparing and cooking. Its worth the prep time.
Salt!!! All vegetables need to be salted, it brings out the flavor, reduces moisture, improves texture. Zucchini benefit from being salted prior to cooking. Use non iodized salt. Diamond Crystal is my preferred.
If frying, fry your zucchini in olive oil. Other oils can impart too much of their own flavor into the dish.
Utilize zucchini blossoms in your cooking.
In general, slice ⅛ of an inch thick about half the width of a #2 pencil eraser. Slicing thinner than this invites mushy texture (see above, not good!) & thicker slices may not cook thoroughly.
Recipes:
Zucchini Pickles
Adapted from “Zuni Cafe Cookbook” by Judy Rogers
INGREDIENTS
2 parts Apple cider vinegar
1 part sugar
Coriander seeds
Mustard seeds
Turmeric
Zucchini, sliced into coins (across the thickness, not length, to make small rounds), at a thickness you prefer for a pickle (a mandolin will make quick work of this task)
Onions sliced thinly
INSTRUCTIONS
Place onions and zucchini in a large bowl and add salt. Cover with ice cubes and cold water. Let sit for 1-2 hours. The zucchini should taste pleasingly salty. Drain and dry.
I’ve given ratios for the brine, so you can scale up or down depending on the quantity of zucchini. You can estimate the amount of brine to be about enough to fill your pickling jar half-way. The brine should taste balanced, similar to a bread and butter pickle. Combine brine ingredients in a pot and heat until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.
Pack zucchini and onions into glass jars. Cover completely with cool brine. Cover and place in the refrigerator. Allow to marinate at least one day. These pickles keep as long as they keep tasting good and don’t have any signs of spoilage.
Zucchini with blossoms and Ricotta Toast
INGREDIENTS
1 piece of thick sourdough country bread (Grist Bianco would be amazing)
Whole milk ricotta
1-2 zucchini with blossoms attached, well washed
Olive oil
1-2 clove of garlic
Champagne or white wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Slice zucchini into coins approximately ⅛ inch thick.
Heat a large cast iron pan on medium heat with olive oil and 1 peeled whole garlic clove, until the garlic is gently sizzling and smells aromatic.
Add the zucchini coins and a pinch of salt. Allow to fry undisturbed for a few minutes until golden on one side. Stir the zucchini to cook the other side.
Cut zucchini blossoms into thin ribbons discarding the green base. Add to the pan with cooking zucchini, cook a few more minutes until coins are golden and blossoms are wilted.
Toast your bread. (I like to rub the toast with a clove of garlic- up to you!)
Drizzle with olive oil. Add ricotta, then pile on the fried zucchini and blossoms.
Finish with a splash of vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Zucchini Carbonara
Adapted from “My Kitchen in Rome” Rachel Roddy
INGREDIENTS
1 pound zucchini cut into matchsticks
16 oz Fettuccini
3 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
1.5 cups finely grated Parmesan and Pecorino cheese
1 small yellow onion
Salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Set a large pot of salted water for your pasta on high heat. While waiting for water to boil, cook zucchini and onion in until tender using a wide pan, with just enough olive oil to cover the pan’s surface.
While your zucchini and onion are cooking, mix ingredients for your sauce. Place egg, yolks, cheese, and fresh cracked pepper in a bowl and whisk until incorporated. When your pasta is almost cooked, take a cup of pasta water from the pot and set aside.
When pasta is perfectly cooked, drain and add to hot zucchini-onion mixture and stir thoroughly. With the stove heat off, working quickly, add sauce mixture to noodles and stir. Use small quantities of pasta water to thin your sauce as you stir. The sauce should be glossy and coat each noodle and the residual heat will cook the egg. The key to this dish is to not scramble the eggs! If you end up with lumpy egg bits for your sauce the first time around, take note of how hot your pan was and adjust next time around.
Serve immediately with additional cheese and cracked pepper.
Zucchini Parmigiana
INGREDIENTS
1- 24 oz can crushed Italian tomatoes
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
Mozzarella
3-5 lbs of zucchini. Sliced lengthwise 1/8 inch thick. A mandolin makes this easier
Basil
INSTRUCTIONS
Start by slicing the zucchini lengthwise and salting. I like to lay the zucchini on baking sheets in the sun for 1-2 hours to remove moisture before frying. To expedite the process, salting and allowing to sit for 30 minutes works too.
To make the tomato sauce, heat olive oil and garlic cloves in a non reactive pan. When the oil is infused with garlic, add the tomatoes. Reduce tomato sauce for approximately 10-15 minutes on medium heat until the sauce is flavorful and concentrated. Yes, this is labor intensive, but worth it!
As your zucchini is frying, smear a light layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish. Layer cooked zucchini, with each piece overlapping, until the bottom of the dish is filled. Next add a layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of mozzarella (I’ve been known to sneak in ricotta).
Continue creating layers until you have just enough tomato sauce and mozzarella to top the dish.
Bake in the oven on 375 for 25 minutes. Enjoy after it sets and cools. It will be particularly good the next day!
