Summer Harvest: Zucchini

I love summer. Especially harvest time. Since my yard is a paved parking lot I'm reaping the benefits of friends and family's gardens. Zucchini seems to be in full bloom at the moment. The Zucchini has to be one of the most versatile vegetable, uh, fruit? No vegetable. Here's what wikipedia has to say about this humble courgette...

In a culinary context, zucchini is treated as a vegetable, which means it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment. Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of the female zucchini flower.

The female flower is a golden blossom on the end of each emergent zucchini. The male flower grows directly on the stem of the zucchini plant in the leaf axils (where leaf petiole meets stem), on a long stalk, and is slightly smaller than the female. Both flowers are edible, and are often used to dress a meal or garnish the cooked fruit.

The zucchini vegetable is low in calories (approximately 15 food calories per 100 g fresh zucchini) and contains useful amounts of folate (24 mcg/100 g), potassium (280 mg/100 g) and vitamin A (384 IU [115 mcg]/100 g. 1/2 cup of zucchini also contains 19% of the recommended amount of manganese.

Enough about that, let's get to some recipes.

Zucchini Gratin from the Barefoot Contessa

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)
2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.

Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread: Paula Dean

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon orange zest
Whipped cream, for serving
Zucchini ribbons, for serving

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill before slicing. Serve with whipped cream and ribbons of zucchini.


Heres one from a coworker:

Easy Zucchini Pie

1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease side and bottom of 9 X 1 1/4" pie plate. Layer zucchini, tomatoes, onion, and cheese in pie plate. Stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake approximately 35 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool five minutes before serving.

Curried Zucchini Soup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne
2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and chopped
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
Chopped cilantro, garnish
Fried pappadums, or toasted pita triangles, accompaniment

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the curry powder, salt, and cayenne, stir, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, reduce to medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the zucchini is very tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat. With a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor, puree the soup. Return to medium heat and stir in the cream. Simmer for 3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Pour into a clean container and let cool slightly. Refrigerate until well chilled, 4 to 6 hours.

To serve, ladle into large cups, garnish with cilantro, and serve with hot pappadums or pita toast. This soup may be served hot or cold.

And my personal favorite which is not much of a recipe:

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Pizza

Toss thinly sliced zucchini with olive oil and italian seasoning. Top any kind of flat bread (pita, pizza dough, etc) with the zucchini. Cover with mozarella and bake until golden (about 450 degrees). Remove from oven and sprinkle with desired amount of goat cheese.