What do you do with all that squash?
Drowning in squash? These dishes put it to use
Fast-growing and prolific, zucchini are the summertime darlings of many quarantine home gardens. They grow quickly, seedlings producing squash in only 40-50 days. For the most part, it’s not hard to grow mountains of zucchini. It’s finding enthusiastic consumers that sometimes presents a problem.
After the squashes appear on the menu two or three times, plain boiling or microwaving doesn’t cut it; lemon juice, a generous sprinkling of fresh herbs and garlic and onions or a smattering of grated cheese helps, but boredom can set in quickly when faced with a bumper crop.
The trick seems to be finding a variety of scrumptious dishes that don’t take a lot of preparation time. Luckily, zucchini’s neutral taste makes it versatile; it can be grilled, stuffed and baked, sauteed, marinated or pickled.
The blossoms are edible; in fact, they are a delicacy stuffed or dipped in batter and deep-fried.
Grilling planks of zucchini lends an appealing taste and texture. Simply trim zucchini ends and cut into ½-inch thick lengthwise slabs or ½-inch wide slices on the diagonal. Place in a bowl and toss with minced garlic, chopped fresh rosemary (or thyme or basil or tarragon) and enough olive oil to lightly coat. Add your favorite seasoned salt and a couple of twists of the pepper mill. Grill over medium heat, 3-4 minutes per side, or until zucchini is just tender.
A piece of advice — pick it when it is medium size. Overnight, it seems, zucchini can grow to be humongous, with tough skin and large seeds.
Yup, medium or even medium-large zucchini can be culinary treasures. Read on.
Zucchini Pie
Those with bumper yields, try this easy-to-make, savory pie. It can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Cookbook author Marlene Koch says it is even delicious the next day; the bottom crust will be softer, but the flavor and texture of the filling are delicious with a slight reheat in the microwave.
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
All-purpose flour for dusting work surface
1⁄2 package refrigerated pie crust, such as Pillsbury’s 1 teaspoon canola oil
2 medium-large zucchini, about 1 1⁄4 pounds, trimmed, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise in thin slices (about 5 cups)
1⁄2 medium onion, chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 teaspoons minced garlic
2⁄3 cup frozen corn
1 (4-ounce) can fire-roasted mild green chiles
2 large eggs
1 1⁄2 cups shredded, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS
1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chilled pie dough on a lightly floured surface; lightly roll out to an 11-inch diameter round. Place in 9-inch pie pan and crimp edges. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
2: Heat oil in large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion, salt and pepper; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft but not limp. Add garlic, corn and chiles; cook two minutes. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
3: In large bowl, whisk eggs and stir in mozzarella. Stir in zucchini mixture. Spoon into crust. Bake 27-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is set. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
Source: “Eat What You Love Quick and Easy” by Marlene Koch, Running Press ($27)
French Summer Sandwiches With Zucchini and Olive Tapenade
Packed with blistered slabs of zucchini, these delicious sandwiches are perfect for a picnic, even if it’s simply in the backyard. Tossing the zucchini with oil and caramelizing the surface add lots of flavor. A creamy smear of goat cheese is spread over the cut side of a halvedlengthwise baguette and topped with tapenade, those caramelized, spotty-brown zucchini slabs and a mix of baby lettuces coated with lemon vinaigrette. The result is a nuanced but simple sandwich that celebrates summer vegetables.
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 medium-size zucchini, cut in half crosswise, then sliced lengthwise into 1⁄4-inch thick planks 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper 10 pitted green olives
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, divided use
1 teaspoon drained capers
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1⁄2 cups mixed baby lettuces
1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
4 ounces soft goat cheese, softened
1 (24-inch) baguette, cut crosswise into 4 equal lengths, sliced in half lengthwise
Cook’s notes: This recipe blisters the zucchini slabs in the oven. If you prefer not to heat the oven, use the skillet-blistering technique used in the recipe for Marinated Zucchini With Burrata. Either technique works. If homegrown tomatoes are your preference, you can substitute tomato slices for zucchini and substitute basil for mint.
DIRECTIONS
1: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees (see cook’s notes). Toss zucchini with 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper, then spread out in single layer on aluminum foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until zucchini are spotty brown on both sides, about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through baking.
2: Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons oil, olives, shallot, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, capers and garlic in food processor and pulse until mixture forms slightly chunky paste, about 10 pulses (do not overprocess). Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice together in medium bowl. Add baby lettuces and mint; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3: Spread goat cheese evenly over cut sides of each baguette piece. Assemble 4 sandwiches by layering ingredients as follows between prepared baguette pieces: olive tapenade, zucchini, baby lettuce mixture. Gently press on sandwiches to set. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Source: Adapted from “The Complete Summer Cookbook” from America’s Test Kitchen ($32.99)
Marinated Zucchini With Burrata or Mozzarella
In this marinated zucchini recipe, you can opt to use a mixture of green zucchini and yellow summer squash if you like. It looks pretty that way, but if zucchini is your crop, feel free to use just that. The original recipe called for using a 4-ounce ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, either sliced or coarsely torn. I often substitute a 6- or 8-ounce ball of burrata because my family adores its richness. I put the burrata in the middle of the platter and spoon the marinated zucchini around it. Diners can spoon the zucchini onto their plates and cut a slab of cheese to suit their taste. The mixture is delicious served atop slices of baguette, rustic whole grain bread or flatbread.
Yield: 2-4 servings
INGREDIENTS
4 medium zucchini, about 1-1 1⁄4 pounds
5-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil, divided use
1 large garlic clove, finely sliced
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus a little juice Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Handful of fresh basil or mint, coarsely torn into medium pieces
1 ball of buffalo mozzarella (about 4 ounces), sliced or coarsely torn. Or substitute 6-8-ounce ball of burrata (placed in center of serving platter)
For serving: sliced baguette, rustic bread or warm flatbread
DIRECTIONS
1: Trim zucchini at both ends. Cut lengthwise into 1⁄4-inch, thick lengthwise slices. Place in bowl with 2-3 tablespoons oil. Use a pastry brush to get them all lightly coated with oil (I found that brushing them after they’re placed in the skillet worked on spots that somehow didn’t get oiled).
2: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the zucchini slices for about 2-3 minutes per side until tender and golden. Transfer to shallow dish (I use a rimmed baking sheet).
3: Take skillet off heat and allow it to cool a bit. Add remaining oil, garlic and zest. Heat very gently for a few minutes — the residual heat in the pan may be enough — you just want to take the edge off the garlic and infuse the flavors into the oil.
4: Pour the infused oil over the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, a little squeeze of lemon juice and the basil or mint. Toss together, cover and allow to rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
5: Place zucchini on serving plate or platter; strew with mozzarella around and within the zucchini, or place burrata in center and provide a knife.
Source: Adapted from “River Cottage Veg” by
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Ten Speed Press, $35)