The trouble is, you cannot grow just one zucchini. Minutes after you plant a single seed, hundreds of zucchini will barge out of the ground and sprawl around the garden, menacing the other vegetables. At night, you will be able to hear the ground quake as more and more zucchinis erupt.
— Dave Barry
If you grew up eating everything on your plate because of starving third-world children, you are probably like me and feel guilty wasting food. At this time of year, those of us with such angst are faced with a dilemma when overburdened by bumper crops of zucchini. What to do with this seemingly ubiquitous squash other than bestowing them on friends, colleagues and leaving them on neighbors’ doorsteps, ringing the bell and running?
Fortunately, zucchini is a very versatile veggie that can be used in many dishes from soup to dessert. Not only can you use this cucumber-like squash, its yellow flowers are also edible, and in fact, in Italy fiori di zucca, zucchini blossoms, are often breaded and fried, stuffed with cheese or used as an ingredient in other recipes. Zucchini also freezes well so you can enjoy it after the garden is done producing. Simply slice or grate the zucchini, blanch it in boiling water for one to two minutes, drain, cool and put in freezer containers. Maximum storage is 10 to 12 months. You can also freeze without blanching, but the zucchini only remains usable for four to six months. The blossoms must be used immediately
To help you enjoy this summer squash, we’ve included some of our favorite zucchini recipes. In addition, we’ve provided a recipe for fiori di zucca.
Zucchini Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons margarine
2 onions, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
8 small zucchinis, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup dry potato flakes
In a large frying pan, melt butter or margarine; add onion and sauté until translucent. Add diced potato, zucchini, thyme, rosemary, basil, and white pepper, and cook for 5 minutes.
In a medium-sized cooking pot, add broth and bring to boil. Add zucchini/potato mixture; reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes.
When cooked, puree in food processor or blender in batches. Return to cooking pot, add milk and bring just to boil, but do not boil. Add instant mashed potato flakes and stir well. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Zucchini Pancakes
Mix together:
1 ½ cup grated zucchini (press between paper towels to remove excess moisture)
2 tablespoons grated onion
¼ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespooons mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper
Drop 2 Tbsp. of mix into skillet with heated oil. Flatten. Brown on both sides. Serve plain or with tomato sauce or sour cream.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in the nuts and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool. Cake can be frosted with your favorite frosting.
Fiori di Zucca
Ingredients:
18 zucchini blossoms
A pint whole milk, or a mixture of beer and milk
3 heaping tablespoons flour
An egg, lightly beaten
Salt
Olive oil or lard, for frying
Trim the stems of the zucchini blossoms, remove the pistils, wash them gently and pat them dry just as gently. Prepare the batter by combining the milk, flour and egg. Heat the oil. Lightly salt the zucchini blossoms, dredge them in the batter, fry them until golden, drain them on absorbent paper, and serve them hot. Serves 6.
Source: http://italianfood.about.com/od/aboutingredients/a/aa051800.htm
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