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When this versatile vegetable floods our kitchens, it is a great one to experiment with as it is perhaps the most flexible vegetable I know.

Picked at its prime, you will find this vegetable tender and almost spongy-- not so much as eggplant, but it will soak up oils and flavor. If it is allowed to grow past its prime, this forgiving vegetable is still a great one for baking.

Some of my favorite things to do with zucchini and summer squash:

Quick saute- thick sliced and quartered, I like to toss in a pan of hot oil. I love to add a bit of panchetta. Cook just until tender. Diced fresh tomatoes and some good grated Parmesan adds some wonderful color, texture and flavor.

Roast with other vegetables, add it to stir fry, brush it with oil and grill it, grate it for fritters, slice and toss it with pastas, put it on pizza. There are few places that this vegetable cannot go!

For baking, try a zucchini cake, muffins, and cookies.


Italian Zucchini Pie

  •  4 cups thinly sliced zucchini
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter or 1/2 cup margarine or 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or 2 cups muenster cheese
  • 1 tablespoon dijon-style mustard
  • 1 homemade deep dish pie shell
  1. Saute the zucchini and onion in the butter until zucchini is softened and onions are translucent. Stir in the chopped parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano.
  2. In large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, cheese and mustard, then add the zucchini/onion mixture.
  3. Spread the pie crust across the bottom and up the sides of baking dish that has been lightly greased. Carefully lift it into the dish and press across the bottom and up the sides.
  4. Pour zucchini mixture into the crust and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes. Cover with foil for last 10 minutes of baking. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Zucchini Bread

  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 cups grated fresh zucchini
  • 2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • Pinch salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
  • 1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, a third at a time. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Fold in the nuts and dried cranberries or raisins if using.

2 Divide the batter equally between 2 buttered 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour (check for done-ness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Makes 2 loaves.

 

Storage: Store zacchini at room temperature. For winter use in baking, zucchini can be grated and stored in ziplocks in the freezer allowing you to bake with it year round.

 

 

Nutritional stuff: Summer squash as an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C and a very good source of magnesium, vitamin A (notably through its concentration of carotenoids, including beta-carotene), fiber, potassium, folate, copper, riboflavin, and phosphorus.