Posted on 15 Comments on Too much zucchini?

Too much zucchini?

zucchiniI accidently bought two bags of zucchini at the Jean-Talon Market on Sunday. So we’re going zucchini crazy. Sunday evening we had that caprese salad with grilled zucchini, and Monday night we had an awesome cream of zucchini soup (very mildly curried) along with a leek tart (made from market leeks).

Today I had leftover zucchini soup for lunch, and tonight we had a huge pile of grilled zucchini (and grilled red peppers and grilled onions) with our barbequed pork loin (that had a honey/mustard/balsamic “crust”). Tomorrow’s dinner will be more leftover zucchini soup and pizza with (leftover) grilled zucchini, peppers, and onions. And after that we’ll still have about four zucchinis left.

I suppose I could always make a rata- rattatu- ratooto– that thing with zucchini and eggplant that I can’t spell and can’t even say right (I call it rat-a-tat-tooie or ratta-ka-blooie).

Abundance. Love it while you have it.

15 thoughts on “Too much zucchini?”

  1. oooh. could you post your recipe for zucchini soup? :o) i’ve been growing zucchini and i’m going to end up with more than we could eat!

  3. I found a nice recipe for Indian Ratatouille in the Moosewood New Classics – it calls for loads of zukes, so you can dispense with the last of them!

  4. The burning question for you, Ed: do you salt your zucchini in the same manner as you would salt eggplant before you cook it?

    I came across an old cookbook a while ago and noticed this little gem of information that I’d never heard before. They suggested doing exactly what you have to do with eggplant to take out the bitter juices and leave the tasty flesh.

    I don’t do it all the time, because the difference between zucchini both ways isn’t that marked. But it does lead to really tender and lovely zukes no matter how you cook ’em.

  5. Hey, the zuke-soup was from a Moosewood book — the “daily special” one I think.

    The recipe was really easy. I’ll reproduce it from memory below, and will double-check it tonight. (Update: recipe checked and revised.)

    – 5 cups of sliced zucchini (half-moons, about 1/4 inch thick)
    – 2 cups of cubed potatoes (1/2 inch cubes)
    – 2 cups of diced onion
    – 3 cloves of garlic, smashed & mashed
    – 1 tsp grated ginger root
    – 2 tsp curry powder
    – 2-1/2 cups of vegetable stock or water (I used chicken stock)
    – 3/4 cup of plain yogurt
    – 1 cup of milk
    – 1 tbsp cider vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
    – 1 to 1-1/2 tsp salt
    – 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

    METHOD:

    – Sweat the onions for ten minutes in a bit of olive oil, until translucent.

    – Turn up the heat a bit and add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute.

    – Add the curry powder and keep stirring for a minute.

    – Add the stock, zucchini, potatoes, and salt and bring to a boil.

    – Cook at a low boil for ten minutes.

    – Add the cilantro, if using. Cook for about another ten minutes.

    – Stir in the milk and yogurt and remove from the heat.

    – Stir in the vinegar.

    – Transfer (in batches) to a food processor or blender and purée to a smooth consistency.

    This soup can be served hot or cold, and holds up very well as leftovers.

  7. Yeah, he forgot that I was carrying the first bag of zucchinis and he ran off to buy a second bag before I could stop him.

    I think it’s old age…

    It’s great though because it’s forcing us to really use our cookbooks! I used to be a member of an organic farm and I got one box of veggies a week. I didn’t get to chose what went in the box, so I had to be very inventive!

  8. Now I’m hungry! Methinks zuke-soup for supper. Thanks!!

    If you want the Indian ratatouille, let me know and I’ll fetch the book ASAP.

  9. Maggie, I updated the recipe after checking the cook book (very slight modifications).

    Yes! Please pass on the Rat-a-tat-tooie recipe!

  10. Michael, somehow I only just spotted your comment now. No, I’ve never salted zucchini, although I suppose it does make sense — it’s a fairly similar flesh as eggplant. I think I’ll try it!

  11. In the end I usually make Zucchini bread [same recipe as banana bread really] with sunflower seeds n’ nutmeg. It uses up the most zucchini, makes the most moist and delicious cake/breads ever, and you can practically freeze it forever.

    And there’s also the zucchini version of Imam Bayildi, where you basically hollow them out, pan fry the innards up in chunks with onions, spicy sausage bits and toasted bread chunks, then stuff it all back in the zucchini ‘boat’, slather it in olive oil and grill it again on the bbq.

    [Ugh – ok now I’m hungry.]

  12. Mmmm, that bali-whatzit sounds great. Back when all I had to cook with was a single-burner hot plate and a microwave oven, I used to do a thing kinda like that, but with eggs instead of sausage, and it was finished in the ol’ nuker. Yours sounds better, and I think I’m gonna try it.

  13. Indian Ratatouille

    2 cups diced onion
    2 tbsp veg oil
    2 cloves garlic, pressed
    1 fresh chile (seed for milder)
    1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
    1 tsp ground cumin
    1 tsp ground coriander
    1/2 tsp turmeric
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1/4 tsp cardamom
    1 tsp salt
    pinch of crumbled saffron
    1 cup orange juice
    5 cups cubed eggplant
    4 cups cubed zucchini (or yellow squash or pattypans)
    1 1/2 cups diced red pepper
    3 cups diced tomatoes (canned ok)
    1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

    Saute the onions until translucent, about 10 mins. Stir in all the spices, including the salt, and saute about a minute, stirring constantly. Add juice and eggplant, toss to coat with spices, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until the eggplant starts to soften.

    Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and simmer another 15 minutes or so, until everything’s tender. Add more orange juice if things start to stick.

    Serve hot or warm over rice or couscous, or just with some good bread.

  15. maybe I’m too late, but I have a good zucchini recipe if you’re interested, it’s my own invention.
    Mango Zucchini Pinon Muffins

    3 cups white flour
    1 cup wheat flour
    1 cup brown sugar — packed
    1 1/2 cups sugar
    4 teaspoons baking soda
    4 teaspoons cinnamon
    1 teaspoon nutmeg
    1 teaspoon allspice
    1 teaspoon salt
    3 medium zucchini — grated
    16 ounces mango — peeled and puréed
    6 eggs
    1 cup vegetable oil
    4 teaspoons vanilla
    3/4 cup pinon nuts — toasted
    Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Combine flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg allspice and salt. Add the zucchini and toss to coat and separate. Add mango puree, eggs, oil and vanilla and stir well to blend. Stir in the pinons.

    Pour batter into muffin cups that have been well-greased or lined with papers. Bake at 350F degrees for 25-30 minutes or until tops spring back when touched. Let muffins cool at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.
    Serve with Chipotle Honey Butter:
    2 Cups Butter — Softened
    1/2 Cup Honey
    1 Teaspoon Chipotle chile pepper powder
    1 Teaspoon Mango Hot Sauce or other fruit hot sauce)
    To prepare honey butter:
    In food processor or mixer combine butter, honey, chipotle powder and hot sauce. Mix thoroughly.

Comments are closed.