What Do I DO With All This Dam Zucchini

Frank A. Terranova M.C.F.E.

WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL THIS DAMN ZUCCHINI?

As the summer winds down, people suddenly come to the realization that they have planted too many zucchini plants and wonder why. Maybe it’s for the firm flesh of the ripened vegetable; or maybe it’s the pretty yellow flowers, loved by Italians, that are stuffed and fried. Whatever the reason, the veggies just keep growing and growing. Then it’s time to give them away to friends and family until they can’t take anymore. So let’s see how the rest of the world handles this little green vegetable.

In England zucchini is called a courgette, and it is one of the 10 most loved vegetables. Britons mostly cook it in soups or stews. In Mexico the flower is revered and called flor de calabaza and is usually served stuffed. In Italy zucchini are used in a variety of ways, the most common being breaded and pan fried and served with a shaving of Romano cheese.  In France, the zucchini is the key ingredient in ratatouille, known as the stew of the summer, which is slowly cooked in olive oil and sometimes served cold as an appetizer. In Turkey, the zucchini is the main ingredient in their popular dish called mucver or zucchini pancakes. It is made by shredding zucchini and adding flour and eggs. Lightly fry the pancake in olive oil and serve it with yogurt.

In Lebanon, zucchini is stuffed with minced meat and rice plus lots of herbs; it can also be steamed and may be used in stewed dishes. In Greece, zucchini is usually fried or boiled with other vegetables and served as a hors d’oeuvre. During fasting seasons it also is used as a main dish:  the flowers are stuffed with feta cheese with rice and herbs and then deep fried or baked with a tomato sauce.  In Egypt the zucchini is simply cooked with tomatoes, garlic and onions. In the United States most homes just simply sauté them in a little butter or grill them in thick slices

So, no matter how you cut it the zucchini is very good.  When I choose one, I pick out a small squash about 5”-6” long, and the dimension of it should be as round as quarter. If the zucchini is too big, the inner seeds and pulp become spongy and get very mushy during long cooking times leaving no flavor. One of the tastiest ways to prepare zucchini is to just flour and fry them and then serve with grated Romano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. This is about the only way I can keep up with them! So no matter how you cut it, they just keep growing and growing. Hope you have lot of friends to give them away to! As always “That’s Cooking with Class”.