THE GREAT ZUCCHINI ROUNDUP

 

Big zucchini hiding in the shadows!

Hand-pollination is the secret. Never could I grow zucchini. The little zukes turned yellow and fell off the plant. This year, having built a fence to keep out the boars, Ben took over the gardening. When the first little zucchinis appeared, he shook the male flowers over the female flowers and, hey! Full-grown zucchinis. Lots of them. 

I’ve pulled up my favorite zucchini recipes. Here’s a new recipe for fried zucchini balls and a roundup of some good ones from before. 

Fried Zucchini Balls (recipe below). These are creamy-cheesy on the inside with a little texture from the shredded zucchini and crisp on the outside. Served with Greek yogurt-cilantro for dipping, they make good appetizers. Or, vegetarian dinner stuffed in pita pockets. 

Moroccan Chopped Zucchini Salad. Lots of fresh flavors, this salad goes well with grilled foods. See the recipe here. (The same post has another recipe for marinated zucchini.)

Cold Zucchini Vichyssoise. 

Chilled soup that's not gazpacho. This is similar to vichyssoise, but with zucchini in addition to the leeks and potatoes. (Recipe here.)

Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a French dessert, somewhere between quiche and cake, traditionally made with black cherries. This is a savory version with diced zucchini and cherry tomatoes. Get the recipe here.

Spaghetti and Zucchini Noodles with Pesto. 

Have you ever made "zoodles"? Spiral-cut zucchini makes a great stand-in for pasta. Here the zoodles are combined with real spaghetti, basil pesto, and cherry tomatoes. Summertime. The recipe--and another for Tortilla with Zucchini and Eggplant--is here.

Fake Chanquetes (Crispy Fried Zucchini)

Chanquetes are tiny, transparent fish, once a Málaga culinary trademark. Their fishing is now prohibited in order to prevent the larvae of other species being captured and sold as chanquetes. Grated zucchini, floured and fried, makes a credible counterfeit! Get the recipe here.

Zucchini Boats Stuffed with Quinoa, Vegetables, and Cheese. When the zucchini gets too big, nothing to do but hollow it out and stuff it with something. This version is vegetarian. Another version is Zucchini Tubs Stuffed with Shrimp. Both recipes are here. 

Pan-Fried Hake Fillets with Pisto. Pisto is the summer dish that goes with everything. Not to be confused with pesto, pisto is usually made with zucchini, peppers, onions, and tomatoes, sometimes with eggplant too. Here it serves as side dish and sauce for easy fried fish fillets. Get the recipe here.

Zucchini-Cheese Timbale

Here is a super easy summer dish--a timbale or vegetable flan that is baked in the microwave. The recipe is here.

Chocolate-Zucchini Cake.

Remember chocolate-zucchini cake? It's pretty good and this recipe is super fast because it bakes in the microwave. Serve it with raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Recipe here. (You'll find some more good ideas for using the microwave. Just yesterday I made a quickie baba ghanoush, eggplant pureed with tahini and garlic, by cooking the eggplant in the MW.) 

Fried Zucchini Balls

Bolitas de Calabacín

Makes 2 dozen (1-inch) balls

1 ½ pounds zucchini

2 tablespoons chopped onions

1 teaspoon salt

3 ounces queso fresco, mashed

3 ounces grated cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup + fine dry bread crumbs

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon hot pimentón (paprika)

Flour for dredging

Olive oil for frying

Yogurt or dipping sauce to serve

Grate the zucchini. Place it in a colander with the onions and mix with the salt. Let drain 30 minutes. Squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible. (If desired, save the zucchini water for soup making.)

Combine the queso fresco, grated cheese, and egg in a mixing bowl. Add the drained zucchini and mix well. Add 1/3 cup of crumbs, cumin, and pimentón. Mix very well. Refrigerate the mixture 1 hour.

If the zucchini mixture seems very squishy, add 1 or 2 tablespoons more of bread crumbs. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll them in flour to coat. If not ready to fry the balls, place them on a sheet pan and refrigerate, uncovered.

Heat oil in a pan to a depth of ½ inch. Fry the balls on medium-high until they are golden-brown on all sides. Don’t let them brown too quickly or the zucchini will not cook. 

Drain the balls on paper towels. Serve immediately with yogurt or dipping sauce to accompany.

ZUCCHINI SOLUTIONS

While most of you are frantically searching for ways to use the season’s bounty of zucchini, I am, once again, bemoaning the fact that I can’t grow zuccchini. The plants flower beautifully and produce infant squashes. But, when they get about thumb-sized, they turn yellow and fall off the vine. Not enough water? Too much water? Why do I even bother to plant them, year after year?

Not to worry. The markets are heaped with zucchini these days. I can afford to go through my whole repertoire of zucchini recipes. Here’s one I haven’t made in a while—batter-dipped and fried zucchini slices. They’re good as a side or, with a dipping sauce, as aperitif.

Sliced zucchini is dipped in batter and fried until golden. Serve it as an aperitif with a dipping sauce such as mojo picón, red chile sauce.

Fried zucchini is crisp on the outside, soft in the center.

Batter-Fried Zucchini
Calabacín Rebozado

One egg makes enough batter for two medium zucchini. Or, make just one and refrigerate the remaining batter for another use. Fish sticks?

Regulate the heat when frying the zucchini slices so that they don’t brown too quickly before the centers are cooked. The fried zucchini is best served immediately, as the coating loses its crispness if left to set. However, the leftovers are terrific recycled, layered in a gratin dish with sliced tomatoes, basil leaves and grated cheese and baked. 

1 ½ pounds zucchini (2 medium)
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
Olive oil for frying

Combine the flour, baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and milk and stir to blend well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Slice 3/8 inch thick.

Slice the (unpeeled) zucchini crosswise into 3/8-inch thick rounds. 

Heat oil in a heavy skillet to a depth of 1 inch. Dip slices of zucchini into the batter, letting excess drip off. Carefully place them in the hot oil. Fry on medium-high, turning once, until zucchini is golden on both sides. Remove and drain on a rack. Sprinkle with salt. 

Drain fried slices on a rack and serve them immediately.

Recycling leftover fried zucchini: layer the slices in a gratin dish with sliced tomato, basil leaves and grated cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and zucchini is bubbling.

Another way to fry zucchini:

Crispy Fried Zucchini "Fish"

Some more dipping sauces:

Spicy "Brava" Sauce.

Fresh Tomato Sauce.

Turkish Walnut Sauce.

Alioli Garlic Mayonnaise.

Romesco Red Pepper Sauce.

Piquillo Red Pepper Sauce.

Green Chile Sauce (Mojo Verde).

Cherry Ketchup.

THE ZUCCHINI CHRONICLES

Zucchini in the garden with flowers.

I may be the only person in the world who can’t grow zucchini. The plants flourish and flower, but the baby zukes turn yellow and fall off the vine before they mature. Anybody know why? Too much water or not enough water?

I harvest the tiny zucchini and enjoy them simply sauteed in olive oil. But, to prepare some of my favorite zucchini dishes, I have to head to the market or wait until friends pass along surplus from their gardens.

Someone just gave me a fine big specimen, a bludgeon of a zucchini. Shall I stuff it? I like to cut zucchini into 2 ½-inch segments, scoop out a well in each and fill with chorizo or other sausage, top with breadcrumbs and cheese and bake until zucchini cups are just tender.

But today I will make my favorite zucchini dish, cuajado, a sort of timbale with vegetables, eggs and cheese. Cuajado means “set” (as a gelatine sets) or “clotted.”

Cuajado comes from Spain’s medieval Sephardic Jewish culture, where a meatless, all-dairy meal was served on some holidays. Modern-day Sephardim call these meatless meals by the Spanish word desayuno, or “breakfast,” meaning a substantial brunch or lunch. Spanish cooking has a number of variations on cuajado—with zucchini, eggplant, spinach, potatoes. In fact, cuajado may be the precursor of the popular Spanish tortilla, made of eggs and potatoes.

Cuajado makes a fine vegetarian meal, a classy starter (garnish with roasted red peppers sauteed in olive oil) and, if you omit the optional bread crumbs, an ideal low-carb breakfast.

Zucchini timbale in microwave.

Because I refuse to turn on the oven from early June until September, I have adapted the recipe to cook in the microwave. This requires using a microwave-safe ring mold (it is plastic, which, when I purchased it, was  considered microwave-safe). An alternative would be to put the zucchini mixture into four to six custard cups. Reduce the cooking time and rotate the cups four times during the cooking time.

I use a food processor to grate the zucchini and cheese.

Zucchini Timbale
Cuajado de Calabacines

Serves 4 to 6.

2 pounds zucchini
¼ onion
2 teaspoons salt
4 ounces Manchego cheese, grated
   (about 1 ½ cups)
4 eggs
½ cup fresh bread crumbs 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
chopped fresh herbs (such as dill, basil or    thyme)

Grate the zucchini and onion. Place in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Let stand for 1 hour. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

If baking the timbale in the oven, preheat oven to 350º.

Beat together the cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, pepper and chopped herbs. Stir in the shredded zucchini.

To bake: Pour mixture into an oiled 9-inch cake pan. Bake until top is golden and a skewer comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

To microwave: Pour zucchini into an oiled microwave-safe tube pan. Smooth the top surface, but do not compact the mixture. Place in microwave and cover with microwave vented lid. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Reduce power to medium-high. Microwave for 10 minutes. Allow the timbale to rest, covered, inside the microwave for 10 minutes before unmolding.

Serve hot or cold.

Zucchini timbale unmolded.