Discovering a zeal for zucchini

Summertime brings us the favorite plant of some gardeners and the bane of others, the summer squash. Many may think of squash and imagine something with squishy tastelessness. It can be, however, as crisp as a cucumber. It is a native American plant, with the most popular kind of squash known by its Italian varietal name, zucchini.

My favorite way to prepare zucchini is to grill it. I prepare the same marinade that I use for meats, except I add no water. I don’t even have to peel it, though you could. Let the squash sit in the marinade for about 20 minutes. Place the cut side down on a hot grill and turn once they have started to caramelize. Do the same to the other side.

If your zucchini has reached monster proportions, all is not lost. Just cut it in half and scoop out the seed cavity and prepare as needed. The flesh will be close enough to that of a young version as to not be noticeable. Bus-sized zucchini can be treated this way too, though keep in mind the seed cavity will be pretty big and you might need a hatchet to get into it. Save them for Halloween carving.

DAN’S MARINADE

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sea salt

4 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine all in a large zip to bag. Place in prepared zucchini and shake to coat. Let sit for 20 minutes. Grill.

ZUCCHINI BREAD

1 cup golden raisins

3 zucchini

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 eggs

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak raisins in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander or strainer; set aside. Clean the zucchini and trim off the ends. Do not peel. Shred with a medium sized shredder. You should have about 4 cups when finished. Sprinkle the zucchini with 1 teaspoon of the salt and place on a plate. Mix it with your hands to evenly distribute the salt. Place a heavy saucepan on top of the zucchini and allow it to sit for 20 minutes to purge itself of liquid. Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans and set aside. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the flour. Sift together the remaining flour, soda, spices, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat eggs on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, a little at a time and beat for a good 5 minutes. The mixture should be light in color and thick. While beating, slowly pour in the oil. Empty the zucchini into a colander and squeeze to release the juices. Add the vanilla to the beating eggs and then add in the zucchini. Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time and mix just until the dry ingredients are mixed in. Do not overmix. In a small bowl combine the remaining 2 Tablespoon flour, nuts, and drained raisins, and mix together to coat. Fold into the batter. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on a rack completely.

SCRAMBLED EGGS AND ZUCCHINI

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Pour in oil and sauté zucchini until tender. Spread out zucchini in an even layer, and pour beaten egg evenly over top. Cook until egg is firm. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

ZUCCHINI CHICKEN

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup cooking sherry

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lemon, cut open

4 carrots

4 zucchinis, julienned

Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag with flour, salt and pepper. Seal bag and shake to coat. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown chicken on each side for about 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove from skillet and set aside. In same skillet combine sherry, broth, garlic and a squeeze of lemon and bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. In the meantime, saute carrots and zucchini in a separate medium skillet until they are tender. Add to simmering chicken and sauce and heat through before serving.

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

4 slices bread, cubed

1/4 cup melted butter

2 cups zucchini, cubed

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 egg, beaten

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread cubes in a medium bowl and pour melted butter over the bread. Add the zucchini, onion, garlic salt and egg; mix well. Transfer the mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish and top with the cheese. Bake, covered, in oven for 30 minutes. Then uncover the dish and bake for another 30 minutes.

ZUCCHINI SOUP

5 zucchinis

2 potatoes

1 large onion

6 ounces cubed processed cheese food

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Clean and quarter zucchini and potatoes. Peel and chop onion. In a large pot boil zucchini, potatoes and onion in water (just covering them) until very tender. Drain vegetables, but retain stock. In a blender, or with a hand blender, puree the cheese, zucchini, potatoes, onion and bouillon while adding stock, until desired consistency is reached. This may need to be done in two batches if using a blender. Pour mixture back into large pot and bring to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste. If desired, garnish with croutons, paprika and chives.

ZUCCHINI MEATBALLS

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 (9-ounce) cans tomato sauce

4 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

2 pounds ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 cup grated zucchini, drained

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot mix together garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, parsley and basil. Bring sauce to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer. In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, ground pork, zucchini, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder and parsley. Shape into balls the size of a child’s fist. In a skillet, fry meatballs in hot olive oil until brown. Add to sauce mixture. Simmer over low heat for four hours.