By Sidonie Maroon, Culinary Educator for The Food Co-op

What possessed me to plant nine summer squashes for two people? Maybe I can’t resist variety, or more likely I planted an entire flat of jade, golden and emerald zucchini and couldn’t give away enough seedlings. Now, the future has caught up, and it’s zucchini for dinner.

A Brief History

Zucchini, also known as courgette, is a summer squash that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. It’s originally from Central and South America, and crossed to Europe as part of the Columbian exchange. In the late 19th century, Italians developed the zucchini as we know it. The English “zucchini” comes from the Italian “zucchino,” meaning a small squash, which immigrants brought to the States in the early 20th century.

My Top Zucchini Cuisine

 If I were to choose a cuisine that can handle night after night of zucchini, it would be — Italian.

(If I had the space, my other choices would be Mexican and Greek.)

Hop on board for our culinary tour, but first I want you to imagine cooking these ideas without recipes. Instead, choose a shape to cut the zucchinis, a technique for cooking them with, and the flavors will fall into place.

La zucchina va in Italia

A few delicious ideas featuring zucchini: slice into long slabs, roast them to reduce the water content, and layer as a lasagna with fresh basil and ricotta. Stuffed and fried zucchini blossoms are a delicate treat; fill them with a lemon ricotta and herb mixture. Incorporate roasted chunks into a minestrone for added depth. Spiralize firm, fresh into zoodles, place them in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 15-30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Rinse, pat dry, and then sauté, blanch, or roast. Toss with a pesto. Try marinating slices in lemon juice and olive oil before grilling to enhance their flavor and texture.

Italian Flavors For Zucchini 

Herbs: basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary and sage

Spices: garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, fennel and nutmeg with creamy dishes

Vegetables: tomatoes — sun dried for in sauces, peppers especially sweet Italian reds, caramelized onions, eggplant like in caponata, mushrooms to add umami

Cheeses: Parmesan, mozzarella, Pecorino romano, gorgonzola  

Vinegars: balsamic, red wine, sherry

Nuts: pine nuts, walnuts and almonds

More Mouth Watering Ideas  

Grilled Zucchini with Basil and Parmesan: Grill zucchini slices and top with fresh basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Zucchini and Tomato Caprese: Layer slices of thin zucchini, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with fresh basil and sea salt.

Zucchini and Ricotta Stuffed Shells: Mix ricotta with a dash of nutmeg, with sautéed zucchini, garlic, and fresh herbs. Stuff into pasta shells and bake with marinara and mozzarella.

Zucchini and Mushroom Risotto: Sauté zucchini and mushrooms with garlic and thyme. Stir into a creamy risotto and finish with Pecorino Romano.

Zucchini Pesto Pasta: Make a pesto with fresh basil, garlic, walnuts, Parmesan, and olive oil. Toss with spiralized zucchini noodles (zoodles) and top with cherry tomatoes.

Zucchini and Eggplant Medley: Roast zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes with garlic and herbs like rosemary and oregano.

Zucchini Caponata

This is closer to the classic, but I roast the veggies instead of boiling.

For roasting

2 lbs zucchini cut into small cubes

2 large red peppers, cut into a small dice

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

Additions

½ cup Italian parsley, chopped

½ cup celery, cut into a small dice

½ cup green olives

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed 

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup pine nuts or pepita seeds

 Dressing

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons coconut sugar, or brown sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fish sauce, anchovy based (Red Boat)

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roast the veggies on a middle shelf for about 25 minutes or until the peppers and onions are sweet.

2. Using a food processor, pulse the veggies, parsley, celery, olives, capers, raisins and nuts together until tapenade or relish consistency (about 10 to 12 pulses). Put the relish into a serving bowl.

3. Rinse out the processor bowl, and process the dressing ingredients together until creamy and smooth. Stir the dressing into the relish and allow time to meld the flavors. It’s even better the next day. Keep refrigerated and serve at room temperature.

4. Serve with chopped fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. Try molding the relish into a fun shape to serve.

Gremolata with Olive Oil  

Variation on the classic Condiment

Skip the fine mincing and pounding, because you can quickly pulse this gremolata variation in a food processor. Use it on blanched veggie salads.

1 cup packed Italian parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Zest of a lemon

½ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pulse together in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Stores refrigerated for several days.

Italian Herb Salt

Makes 300g about 1 cup

Use this when you roast zucchinis with red peppers, garlic and onions.

1 cup/200g coarse sea salt (I used a bulk Celtic salt, it’s moist with a gray green color and perfect for seasoning salts.)

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon/19g fine sea salt (I used bulk Redmond Real Salt)

½ cup (lightly packed)/10g fresh rosemary leaves, not stems

3 tablespoons/45g (about 6 to 8 large cloves) homemade garlic paste

2 tablespoons/3g chopped fresh garden sage leaves

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon/9g whole black peppercorns

1. Gather ingredients.

2. Using a spice grinder, grind the peppercorns with the fine sea salt.

3. Peel and chop the garlic and using a small food processor grind into a paste.

4. Measure and chop the herbs, grind together until fine in a small food processor.

5. Combine the coarse salt, fine salt and pepper, herbs and garlic paste and pulse until evenly combined. It will be moist.

6. Put into small jars. You can use the salt right away, but the flavors will meld and deepen with time. Use within six months. 

Spicy Tomato Onion Sauce

Makes 1 ½ cups

A delicious bright pasta sauce with a sweet heat for zucchini lasagne. 

2 medium large onions, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced

¼ cup olive oil

14-ounce can of chopped tomatoes or the equivalent fresh peeled and seeded

¼ teaspoon chili flakes

¼ teaspoon salt plus a pinch more to finish

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

¼ cup water

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Toss onions and garlic with the olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes. Stir and roast for another 10 minutes. Stir several times during the last ten minutes so that nothing chars. A little char around the edges is ok.

3. Add the tomatoes with juice to the sheet, with the salt, chili flakes and vinegar. Roast for 15 minutes.

4. Using a food processor, add the veggies. I lift the parchment and slide the veg off the paper into the processor. Add the water and pulse together several times. Puree until chunky smooth.