Well even with all this heat, we have not had any tomatoes yet (although the plants are thriving and I am sure July and August will be very fruitful) I am looking forward to making Champagnes panzanella. But for now, we are getting quite a lot of zucchini. Except for slicing and grilling, does anyone have any good tips or recipes for using the abundance that has recently overtaken us? ( I wish I could trade for some apricots )

Carrie

I love stuffed zucchini. We're talking the humongus ones that you can't find in a store.

I also use grated zucchini in Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms.

Of course they are great, steamed with other mixed vegetables.

Zucchini bread - love it.

When it gets too hot tomato blossoms will not set.

Carrie, if you go to the search icon at the top of this page and enter zuchinni you will come up with eight responses. My MIL's zuchinni puffs recipe is in the one titled zuchinnin bread and cake recipes. Add a little more liquid to that recipe and you would have pancakes. Also Champagne posted a chocolate zuchinni bread recipe.

Try making 1/4" slices, dipping them in your favorite waffle or pancake recipe and grilling them. A sunny side up egg atop, some maple syrup and and a side of bacon/ham/sausage completes the entree.

Still too many? Bury the suckers near the root line of plants to release water slowly. Really great in large potted plants.

Saute some onion, garlic, jalepeno, and tomato in butter/olive oil. Toss in some sliced zucchini. Cover with jack cheese and throw under the broiler for a few minutes. Quick and great!

Carrie, I recommend trying the following recipes from Ina Garten. Both are very good.

Vegetable Tian (Serves 4-6)

For this dish to look its best, you want to choose potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes that are about the same diameter.

Good olive oil
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound medium round potatoes, unpeeled
3/4 pound zucchini
1 1/4 pounds medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brush a 9 X 13 X 2-inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only one layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with one more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, or until browned. Serve warm.



Zucchini Gratin (Serves 4-6)

Ina's notes: Gratins are are a mainstay of French cooking and most are topped with a cheese & breadcrumb mixture. This one can be put together a day in advance and baked just before dinner. Zucchini Gratin can be served as a main dish for vegetarians or as a side dish with roast.

7 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 lb yellow onions, cut in half and sliced (about 3 large)
2 lbs zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick (4 zucchini)
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt 6 Tbsp butter in a large sauté pan. Add the onions and cook for about 20 minutes over low heat. Onions should be tender, but not browned. Add zucchini to the pan and cover. Cook about 10 minutes and add the seasonings. Cook for 5 more minutes before stirring in the flour and the hot mild. Cook a few more minutes to make a sauce. Pour into an 8"x10" baking dish.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese and sprinkle over the zucchini. Dot with remaing butter and bake for about 20 minutes. Top should be brown and bubbly.

Sorry I don't have a recipe but I just had a delicious cream of zucchini soup that had a heavy dose of parmesan melted into it.

I do want to try the chocolate zuchinni bread, but I found this from Paula Dean and made it. It is very good.



Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2008



3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon orange zest
Whipped cream, for serving
Zucchini ribbons, for serving

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill before slicing. Serve with whipped cream and ribbons of zucchini.



Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 2 loaves

Carrie,

These are some of our family favorites; since zucchini is so bland, the recipes are often not low fat, but they sure are tasty:

This is an old Sunset magazine favorite:

Zucchini with Sour Cream

2 lbs zucchini
1 c sour cream
salt and pepper
1 cup hot water

Wash zucchini and cut off stems, but do not peel. Shred on a coarse grater. Put in pan with water, cover and boil 4 minutes. Drain well; mix with sour cream, season with salt and pepper and heat. Serve at once. Makes 6 servings.

This is one of those Pillsbury Bake-Off winners some years ago:

Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie

4 c thinly sliced zucchini 2 eggs, well beaten
1 c chopped onions 8 oz, 2 c, shredded Muenster
2 T butter or Mozzarella cheese
2 T parsley flakes 8-oz can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
¼ t basil leaves 2 t prepared mustard
¼ t oregano leaves

Heat oven to 375 deg. F. In 10-in. skillet, cook zucchini and onions in butter til tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in parsley and seasonings. In lge bowl, blend eggs and cheese. Stir in vegetable mixture.

Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place in ungreased 10-in. quiche pan; press over bottom and up sides to form crust. Seal perforations. Spread crust with mustard. Pour vegetable mixture evenly into prepared crust. Bake at 375 deg. F. for 18-22 min. or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. If crust becomes too brown, cover with foil during last 10 min. of baking. Let stand 10 min. before serving. 6 servings.

I don't know where this one came from; it's something I looked up when a neighbor gave us a bunch of zucchini, and we had an earthquake the same day.

Summer Squash Bake - Earthquake Casserole

Can use only one or two varieties, but be sure to have about three pounds altogether.

4 medium-size crookneck squash, about 1-1/2 lb total
4 medium-size pattypan squash, about 1/2 lb total
3 medium-size zucchini, about 1 lb. total
1 t salt
1/2 t each pepper and oregano leaves
1-1/4 c,5 oz, shredded jack cheese; I used non-fat
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c chopped pecans or almonds; I used sliced almonds
2 T butter or margarine, melted; I used sweet butter

Cut each squash into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Pour water into a 4 to 5-qt pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add squash; cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook just until crisp tender 4-5 minutes. Drain well.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and oregano. Arrange half the squash in a greased shallow 2-quart casserole or baking dish; sprinkle with half the salt mixture and half the jack cheese. Repeat layers, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. In a small bowl, mix nuts and butter; sprinkle over top.

Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

I can't remember the origin of this, but it sure tastes good.

Zucchini Mushroom Onion Tomato Sauté

3 T butter-flavor Crisco
1 med. onion, sliced thin and separated into rings
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. zucchini (about 4 small) cut into 2-1/2 x 1/2" strips
1 c sliced fresh mushrooms
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 t salt
1/4 t dried oregano leaves
1/8 t pepper

In lge skillet melt shortening. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until onion is tender. Add zucchini and mushrooms. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, salt, oregano and pepper. Cook for 2 or 3 more minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving, if desired. 4-6 servings.

Hope there's something here that strikes your fancy. That Pillsbury Crescent Pie is unbelievably tasty - but we enjoy all these recipes.

Thanks for all those wonderful zucchini recipes.

Here's a pretty quick and simple zucchini thing that I love, using stuff you probably already have around ...

* Chop about half an onion and saute it in a little butter and olive oil.
* Add a little salt and or sugar if you like.
* Then add some sliced garlic (even the chopped in a jar works fine in a pinch) to taste
* When the onion is just starting to soften, add some sliced zucchini
* Then add a can of REALLY GOOD chopped tomatoes (I'm loving Muir Glen organic tomatoes these days)
*Add whatever fresh herbs you like, I usually have some basil sitting around (and if not, I'll use a block of frozen), and salt and pepper taste
Cook together until the zucchini is as done as you want it.

Serve with grated parmesan on top

I usually just chop in the order listed, by the time the onion is soft enough, the garlic is ready to go in, and so on.

Sophie and Tanya, Thanks for those recipes. They sound yummy.

Zucchini With Tuna Fish
4 medium zucchini
2 slices bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can tuna fish, grated
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 small can tomato puree
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup water or stock

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Cut the top off then scoop out zucchini with a spoon (like a boat)

Mix together bread, olive oil, parsley, pepper and tuna fish and fill zucchini with this stuffing.

sauté garlic in oil, add tomato puree, salt, pepper and water or stock and cook 15 minutes. Place stuffed zucchini in this sauce and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until zucchini are tender to the touch.