peas planted!

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Wednesday, August 05, 2009

what to do with zucchini (and other summer squashes)

My summer squash are coming in so fast I thought I'd get a list of ideas together of things to do with it.

- grilled, with olive oil and herbs
- grilled, chile-coated with honey lime dressing (Dan's post with photo)
- grilled with olive oil, salt and pepper (roasted or fried in sunflower oil works too), with a yogurt-garlic-dill sauce (a Bulgarian classic from Svetla)
- zucchini risotto (I'm going to try this tonight and I'll add the recipe!)
- fried zucchini (maybe Friday night...)
- squash carpacchio (raw zucchini with goat cheese)
- stuffed zucchini (a full meal)
- raw for snacks or grated in salad
- sliced in quiche
- casserole: layer blanched slices alternately with chopped onion and buttered bread crumbs, repeat 2-3 x and top with butter, cook at 350*F til hot and bubbly (ahhh! Saturday night)
- another casserole: new potato and summer squash casserole
- Squash bread (one of my favorite recipes, works well with grated frozen summer squash)
- dry them
- zucchini cake (sounds so yummy!)
- chocolate zucchini cake!
- appetizer: stuff blanched tiny baby patty pan or other squashes with buttered fresh bread crumbs sauteed with garlic and fresh herbs, heat through and serve
- add refried leftovers to omelet or frittata
- grate and freeze for winter recipes
- sneak it onto your neighbors porch at night (or, my mom's trick, into a car with an open window)
- and, last resort, "compost the buggers".
at

22 comments:

  1. Michelle @ Give a Girl a FigAugust 05, 2009 12:19 PM

    Thank you! I'm especially drawn to the chile coated squash with honey lime dressing...oh my gosh does that sound good!

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  2. zoe p.August 05, 2009 12:19 PM

    I love this list! Everybody needs this list!

    Zucchini done "eggplant parm" style, with a simple tomato sauce is pretty good.

    And Korean zucchini pancakes. I've been experimenting with recipes . . .

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  3. Tessa at Blunders with shoots, blossoms 'n rootsAugust 05, 2009 12:54 PM

    Yummy! Now if I can only decide on which one to do first!

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  4. SvetlaAugust 05, 2009 1:10 PM

    a Bulgarian classic - grilled with olive oil, salt and pepper (roasted or fried in sunflower oil works too), with a yogurt-garlic-dill sauce.

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  5. kathyAugust 05, 2009 1:19 PM

    Svetla, Thanks. sounds excellent! I'm adding this to the post.

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  6. AdrianaAugust 05, 2009 2:31 PM

    For a perfect summer meal I make angel hair zucchini noodles with a spiral slicer however a vegetable peeler will do the job too. I toss the noodles in pesto and y voila! You don't even have to fire up the stove!

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  7. DanAugust 05, 2009 2:54 PM

    I'm still waiting for my first zuc after they kept rotting. I think two are setting now so I am anticipation a couple soon. I saw an Italian dish similar to your fried zucchini suggestion, it is zuc's chopped into match sticks, lightly dredged and fried and then top with a squeeze of lemon and salt. I also want to try zucchini scones if I can find a good recipe. I agree with Michelle, the chile/honey/lime grilled zuc sounds great. I will be give that a try!

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  8. Marian(LondonUK)August 05, 2009 5:04 PM

    Fantastic, I have been ploughing through cookery books to find recipes for zukes/courgettes. I looked up the Marion Morash book you refer to, it is a fortune to buy £175 was the best of price in 3 online sellers I looked at. I guess it is out of print or something really special!
    Marian(LondonUK)

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  9. Chef Phil and MalindaAugust 05, 2009 5:20 PM

    You can also donate extra veggies to your local food bank!!

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  10. SusieAugust 05, 2009 7:19 PM

    I won an award for my vegan chocolate zucchini cupcakes with vegan chocolate frosting:-)

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  11. Ellie Mae's CottageAugust 05, 2009 10:04 PM

    Wonderful tips! When I have too many I fry and freeze them which works pretty well. I love squash and zucchini bread too. -Jackie

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  12. Karen AnneAugust 06, 2009 12:06 AM

    Marian, I am not sure which Marian Morash cookbook are mean, but alibris has a couple of her books used for about $40 US. I think they ship worldwide, but I am not sure.

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  13. Marian(LondonUK)August 06, 2009 2:41 AM

    Thanks for that Karen Anne I will research this.
    Marian(LondonUK)

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  14. JanaAugust 06, 2009 8:47 AM

    Thanks for the great ideas! I also like to keep a bunch of grilled ones in the fridge and throw them on sandwiches with hummus or cream cheese or goat cheese along with whatever else I pull out of the garden that goes with it-herbs, cukes, tomatoes, anything! I do the same thing with eggs and make veggie frittata's a lot. And like Phil and Melinda said-my local foodbank is always grateful for what we can't use!

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  15. MuumAugust 06, 2009 9:15 AM

    yum, yum. I think there are almost as many recipes for zucchini as there are zucchini in my garden (j/k)
    I am posting recipes at my blog, too, in honor of National Leave a Zucchini on your Neighbor's Porch day, which is Saturday, August 8th.

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  16. AnonymousAugust 06, 2009 9:23 AM

    I slow roast vegetables that I am sure I cannot consume right away. I cut them up, zucchini, onions, eggplant, tomato with garlic and olive oil coated. Add rosemary, a little salt. Roast them at 250 for a few hours, turning every 30 min or so. I have great roasted vegetables I freeze and use later.

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  17. JGHAugust 06, 2009 6:34 PM

    Thanks for the great ideas. I've been cutting them up to freeze and add to soups during the winter when I'm not sick of them anymore. Risotto sounds yummy!

    National Leave a Zucchini on the Neighbor's Porch Day!?? LOL - spread the word!

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  18. buckeye207August 06, 2009 7:01 PM

    So sad, squash borers just devastated all of my squash and zuchini. I only got to harvest two zuccinis before the plants were officially decimated. Do you do anything in paticular to keep them away. I'm thinking next year I may need to use Sevin during the time that the borer eggs hatch.

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  19. Victoria B.September 14, 2009 2:44 PM

    I have several vegetable cook-books that will be sold in the Library book sale. Are you interested in any of these?







    i

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  20. kathySeptember 14, 2009 3:34 PM

    Hi Mom,

    I'd love vegetable cookbooks. Or you could get them, try out the recipes and invite me up to eat them.

    I just spoke with the Globe who will come watch me make my squash bread soon. They want to see the pumpkin version. I'm nervous to have someone watch me cook!

    buckeye,

    Make sure to rotate the location of squashes - grow them somewhere else next year. Also spray the stems very regularly starting early in season (June) with a spray that says its effective against stem borers. Malathion is recommended. Here's a good link from Cornell. They also recommend nematode injections. Good luck. A very tough problem to treat.

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  21. LouiseSeptember 25, 2009 3:16 PM

    Thought I would mention, as we have been making the cake for over 20 years, it is wonderful baked in a bundt pan for 1 hour, 15 minutes, cooled and then frosted...try it...beats the heck out of 3 layers!

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  22. LouiseSeptember 25, 2009 3:17 PM

    I might add..Thanks!

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