Savor The Flavor: Zucchini

The joke goes, “Why do people in Rhinebeck lock their car doors? — To stop people from leaving zucchini in the car.“

That’s half in jest; a couple of zucchini or squash plants will supply a family of four with side dishes for several months in summer. These plants are the most prolific. (A couple of these plants will take over your garden and start to annex your neighbor’s yard.)

As summer squash seems to be a “Southern thing,” and Zucchini seems more local to me, I’ll focus my discussion on zucchini, but in reality, either works here.

As per Wikipedia:

The zucchini is a summer squash, a vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and epicarp (rind) are still soft and edible. It is closely related, but not identical, to the marrow; its fruit may be called marrow when mature.

Golden zucchini grown in the Netherlands for sale in a supermarket in Montpellier, France, in April 2013
Ordinary zucchini fruit are any shade of green, though the golden zucchini is a deep yellow or orange. At maturity, they can grow to nearly 1 metre (3 feet) in length, but they are normally harvested at about 15–25 cm (6–10 in).

In botany, the zucchini’s fruit is a pepo, a berry (the swollen ovary of the zucchini flower) with a hardened epicarp. In cookery, it is treated as a vegetable, usually cooked and eaten as an accompaniment or savory dish, though occasionally used in sweeter cooking.

Zucchini occasionally contain toxic cucurbitacins, making them extremely bitter, and causing severe gastero-enteric upsets. Causes include stressed growing conditions, and cross pollination with ornamental squashes.

Zucchini descends from squashes first domesticated in Mesoamerica over 7,000 years ago, but the zucchini itself was bred in Milan in the late 19th century.

Zucchini are usually picked when under 8 inches long and when the seeds are still soft and immature. Mature zucchini can be 40 inches long or more. These larger ones often have mature seeds and hard skins, requiring peeling and seeding. A zucchini with the flowers attached is a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit, and it is especially sought after for its sweeter flavor.

Zucchini is usually served cooked. It can be prepared using various cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as soufflés.

Raw grated zucchini can also be combined with flour and spices in a zucchini bread, similar to banana bread, or incorporated into a cake mix to make zucchini cake, similar to carrot cake. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy when deep-fat-fried.

Zucchini has a delicate flavor and can be found cooked with butter, olive oil, and herbs or in more complex dishes. The skin is usually left in place. When frying zucchini, it is recommended to pat down cut sections to make them drier, similarly to what may be done with eggplant, to keep the slices’ shape while cooking.

Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced, or shredded in a cold salad and lightly cooked in hot salads, as in Thai or Vietnamese recipes.

Squash Skillet

Easy, Simple, Healthy, and Tasty, this one will be on repeat as long as the produce lasts.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Global

Servings 6

Calories 20 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Skillet 10-12" Cast Iron or non stick

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 ea Zucchini Small, washed, trimmed, sliced 1/4"
• 2 ea Squash Summer, Small, trimmed, sliced 1/4"
• 1 ea Onion Small, peeled, sliced 1/4"
• 1/2 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Sprinkle Magic Dust See Notes, optional
• 1 Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese Fresh grated, optional

Instructions

 

• Over medium-high heat, heat the fat(s) until rippling.
• Add the onions and stir fry until tender / translucent, 3-4 minutes
• Add the zucchini and yellow squash in as even a layer as possible and season, with dust or just salt and pepper
• Let the veggies sit without stirring or moving for 2-3 minutes so they can brown.
• Stir, add a bit more seasoning, and continue to cook, stirring on occasion, until the squash is tender to your liking (5-7 minutes)
• Taste, season, add Parmesan, and serve hot.

Notes

One can go all squash or all zucchini; I used both for the visual variety.

“Magic Dust” Seasoning

•   1 tsp Onion Powder
•   1 tsp Salt
•   1 tsp Paprika, I use smoked
•   1 tsp garlic powder
•   1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
•   1/4 tsp Dried Basil
•   1/4 tsp Black Pepper
•   1/4 tsp Cayenne

 

Add all to spice grinder and process finely. Alt, use a mortar and pestle and go for broke

Taste and adjust as necessary

Nutrition

Calories: 20kcalCarbohydrates: 0.1gProtein: 0.1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 10mgPotassium: 3mgFiber: 0.01gSugar: 0.02gVitamin A: 67IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.01mg

Keyword Skillet, Squash, Stir Fry, Summer, Zucchini

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