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Before I even harvested a handful of zucchini from the garden, it was strongly suggested that I avoid getting ourselves in a rut so that we’re not all zucchini-ed out by the end of the season. I’m perfectly satisfied sauteing the chopped vegetable in a little olive oil then sprinkling with salt, pepper, dried oregano, and mozzarella cheese. (delicious!!)I thought I did pretty well mixing it up last year, I even found myself craving a slice of Pineapple Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting mid-winter. (Satisfaction of the craving made possible by my more prudent grandmother who had a store of frozen shredded zucchini.) Some did tire of the Zucchini Pancakes and requested I reduce the number of times these are on the menu this year. I, however, love them simply because they’ve given me a starting point for making the best buttermilk pancakes!
Ever.People beg me for Brinner. That never used to happen.But that’s a recipe for another time.I actually didn’t get to as many of the recipes as I planned to try last year, my plants weren’t as prolific as I anticipated. We hilled them upon suggestions of other gardeners, but I found that made the main stems weak and they tipped over and were easily damaged by wind and dust-bathing chickens.With 12 plants in the ground this year, not including the 6 summer squash, I’ve been up to my ears in this easy-to-grow vegetable just as I planned.
I’m hoping to take the frozen zucchini I’ve put away to add to pastas or soups this winter (and for those off-season hankerings. 😉 I tried adding it to my spaghetti sauce (with skepticism and was surprised to find most of it disappeared. No one even noticed it was in there!
I may also try adding it to my cornbread muffins and maybe a little bacon too later in the season.
I have found tons of great recipes to add our fresh zucchini into this summer! So many, I may not even get to them all. Here is a sampling of what we’ve been eating:
{Side Dishes}
Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin
Parmesan Quinoa with Zucchini Yellow Squash and CarrotsMy first experience with quinoa was surprisingly delicious! We all loved it and will be adding this recipe to the family cookbook.
Stuffed Squash Blossoms
We ate this fun side with spaghetti and it was so good! It was unusual and fancy and our first experience with edible flowers. If you try it, and you should, be sure to pick your flower in the morning before the bees are too bad and before the flowers have completely wilted. Also, select the male flowers. The males don’t produce any fruit and grow from the base on a tall skinny stem.{Main Dishes}
Spaghetti with Peas and Zucchini Ribbons I played with this one adding some crumbled bacon & 1/4 c. each of butter and parmigiano reggiano cheese after when I mixed it all together at the end.
Tilapia Spinach and Zucchini Salad
{Goodies}
Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
I posted a zucchini pie last year, and to be honest, when we got around to trying it we were all less than thrilled. The recipe claimed that it was virtually indistinguishable from an apple pie, and yet we all knew exactly what we were eating and it was far from apples.
Not to be discouraged, I thought I’d give zucchini pie one more try. After all, zucchini is a lot easier to grow than apples and a lot cheaper too.
The night I made this pie, I repeatedly referred to it as a “Zapple Pie”. However, it never quite clicked with my husband who though we were just eating a different type of apple pie. He is quite the apple pie lover. I think he could eat one a day himself and he polished this pie off handily. When I requested a review he informed me that it was really good. I asked if he thought he could tell it was zucchini and he had to go back and inspect the pie to realize that it wasn’t apple. I guess he doesn’t look at his food very well, because it definitely didn’t look like apples. (The white seeds no matter how small are a giveaway.) But it was really quite tasty and I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
Don’t bother saving the leftovers… this pie was meant to be eaten the same day. The texture was very unappetizing by the second day not that it deterred my 12 year old son from finishing what was left.
Crumb Topped Zapple Pie
from Pie: 300 Tried & True Recipes for Delicious Homemade PieZapple Pie
Ingredients
- Unbaked pastry crust
- Filling:
- 6 c. zucchini, peeled, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
- ⅔ c. sugar
- 2 T. apple juice
- 1 t. cinnamon
- ¼ t. nutmeg
- ¼ t. salt
- 2 T. cornstarch
- ⅓ c. fresh lemon juice
- 1 T. apple cider vinegar
- Crumb Topping:
- ½ c. flour
- ½ c. light brown sugar
- ½ c. pecans, chopped
- ¼ t. salt
- ¼ c. butter, cut into pats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Filling: In a large pot, combine the zucchini, sugar, apple juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt over medium high heat. Stir occasionally.
- When the liquid starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the zucchini is tender but not mushy. (About 10 minutes)
- Blend the cornstarch and lemon juice together in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.
- Stir into the zucchini and cook, stirring about a minute to a minute and a half until the juice has thickened.
- Remove pan from heat and stir the vinegar.
- Spoon filling into the prepared pastry crust, smoothing down with the back of a spoon.
- Crumb Topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans, and salt. Mix in butter and combine with your fingers until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated.
- Sprinkle over the the pie filling and press down gently with your hands.
- Place pie in the center rack and reduce heat to 350. Bake for 40 minutes rotating halfway through baking.
And just in case this wasn’t enough zucchini for you, be sure to check out some of the recipes I prepared with our zucchini.I hope you have found something that you think you might enjoy!
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