Zucchini can be watery and tasteless, or it can be delectable. The first step is choosing the right zucchini. Buy small ones, advises mbfant, who adds, “The larger it gets, the more water, more seeds, and less flavor it has.”
If you sauté zucchini, it’s best to cook it quickly over high heat, so it browns, say several hounds. “I find browning zukes to add a ton of great flavor!” exclaims scuzzo. Or marinate it, then grill. Hounds like to sauté zucchini with onions and/or garlic (add garlic at the end, so it doesn’t burn), and top it with crumbled blue cheese, or Parmesan and lemon juice, or cilantro and lime juice. karykat likes this quick sauté of zucchini with toasted almonds.
It’s also easy to make flavorful dishes incorporating grated zucchini. linguafood makes kolokithokeftedes, Greek zucchini fritters, by mixing grated zucchini with fresh mint, feta, a bit of flour and panko, and an egg. Drop into oil and fry until golden brown. “Dip into tsatsiki, and it’s heaven,” she says. LauraGrace makes an even simpler fritter: “A huge pile of grated zucchini with an egg and just enough flour to hold it together, salt and pepper, and maybe a bit of cayenne. Fry until very crispy and serve hot.”
linguafood also likes it raw, sliced carpaccio-style, with feta and pine nuts. (Try CHOW’s recipe.) paulj arranges the zucchini slices, along with sliced bell pepper and tomato, in a pool of olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, saying, “It’s an easy way to create a visually pleasing salad.”
Board Link: Is zucchini worth eating? ;-)
I found a recipe called Zucchini Pasta in the NY times last year that has become our all-time favorite. It’s deceptively simple – use a vegetable peeler to make wide, thin ribbons of zucchini (cutting down all four sides until you get to the seeds in the middle). A little olive oil in a skillet, a little garlic if you like, salt and pepper. Cook just until the ribbons soften, seve with a splash of fresh lemon juice. It’s even better cold, seriously! I don’t know why this preparation is so much better than stir frying or grilling, but we think it’s amazing.