cooking

It’s that time of year in the gardens of Colorado: one day you have an innocent looking squash blossom like this, and seemingly overnight it morphs into a 2 pound, foot long zucchini that you can barely carry to the kitchen. With even just one plant you might find yourself struggling with new ways to cook it. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use this summer super star:

Spaghetti alla Nerano – in this simple and authentic Italian dish, the zucchini are slow cooked until soft then tossed simply with cooked spaghetti, lots of extra virgin olive oil, basil, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Zucchini Bread – your kids won’t even know there is a vegetable in there, and this is a great way to use those oversized vegetables. Cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the spongy seeds down the center, then grate the rest – including skin – and use to make a quick bread. Here’s my recipe.

Shoestring Fried Zucchini – sinfully good! Shred zucchini and deep fry until crispy (which takes long than you think it should), drain, sprinkle with salt and enjoy.

Zucchini and Tomatoes with Cheese – saute sliced zucchini and tomatoes together until slightly soft, sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and serve.

Cream of Zucchini Soup – click here for an easy recipe. Don’t be afraid to make a big batch because this freezes well.

Mock Apple Pie – if this sounds retro to you, it totally is. In this classic dish, zucchini stands in for apples, and once combined with other ingredients like brown sugar and cinnamon, you’d never know it’s zucchini. Recipes abound on the internet.

Zucchini Salad with Lemon and Feta – shred fresh zucchini and toss with lemon juice, some olive oil, and feta cheese. Greek inspired genius.

When all else fails, shred the cleaned zucchini and package it into small plastic bags to freeze. The thawed zucchini can be used throughout the year to make zucchini bread, cake, cookies or pasta sauces.