Zucchini!

Clockwise from upper left: A colorful basket of produce ready for a stir-fry; chocolate zucchini muffins; zucchini/onion quiche; a package of zucchini from the freezer.  

Our garden is producing copious amounts of summer squash.  I've frozen 15 pints of shredded zucchini to be used in the chocolate cupcake recipe below, have made zucchini spice muffins with raisins, and, my favorite, a zucchini and onion quiche from Taste of Home (recipe below).  Next...I may try leaving gifts of the pretty green squash on my friends' doorsteps, maybe anonymously, because there is no dearth of zucchini in most Kansas home gardens right now. I'm not the only one scrambling to find ways to use this easy-to-grow vegetable!

Recipes

--Farmer John makes a yummy stir-fry something like this:  In a tablespoon or so of olive oil combine one medium thinly sliced onion, one small, sliced, yellow summer squash,  one small, thinly sliced zucchini, and a handful of cherry tomatoes. Stir fry over medium heat, add 2 cloves finely chopped garlic, salt, and pepper about three minutes before the end of cooking time.  Sometimes he adds kielbasa sausage slices as well.

--John also fries young yellow squash in olive oil over medium/high heat.  He slices them fairly thin, rolls them in seasoned flour, and fries until golden and crisp.

--For the zucchini goulash pictured at left:  brown 1.5 lb hamburger with 1 medium chopped zucchini, 1 small chopped onion and 3 large garlic cloves, minced.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, add 1 teaspoon ground oregano and about 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, minced. Stir in 3 medium chopped fresh tomatoes and about 1 cup of Emeril's original marinara sauce.

Daniel and Logan's Favorite Zucchini Muffins

These are egg and dairy free and so are perfect for my grandboys, who have food allergies. 

They are very easy to make and taste like a brownie.   

2 cups shredded zucchnni
1/2 cup oil
1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa

l/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

If the zucchini is fairly young and small (12 inches or under), there's no need to peel it before shredding. Roll the shredded zucchini into paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir with a spoon just until combined.  Batter will be very thick.  Place cupcake liners in a 12-cup muffin pan and fill each liner about 3/4ths full of batter.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 350.  Muffins are done when they can be removed from the pan without losing their shape.  

Taste of Home's Zucchini Quiche 

(See original recipe HERE)

I was out of dried parsley flakes and so I also omitted the dried basil and substituted 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil leaves instead.     We served it with sliced tomatoes fresh from the garden--YUM!  

·       Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)

·       3 tablespoons butter

·       4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 3 medium)

·       1 large onion, thinly sliced

·       2 large eggs

·       2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·       1/2 teaspoon dried basil

·       1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

·       1/4 teaspoon pepper

·       2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

·       2 teaspoons prepared mustard

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add zucchini and onion; cook and stir until tender. Drain and cool slightly.

Whisk eggs and seasonings until blended. Stir in cheese and zucchini mixture. Spread mustard over pastry shell; add filling.

Bake on a lower oven rack until a knife inserted in center comes out clean and crust is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. If needed, cover edge loosely with foil during last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.Yield: 8 servings.

Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches): Combine 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 tsp. salt; cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add 3-5 Tbsp. ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Originally published as Zucchini Quiche in Quick Cooking July/August 2005, p7