# Help! Zucchini Tsunami.



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Hi everyone. I'm a home cook who likes sharp shiny things just a little too much. My wife got the veggie garden going again this year after a few years of being too busy.

Amongst it all, we have 5 zucchini (courgette) and 2 (yellow button) squash plants and they are prolific. We are getting around 2 kilos a day.

I need some ideas for cooking zucchini and squash.

We are getting a bit over steamed zucchini, sauteed zucchini, zucchini fritters, zucchini slice and zucchini pasta. I've even tried using it finely diced in a sofritto (which seems to work OK and the knife work is fun). I've renamed my Mizuno 270 "Zucchini slayer".

Thanks in advance to you clever chefs and cooks for some more tasty ideas.

Keep in mind that it's the height of summer here and we are getting mid 30s celcius most days and the 40 degree days are not far off.


----------



## preizzo (Dec 28, 2016)

Make a nice frittata!


----------



## preizzo (Dec 28, 2016)

Or a salty pie and you can add a bit of salsiccia inside as well


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

preizzo said:


> Make a nice frittata!



Actually frittata's a bit of a family staple. Helps to get through the eggs too (chooks are on the the lay at the moment).

But thanks.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

preizzo said:


> Or a salty pie and you can add a bit of salsiccia inside as well



That's a good idea. Thanks Prezzio. Our local butcher employs an Italian chef (I think he said he's from Bologna, because we were discussing recipees for ragu). He makes what they market as "Italian Saussage" which is very tasty and sounds like it might be very similar to salcsiccia.


----------



## preizzo (Dec 28, 2016)

Minestrone also it s a good idea, you can get rid of a lot of zucchini. And most important is that you gonna use a lot your knives to chop all ingredients. 
I would use carrots, onion, leek, chard, potatoes, spinach, lentils and borlotti beans. Use some tomato paste when you fry the onion and garlic helps a lot


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

preizzo said:


> Minestrone also it s a good idea, you can get rid of a lot of zucchini. And most important is that you gonna use a lot your knives to chop all ingredients.
> I would use carrots, onion, leek, chard, potatoes, spinach, lentils and borlotti beans. Use some tomato paste when you fry the onion and garlic helps a lot



Great idea. Thanks.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

preizzo said:


> And most important is that you gonna use a lot your knives to chop all ingredients.



And this bit made me smile


----------



## preizzo (Dec 28, 2016)

&#128522; de &#128514;


----------



## preizzo (Dec 28, 2016)

I am always make minestrone when I want to try a knife &#128514;


----------



## Noah (Dec 28, 2016)

Zucchini bread is delicious! My grandmother used to make it when I was a kid. Mmmmm!


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

@Prezzio: Ahhhh. I like. I find zucchini really tests a knife's food release.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Noah said:


> Zucchini bread is delicious! My grandmother used to make it when I was a kid. Mmmmm!



I wasn't sure if it was zucchini or courgette in USA. I'm geussing zucchini?

My wife suggested zucchini bread, which might be a good idea. Unfortunately I don't eat flour.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

I made a zucchini and cucumber salsa tonitght. Not too bad.


----------



## cheflivengood (Dec 28, 2016)

cut them in half long ways and charr them pretty dark covered in salt and pepper, they should be cooked through at this point:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIqrQx2htC8/?taken-by=cheflivengood

then press them with weight for an hour in a pan, a lot of dark liquid will come out which is a great soup base. process the pressed squash with yogurt and your favorite hot sauce or spices, makes a nice dip for crudite or fold it into pasta etc etc.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Thanks CLG, this sounds delicious


----------



## skiajl6297 (Dec 28, 2016)

Always enjoyed fresh raw zucchini sliced very thin (mandonline but why bother with a zucchini slayer) tossed with very good olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper, parmesan shavings, fresh black pepper, lemon zest, and spritzed with fresh squeezed lemon juice as you are serving, finished with some nice finishing salt. Great summertime dish and an excellent way to show off the zucchini flavor.


----------



## daveb (Dec 28, 2016)

I like Chefliven good's treatment, will try that. For my more simple tastes I like it grilled and as a side veg. Can go nuts and grill zuc, onions, mushrooms, red/yellow bells for a bit of a veg salad. Toss with some rocket.


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Dec 28, 2016)

Sliced 1/4" thick, breaded with panko and parma and pan fried

Pickles

Cut 1" thick, core center, stuff with meatball forcemeat. Bake until cooked through. Serve with red sauce next to pasta.


----------



## boomchakabowwow (Dec 28, 2016)

my neighbor dumped a bunch on me. i roasted them, then put them into boiling chicken stock with some saute'd onions..then took the stick blender to it and turned it into a giant vat of zucchini soup. salt and white pepper to taste. 

i took some back to the neighbor and he was stunned..very vegital and herbaceous tasting. 

oh, garnish with parsley..altho i like cilantro.


----------



## Noah (Dec 28, 2016)

Noah said:


> Zucchini bread is delicious! My grandmother used to make it when I was a kid. Mmmmm!



You don't eat any form of flour, or did you mean certain grains such as wheat perhaps? If the latter, there are plenty of ways to make bread without any particular grain...


----------



## panda (Dec 28, 2016)

Ratatouille, grilled caponata (instead of eggplant), pancakes, tempura


----------



## preizzo (Dec 28, 2016)

+1 on panda


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

skiajl6297 said:


> Always enjoyed fresh raw zucchini sliced very thin (mandonline but why bother with a zucchini slayer) tossed with very good olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper, parmesan shavings, fresh black pepper, lemon zest, and spritzed with fresh squeezed lemon juice as you are serving, finished with some nice finishing salt. Great summertime dish and an excellent way to show off the zucchini flavor.



I like this idea. Thanks.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

daveb said:


> I like Chefliven good's treatment, will try that. For my more simple tastes I like it grilled and as a side veg. Can go nuts and grill zuc, onions, mushrooms, red/yellow bells for a bit of a veg salad. Toss with some rocket.



Yeah, did lots of grilled zucch and squash on Xmas day


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Sliced 1/4" thick, breaded with panko and parma and pan fried
> 
> Pickles
> 
> Cut 1" thick, core center, stuff with meatball forcemeat. Bake until cooked through. Serve with red sauce next to pasta.



My daughter makes fritters, but I like the panko and parma idea.

I'm going to make a nuka bed to m make some pickles.

Stuffed is a good idea.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

boomchakabowwow said:


> my neighbor dumped a bunch on me. i roasted them, then put them into boiling chicken stock with some saute'd onions..then took the stick blender to it and turned it into a giant vat of zucchini soup. salt and white pepper to taste.
> 
> i took some back to the neighbor and he was stunned..very vegital and herbaceous tasting.
> 
> oh, garnish with parsley..altho i like cilantro.



Good idea.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Noah said:


> You don't eat any form of flour, or did you mean certain grains such as wheat perhaps? If the latter, there are plenty of ways to make bread without any particular grain...



It's more af a dietary choice than any sort of food sensitivity. My metabolism doesn't cope well with refined carbs, so I limit them to when I'm doing strenuous exercise. The rest of my family eat them like they are going out of fashion though


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

panda said:


> Ratatouille, grilled caponata (instead of eggplant), pancakes, tempura



We are actually getting a bit of rain at the moment, so a stew might work well.
Pancakes are a great idea. Maybe a rosti?
Tempura- yeah, I did want to learn a bit of Japanese cooking.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Thanks for the great ideas everyone. Keep them coming.


----------



## daveb (Dec 28, 2016)

Keep reading and you'll be planting more


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

At least I'll get some practice sharpening the zucchini slayer. Pretty good retntion on the B2 sharpened hamigaburi. Only put a 25 degree micro bevel on it (probably use 45 deg next time or maybe see how it goes without) but so far have only had to refresh edge on a strop a couple of times to get back to very sharp (been using it almost daily for about amonth I guess).


----------



## boomchakabowwow (Dec 28, 2016)

i'm no knife pro.and i love zucchini..but i dont find them that difficult to cut up. they wouldnt be my knife test, i dont think. hard to beat a tomato for me.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

boomchakabowwow said:


> i'm no knife pro.and i love zucchini..but i dont find them that difficult to cut up. they wouldnt be my knife test, i dont think. hard to beat a tomato for me.


 For me, it depends what I'm assessing. I find a fine dice of zucchini is a reasonable test of food release. But I certainly agree that tomato skin is a better test of edge keenness/ bite.


----------



## malexthekid (Dec 28, 2016)

Can't believe no one has suggestes this... stuffed zucchini flowers!!!!!!

Ricotta, goats cheese, herbs, lemon. Hey presto. Can be tempura fried or cooked in tomato sauce...


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

malexthekid said:


> Can't believe no one has suggested this... stuffed zucchini flowers!!!!!!
> 
> Ricotta, goats cheese, herbs, lemon. Hey presto. Can be tempura fried or cooked in tomato sauce...



Yeah, my wife did do this a week or two ago and it's really nice. Should get her to do it again.

Was reading through Stephanie Alexander's book last night and it did say that some people do this just to reduce the zucchini yield.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Nemo said:


> For me, it depends what I'm assessing. I find a fine dice of zucchini is a reasonable test of food release.



Which is why I love the Miz for zucchini (it's my most convex ground knife).


----------



## malexthekid (Dec 28, 2016)

Nemo said:


> Yeah, my wife did do this a week or two ago and it's really nice. Should get her to do it again.
> 
> Was reading through Stephanie Alexander's book last night and it did say that some people do this just to reduce the zucchini yield.



Jamie Oliver has some good recipes for it... can't remember where my tempura battered recipe came from but the fillings are always similar


----------



## daveb (Dec 28, 2016)

malexthekid said:


> Can't believe no one has suggestes this... stuffed zucchini flowers!!!!!!
> 
> Ricotta, goats cheese, herbs, lemon. Hey presto. Can be tempura fried or cooked in tomato sauce...




How could I forget this one? Zucc blossom, stuffed w risotto, tempura fried, served w lobster sauce. It's in my "Make her panties fall off" cookbook.
(I was assisting not cheffing)


----------



## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Looks really good.


----------



## panda (Dec 29, 2016)

Mucho mentioned pickling, I use yellow squash and pickle in a curry flavored brine.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 29, 2016)

Yeah, that would work.


----------



## Noah (Dec 29, 2016)

Nemo said:


> It's more af a dietary choice than any sort of food sensitivity. My metabolism doesn't cope well with refined carbs, so I limit them to when I'm doing strenuous exercise. The rest of my family eat them like they are going out of fashion though



Understandable. I have a similar issue. (borderline type 2 diabetic)

But I find that if I eat only higher fiber grains and do it in moderation I can get away with a lot. (Actually recently my nutritionist put me on a different style of diet than I had been and I can pretty much eat carbs within it without any issues, but that's another story.)

Back to zucchini, it can be nice in layers in certain casserole type dishes like lasagna, etc.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 29, 2016)

Noah said:


> Understandable. I have a similar issue. (borderline type 2 diabetic)
> 
> But I find that if I eat only higher fiber grains and do it in moderation I can get away with a lot. (Actually recently my nutritionist put me on a different style of diet than I had been and I can pretty much eat carbs within it without any issues, but that's another story.)
> 
> Back to zucchini, it can be nice in layers in certain casserole type dishes like lasagna, etc.



I found that excess refined carbs used to make me put on weight and then I couldn't cycle up the hills as easily. It's funny how different people get different patterns of metabolic complications from the hyper-processed western diet. Some put on weight, some get diabetes, gout, hypertension or heart disease. And many seem to be resistant to these effects (to a variable degree). I'd love to know why.

I miss sourdough with butter, but that's about it really

On the odd occasion when I do have an appreciable amount, it's like I've had some sort of super fuel and I can be stronger for longer 

OTOH, if I try to do hard intervals without any carbs on board- it's an awful feeling. Dry retching and head spinning! Need to remember to have a few carrots or something before a hard ride.

Back on topic- zucchini lasangna, that's another good idea. And takes the pasta out too


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Dec 29, 2016)

panda said:


> Mucho mentioned pickling, I use yellow squash and pickle in a curry flavored brine.



Funny that's the recipe I use too. Awesome on a Cuban sandwich.


----------



## Noah (Dec 29, 2016)

Nemo said:


> I found that excess refined carbs used to make me put on weight and then I couldn't cycle up the hills as easily. It's funny how different people get different patterns of metabolic complications from the hyper-processed western diet. Some put on weight, some get diabetes, gout, hypertension or heart disease. And many seem to be resistant to these effects (to a variable degree). I'd love to know why.


'

Yeah the diet my doc put me on is the one from "Forks Over Knives" on Netflix. I've been amazed at how much more energy and how much clearer my head has been since I started just before Thanksgiving.

In part, it does involve pretty much cutting out processed foods, so it's a little more kitchen work, especially since I refuse to compromise on flavor and food enjoyment. That's what inspired me to improve my knife situation... 

The other thing I'm really appreciating is that even though I eat whenever I'm hungry and don't stop until I'm not, I've lost just over 10 pounds (4.5kg) in about a month.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 29, 2016)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Funny that's the recipe I use too. Awesome on a Cuban sandwich.



What's a cuban sandwich?


----------



## Nemo (Dec 29, 2016)

Noah said:


> In part, it does involve pretty much cutting out processed foods, so it's a little more kitchen work, especially since I refuse to compromise on flavor and food enjoyment. That's what inspired me to improve my knife situation...
> 
> The other thing I'm really appreciating is that even though I eat whenever I'm hungry and don't stop until I'm not, I've lost just over 10 pounds (4.5kg) in about a month.



Yeah, the processed foods might be convenient but I find real food more satisfying (it's more complex than just "tastes better", because a lot of research goes in to making processed foods appealing or even addictive). 

Glad to hear that reducing processed food has already had a major impact for you.

The good news is that with nice knives, I find myself looking for excuses to prepare real food, and to gradually improve my knife skills at the same time.


----------



## Noah (Dec 29, 2016)

Nemo said:


> The good news is that with nice knives, I find myself looking for excuses to prepare real food, and to gradually improve my knife skills at the same time.



This ^^ :goodpost:lus1::goodpost:


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Dec 29, 2016)

Nemo said:


> What's a cuban sandwich?



This guy...


----------



## boomchakabowwow (Dec 29, 2016)

Nemo said:


> What's a cuban sandwich?


Currently, my second favorite sandwich.


----------



## strumke (Dec 30, 2016)

Nemo said:


> What's a cuban sandwich?



Check out the Urban Dictionary...lots of definitions!
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cuban sandwich


----------



## panda (Dec 30, 2016)

did you not watch the movie 'chef'?


----------



## Nemo (Dec 30, 2016)

No, sorry I didn't.


----------



## cheflivengood (Dec 30, 2016)

Nemo said:


> No, sorry I didn't.



French roll, roasted pork (either loin or shoulder), cured ham, plenty of mustard and pickles, Cheese, panini pressed with butter, cut on a severe diagonal


----------



## Nemo (Dec 30, 2016)

Sounds like a feast!


----------



## panda (Dec 30, 2016)

Not French roll, Cuban bread.


----------



## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 3, 2017)

Zucchini noodles aren't that useless - and katsuramuki practice too 

Also, Confit Byaldi (aka the dish from the Ratatouille movie) is a zucchini sink


----------



## Nemo (Jan 3, 2017)

Good idea, Life.


----------

