Let’s face it, zucchini is the easy vegetable of summer. Able to be enjoyed raw or cooked, zucchini adapts to all kinds of craze. In raw tagliatelle, mixed with lemon and parmesan, for a fresh salad; cut into half-moons simply seared on the griddle without further ado until reaching the famous Maillard reaction and therefore a mouth-watering coloring; or cooked in a summer gratin, the options are numerous.
Superstar zucchini
Why is this vegetable so popular? For several reasons. In the organic version, you can eat everything, skin and flesh, without any worries, for a quick and vitamin-rich cuisine. But also, zucchini is a light vegetable, since it is one of the least caloric summer vegetables with its 16.5 kcal per 100 g, and especially its 95% water, in the raw version. In addition to its vitamins and fibers, zucchini is also a vegetable that cooks quickly, ideal in summer when you don’t want to spend your life behind the stove. When buying, choose rather medium/small fruits and avoid large zucchini, which are often less firm. Finally, at the checkout, zucchini is not bad for the wallet, especially if it is in peak season, from May to September.
The good recipe
Slipped into a summer ratatouille, placed on a gourmet tart base, or used to reduce the amount of flour in a pizza dough, zucchini is a Swiss army knife that we like to use this season. Composed salads, summer vegetable tarts, zucchini gratin, gourmet fries, zucchini makes us melt.
Zucchini, Parmesan and Pine Nut Salad
The good idea of this recipe? Mix different varieties of zucchini — green, yellow and white — in cooked and raw versions. Thus, when tasting, the same product reveals different textures. In summer, we enhance the flavor of the zucchini with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and zest for maximum liveliness.
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Rustic zucchini, burrata and parmesan tart
© Emilie Franzo / ed. Marabout
If zucchini and its 95% water are a guarantee of lightness from a calorie point of view, from a cooking point of view, it is also synonymous with soggy dough! Let’s not forget that when cooking, a vegetable or fruit, rich in water, will flood the dough underneath or around it. To avoid this pitfall, here are two tips with zucchini. 1/ Cut it into slices or tagliatelle like here, and let it drain with a little salt for 15 minutes before assembling. 2/ Cover the bottom of the dough with a food that acts as a “blotting paper” and will limit the absorption of the dough underneath. In a savory version, you can use grated parmesan like in this tart, or almond powder in a sweet version. For dessert, you can even completely cover the bottom of the tart with melted white chocolate, which is called “stenciling” the tart.
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Pizza with zucchini dough
© Emilie Ughetto
As with the previous recipe, remove as much water as possible from the grated zucchini by placing them in a tea towel and squeezing tightly. This way, the zucchini mixed with flour and an egg to make the dough will not make it soggy.
By incorporating vegetables into your pasta, you can stock up on vitamins and dietary fiber while reducing the amount of flour.
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Parmesan-breaded zucchini fries with yogurt-mint-garlic sauce
© Delphine Constantini
With its panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan, these zucchini fries, to be enjoyed with a fresh sauce made with skyr, garlic and mint, offer an original alternative to classic potato fries.
Discover the recipe for Breaded zucchini fries with parmesan, yogurt-mint-garlic sauce
