{"id":4288,"date":"2024-07-19T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roguechef.com\/?p=4288"},"modified":"2024-07-18T13:30:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T13:30:49","slug":"savor-the-flavor-zucchini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roguechef.com\/?p=4288","title":{"rendered":"Savor The Flavor: Zucchini"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The joke goes, “Why do people in Rhinebeck lock their car doors?<\/em> — To stop people from leaving zucchini in the car.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s half in jest; a couple of zucchini or squash plants will supply a family of four with side dishes for several months in summer. These plants are the most prolific. (A couple of these plants will take over your garden and start to annex your neighbor’s yard.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As summer squash seems to be a “Southern thing,” and Zucchini seems more local to me, I’ll focus my discussion on zucchini, but in reality, either works here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As per Wikipedia: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The zucchini is a summer squash, a vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and epicarp (rind) are still soft and edible. It is closely related, but not identical, to the marrow; its fruit may be called marrow when mature.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Golden zucchini grown in the Netherlands for sale in a supermarket in Montpellier, France, in April 2013
Ordinary zucchini fruit are any shade of green, though the golden zucchini is a deep yellow or orange. At maturity, they can grow to nearly 1 metre (3 feet) in length, but they are normally harvested at about 15\u201325 cm (6\u201310 in).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In botany, the zucchini’s fruit is a pepo, a berry (the swollen ovary of the zucchini flower) with a hardened epicarp. In cookery, it is treated as a vegetable, usually cooked and eaten as an accompaniment or savory dish, though occasionally used in sweeter cooking.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zucchini occasionally contain toxic cucurbitacins, making them extremely bitter, and causing severe gastero-enteric upsets. Causes include stressed growing conditions, and cross pollination with ornamental squashes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zucchini descends from squashes first domesticated in Mesoamerica over 7,000 years ago, but the zucchini itself was bred in Milan in the late 19th century.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zucchini are usually picked when under 8 inches long and when the seeds are still soft and immature. Mature zucchini can be 40 inches long or more. These larger ones often have mature seeds and hard skins, requiring peeling and seeding. A zucchini with the flowers attached is a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit, and it is especially sought after for its sweeter flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zucchini is usually served cooked. It can be prepared using various cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as souffl\u00e9s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raw grated zucchini can also be combined with flour and spices in a zucchini bread, similar to banana bread, or incorporated into a cake mix to make zucchini cake, similar to carrot cake. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy when deep-fat-fried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zucchini has a delicate flavor and can be found cooked with butter, olive oil, and herbs or in more complex dishes. The skin is usually left in place. When frying zucchini, it is recommended to pat down cut sections to make them drier, similarly to what may be done with eggplant, to keep the slices\u2019 shape while cooking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced, or shredded in a cold salad and lightly cooked in hot salads, as in Thai or Vietnamese recipes. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Squash Skillet<\/h2>\n
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Easy, Simple, Healthy, and Tasty, this one will be on repeat as long as the produce lasts.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\n Print Recipe<\/a>\n Pin Recipe<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>10 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>10 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>6<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Course: <\/span>Side Dish, Snack<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Cuisine: <\/span>Global<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Calories: <\/span>20<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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