The Zucchini Dilemma

So you have so many zucchinis! You can only serve zucchini slice so many times before the family really get tired of it, your friends run when you come towards them and you just cant seem to eat enough.

For a range of reasons, I didn’t get to plant any zucchinis this year and I am feeling most sad about not having the dilemma faced with having too many but I feel your pain.

So, there’s a thing with the zucchini  you get given: they are often  the  size of a football, and it is not the same as a small petite zucchini. Larger ones are tougher, have big seeds and are generally only good for filling with a stuffing. What I use them for is a delicious zucchini brownie or zucchini cake because they  can be grated and give a gorgeous moist texture to the cake.

My other go-to favourite is a simple fritter, adding grated and squeezed zucchini, a bit of self-raising flour, egg and milk and try adding some haloumi and spices in. These are delicious and great for school and work lunches because believe it or not its only a few weeks till we are back at school … aarrghhhhh.

Another really groovy thing to do is to cut into finger type size and either tempura or beer batter them, deep fry and  make a lovely dipping sauce  with soy, mirin and a dash of chilli, great snack and relatively nutritious .

Zucchini hoummous , yes it’s a thing try it.

And of course, the pickle which never seems to fail, and I never ever have enough of it.  Thank good ness I made some extra jars last year, easy and totally delicious. All recipes below

Zucchini Hoummous

Ingredients

250 gm diced zucchini (peel if you like)

80 gm raw tahini

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 to 2 cloves garlic ( should be fresh garlic)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt , or to taste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Method

Combine all of the ingredients into a mini food chopper, starting with just 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth and creamy, then add more lemon juice, garlic, and salt as desired to make your perfect dip.

Serve with freshly-cut carrot and celery sticks, cucumber, chopped up pita bread or whatever your fancy to be honest.

Corn, Zucchini and Haloumi Fritters

Ingredients

400 gm  tinned/frozen  sweet corn or if you have fresh corn 3 cobs

1/2 medium zucchini

100g haloumi

2 eggs

pinch salt

pinch pepper

150 gm self-raising flour

150 gm grated cheese (any cheese)

1 Tb milk (if needed)

1 Tb butter

1 Tb olive oil

Method

1. Collect all ingredients.
2. Wash and grate zucchini.
3. Drain the corn and discard the liquid.
4. Put dry ingredients in a bowl.
5. Add the corn and cheese and stir until combined.
6. Add egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl and combine with a fork.
7. Add a little milk if necessary.
8. Put the butter and oil in a frying pan and heat over a medium temperature.
9. Cook spoonsful of the mixture until golden on each side.
10. Drain on absorbent paper.

Zucchini cake

Ingredients

Melted butter, to grease

255g brown sugar

250ml  vegetable oil

3 eggs, lightly whisked

375g  coarsely grated green zucchini

375g self-raising flour

100g walnut halves, coarsely chopped

150g  sultanas

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cream cheese icing

250g  cream cheese, at room temperature

80g  icing sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a round  22cm or loaf tin with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and sides with baking paper.
2. Beat together the sugar, oil, and egg in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add the zucchini, flour, walnuts, sultanas, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Pour into the prepared loaf or round cake tin.
3. Bake in oven for 1 1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside in the pan for 30 minutes to cool. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. To make the cream cheese icing, use a beater to beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, orange rind and juice in a bowl until well combined. Spread icing evenly over the cake.
5. Chill and then cut into pieces to serve.

The best Zucchini pickle … really

Ingredients

1 kg zucchini

2 onions

2 cup white sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 Tbs salt

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 finely diced red capsicum

Method

1. Place the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, turmeric into a large saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes.
3. Finely slice the zucchini and onions.
4. Finely dice red capsicum
5. Turn the heat off under the saucepan and place the vegetables into the liquid.
6. Put the lid on and leave to steep for at least 2 hours.
7. Stir the vegetables after the first hour.
8. After 2 hours, the vegetables will have softened and reduced in volume.
9.  Turn the heat back on and bring everything back to boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10. Bottle immediately into hot bottles.

 Zucchini brownie

Ingredients

½ cup (112 g) olive oil

1 ½ cups (300 g) sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups (256 g) plain flour

½ cup (64 g) organic cocoa powder

1 ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda soda

1 teaspoon salt flakes

3 cups finely shredded zucchini DO NOT DRAIN

1 ¼ cups dark chocolate chocolate chunky pieces

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C and prepare a 9×13 tin  with butter (or use baking spray) and line with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl combine oil, sugar, and vanilla until mixed well.
3. Add flour, cocoa, bicarb soda, and salt. Mix until combined. Batter will be very dry.
4. Fold in zucchini by hand. Allow batter to rest for 5 minutes.
5. Add in chocolate chunks and stir again. Batter should appear more wet.  (If not, let it rest for 5 more minutes and stir again)
6. Spread brownie mixture into the tin and bake for 25-35 minutes. Test with a skewer for doneness
7. Ice with rich chocolate icing and enjoy

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