Gardeners share their zucchini recipes

Gagutz, an Italian stew, is made with zucchini, green peppers, onions, ripe tomatoes and garlic, and is topped with parmesan cheese. (Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum / July 10, 2008)

A series to help you cook with the bounty of the season, with recipes from gardeners

When Charlie Gailunas harvests zucchini from his lush Catonsville garden, he might overlook a specimen camouflaged beneath a canopy of leaves. "Sometimes you miss one," he says.

By the time he finally discovers the hidden squash, it may have grown to baseball-bat proportions, far beyond the zucchini's capacity for tenderness and a pleasing, mild taste.

Gailunas, a retired hospital administrator who has cultivated his 700-square-foot garden for 30 years, doesn't toss the zucchini, nor does he pawn it off. He makes Gagutz, a Sicilian soup introduced to him by a neighbor's mother who lived in Little Italy.

"She was a fount of Old World information," Gailunas says.

There are summers when a subsidy paid to home gardeners not to grow zucchini may seem like a great idea to weary recipients of rampant garden gifting. Not this summer. Rising food costs have rekindled appreciation for the backyard abundance that helped Gailunas, 68, and his wife feed six children.

Zucchini is an exemplary addition to the contemporary Victory Garden. The prolific summer squash grows quickly and is high in vitamins C and E, as well as antioxidants and minerals. At its unadorned best when picked at 6 to 8 inches long, zucchini, small and large, also lends itself to countless preparations, from fritters to relish to muffins.

Along with melons and cucumbers, zucchini belongs to the cucurbita family and is technically a fruit. Only female squash flowers set fruit, leaving all of those male flowers for a feast of lightly battered fried blossoms.

The zucchini shares its ancient origins in the Americas with all squash varieties. European explorers introduced zukes to Italian gardens, where they were further developed and became a culinary staple throughout the continent. Today, seed catalogs abound with zucchini varieties, including hybrids as round as a bowling ball, ridged to better hold dip, and nearly black in color.

When she moved to Parkville last year, Meghan Murphy, 29, tilled a patch of earth wrapped around a corner of her new home for the garden she never imagined she would crave. Growing up in Mayfield, Murphy had watched her mother tend a beautiful spread, but her own inner gardener didn't sprout until adulthood.

Now an avid cook who chronicles her creations on her blog at culinarynovice.blogspot.com, Murphy, the granddaughter of a greengrocer, delights in her small garden, including two productive zucchini plants.

Thanks to her mother's Italian lineage, zucchini figured prominently in the family's diet, Murphy says. "Especially in summer, it was a big deal in our family." A simple primavera dish consisting of tomatoes, fresh zucchini and onion sauteed lightly and tossed with pasta, olive oil and basil was "one of our favorites," she says.

Zucchini's ample fruiting habits appeal to Oxford resident Sarah Mayock, who is growing zucchini for the second year in the plot she and her family keep in nearby Trappe. The squash is a versatile addition to the Mayocks' year-round menu. "You can use zucchini in anything," Mayock says.

Only a few spoonfuls remain of the six pints of last year's zucchini relish, but Mayock has already put up more to take her husband and three sons through the next year. The relish, tangy with pickling spices, is as yummy on hamburgers and hotdogs, or crackers and cheese, as its counterpart made with cucumbers.

Zucchini also takes the form of a sweet treat for the Eastern Shore family. "We made plenty of zucchini bread last year with raisins and nuts. I freeze them to keep them over the winter," Mayock says.

During a cooking class in Istanbul last year, Baltimore restaurateur Donna Crivello learned to make Zucchini Fritters, served as mezze - appetizers. Prepared similarly to potato latkes, they are "very nice," perhaps more delicate or more tender than latkes, Crivello says.

She has added the fritters to the summer menu in her Charles Village Donna's restaurant, where zucchini figures as well in ratatouille, tapenade and roasted vegetables. At home, "I love it grilled and roasted with a little salt and pepper," Crivello says.

In her Havre de Grace garden, Hildie Joy Mathis, 48, grows zucchini that she and her mother use to make bread, stromboli and Zucchini Bake.

"I like Zucchini Bake because it's unusual," says Hilda S. Mathis, 85. "And the zucchini bread with crushed pineapple is spectacular; nice and moist and easy to make."

In his garden, Gailunas harvests two portofino hybrid zucchini and slices off two star-burst shaped samples. The taste is mild, but wonderfully redolent of the season and ripe for a simple evening meal.

But that doesn't mean that the zucchini that escape Gailunas' garden gaze until they're enormous are beyond redemption. For Gagutz, Gailunas removes the zucchini's watery pith and sautes the rest, along with onions, peppers, tomatoes and spices to create a summer stew, "made magical," he says, with parmesan.

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Gagutz

Serves 8 to 10

1 or 2 large zucchini (15 inches or bigger)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 large green pepper, coarsely chopped

2 large, very ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon mixed Italian spices

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

grated parmesan cheese

Peel zucchini and quarter lengthwise. Remove seeds and pith. Cut zucchini walls into 1/2-inch slices. Put olive oil in large pot. On high heat, saute garlic, onion and green pepper for 5 minutes. Add zucchini slices and continue to saute for 5 more minutes.

Add tomatoes, spices, salt and pepper and simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Add red pepper, if using, and let sit 15 minutes to absorb the heat.

Serve in bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

-- Courtesy of Catonsville gardener Charlie Gailunas

Per serving (based on 10 servings): 42 calories, 1 gram protein, 3 grams fat, trace saturated fat, 4 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 3 milligrams sodium

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Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Serves 4

4 zucchini, washed and ends trimmed

1 red bell pepper, cleaned and sliced thin

1/2 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 to 2 lemons juiced (about 1/4 cup lemon juice)

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red-chile flakes

2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan

Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise. Toss the zucchini and bell pepper with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Quickly grill the zucchini ribbons and bell pepper on 1 side, until lightly marked and wilted, about 1 minute. Flip zucchini ribbons and pepper slices over and grill another minute. Move vegetables to a plate and let cool slightly.

In another bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, basil, mint, garlic, chile flakes and parmesan together. Add cooled vegetables to mixture, toss to coat and serve.

-- Courtesy of Parkville gardener and food blogger Meghan Murphy

Per serving: 271 calories, 2 grams protein, 28 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 5 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 41 milligrams sodium

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Zucchini Bake

Serves 8

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cups zucchini, peeled and shredded

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup "Jiffy" Mix or Bisquick

1/2 cup grated cheese

4 beaten eggs

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Soften onion and zucchini in a bit of water, drain and saute 10 minutes.

Mix them with all the other ingredients and put into buttered casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes, to a golden color. This is almost like a quiche.

-- Courtesy of Havre de Grace gardeners Hildie Joy Mathis and Hilda S. Mathis

Per serving: 200 calories, 8 grams protein, 14 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 111 milligrams cholesterol, 264 milligrams sodium

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Zucchini Fritters

Makes 20

sea salt to taste

2 medium-sized zucchini, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 medium yellow or white onion, grated

1 tablespoon each: fresh dill, parsley and mint, chopped

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper

4 ounces crumbled feta, dry

1/2 to 1 cup flour

1/4 to 1/7 cup canola oil for frying

6 ounces plain, thick yogurt (Greek style is best)

fresh dill or mint for garnish

juice and zest of 1 lemon

Salt zucchini and onion lightly and set in a colander over a bowl.

Squeeze out excess liquid. Mix with dill, parsley, mint, eggs, paprika, salt, pepper and feta in a bowl. Gradually add flour. Mixture should be like a thick batter.

Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a frying pan to medium high. Drop a teaspoon or tablespoon of the mixture into the hot pan. (Space them out so you can flip them and cook in batches according to the size of the pan.)

Turn when browned on one side (about 2 minutes) and cook on the other side until lightly browned and slightly firm. (Be careful not to burn the fritters.) Carefully lift with a spatula and set onto paper towels to absorb the excess oil. As you cook more fritters, add more oil.

Mix yogurt with dill and lemon and a little salt, if you wish. Serve on trays with dollop of yogurt and dill garnish, or on small plates.

-- Courtesy of Chef Donna Crivello of Donna's restaurants

Per serving: 57 calories, 3 grams protein, 3 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 4 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 38 milligrams cholesterol, 81 milligrams sodium

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Zucchini Relish

Makes 6 pints

2 good-size zucchini

4 cups onions

5 tablespoons salt

1 red pepper (large)

1 green pepper (large)

2 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1 tablespoon turmeric

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon dried mustard

2 teaspoons celery seed

2 teaspoons mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

6 cups granulated sugar

Grind zucchini and onions in a food processor to make 10 cups. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Cover with ice and let store overnight. (Do not put in refrigerator.)

The next day, rinse thoroughly and drain in a colander. Force as much liquid out as possible. Meanwhile, grind red pepper and green pepper in a food processor. Put vinegar, turmeric, cornstarch, dried mustard, celery seed, mustard seed and black pepper in a large pot, then add sugar and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until sugar dissolves.

Reduce heat, add zucchini, onions and peppers, and cook for 30 minutes. Stir so relish does not stick. Use your favorite preserving method to store in sealed jars.

-- Courtesy of Oxford gardener Sarah Mayock

Per tablespoon: 26 calories, 0 grams protein, 0 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 7 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 91 milligrams sodium

Related topic galleries: Squash

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