Zucchini, Zucchini, and More Zucchini!
It’s zucchini season, which begs the question; can you have too much of a good thing? Anyone growing zucchini is probably trying to get all their friends to take some off their hands.
There’s so much you can do with zucchini. It’s delicious simply grilled along with peppers and eggplant, a little crumbled goat cheese and some torn basil, and you have a great side dish or on a bun as a sandwich. Grate it and add to a coleslaw with some carrots. Grate it and pop it into a ziplock bag and freeze it for later. You can use it to make zucchini bread or toss some into a vegetable soup when summer is just a distant memory.
Here are three simple appetizers to try while zucchini is in season; Stuffed Zucchini Flowers, Lemon Ricotta Zucchini Fritters, and Grilled Zucchini Tart.
All three recipes make use of the same supporting ingredients; ricotta cheese, lemon balm, lemon zest. If you don’t have lemon balm, basil or tarragon work equally well.
For the tart I used 1/2 zucchini 1/2 tomato. Substitute grilled eggplant for the tomato, or use all zucchini. The tart can be baked in the oven, or off the heat on a grill.
Enjoy!
Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
Ingredients
- 6 small zucchini flowers, about 2 inches in length
- 6 heaping teaspoons ricotta cheese
- 2 teaspoons chopped lemon balm or basil
- Zest of 1/2 a lemon
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1-2 tablespoons ice water, carbonated if you have it. Carbonated water will result in a lighter, tempura like coating.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation
Step 1
Combine the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, and chopped lemon balm, basil or tarragon and the salt. Stuff each flower with a heaping teaspoon of the filling.
Step 2
Place the flour in a bowl large enough to dip the flowers into. Add one tablespoon on the ice water and stir. Add more water until the batter has the consistency of a pancake batter.
Step 3
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick frying pan. The oil is ready when a drop of the batter sizzles when placed in the pan.
Dip each stuffed flower in the batter turning to coat all sides. Place in the hot pan and fry until golden and crispy, about 1 minute per side.
Remove from pan and place on paper towel lined plate.
Sprinkle with flaked salt and serve with sliced lemon.
Lemon Ricotta Zucchini Fritters
Yields 15 fritters
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, grated.
- 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped lemon balm or basil
- Zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation
Step 1
Grate the zucchini using a box grater on the side with the largest size holes. Place in a colander over the sink to drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid. You want to remove as much water as possible.
Step 2
In a large bowl combine the zucchini, ricotta cheese, lemon balm or basil, lemon zest, salt, and the beaten egg.
Step 3
Add the breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Refrigerate the batter for 15 -20 minutes.
Step 4
Heat the olive oil over medium- high heat in a nonstick frying pan. The oil is ready when a drop of the batter sizzles when placed in the pan. Working in batches, add tablespoon mounds of the zucchini batter to the hot oil, flattening them slightly to form 2 inch fritters. Fry, flipping once until fritters are browned and crisp on both sides about 3 minutes. Place on a rack over paper towels to drain.
Serve with lemon wedges and sour cream or greek yoghurt for dipping.
Grilled Zucchini Tart
For the dough
- 1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the Filling
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced and grilled
- 1 medium tomato sliced into 8 slices. If you have a larger tomato use 4 slices cut in half.
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese, drained
- Zest of half a lemon
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Preparation
Step 1
Measure flour, salt and baking powder in a food processor; pulse to combine.
Combine oil, water and lemon juice. With the processor on, slowly add the liquid until the dough is crumbly.
Knead the dough for 1 minute on a lightly floured surface. Add additional flour if dough is sticking. Flatten the dough into a 5 inch disk and warp in plastic wrap. chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2
Preheat the grill or oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Hint: if using the grill simply grill your zucchini, assemble the tart and then bake on the grill off the direct heat.
Step 3
Roll out the chilled dough to fit a 7 x 11 tart pan with a removable bottom. Place the dough in the tart pan, pressing into the corners and up the sides.
Step 4
Combine the drained ricotta, lemon zest and salt. Spread evenly over the dough. Arrange zucchini and tomato slices alternately, slightly overlapping. Sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Step 5
Bake the tart for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and pulling slightly away from the edge of the tart pan. If baking on the grill place the tart pan off direct heat.
Step 6
Let the tart cool for 5 minutes then remove the tart pan rim. Sprinkle with chopped basil and cut into 6 squares.