Got zucchini? Check out our delicious new recipes to try

RECIPE

Versatile veggie

An abundance of zucchini is both a delight and cause for panic. No worries, though. There are some delicious ways to cook that summer squash that you may not have tried. GETTY IMAGES

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By Nicole Hvidsten

Star Tribune

Cooks and gardeners poke fun at zucchini all season long, but the summer squash deserves respect. Few fruits and vegetables are able to move between sweet and savory genres with such ease.

Need a quick side? Slice it or dice it, drizzle with olive oil, breadcrumbs and Parmesan and pop it in the air fryer or sauté pan. Want a low-carb substitute for pasta? Zoodles it is. Planning a special dinner? Zucchini can be a sturdy vessel for all manner of fillings from a variety of global cuisines.

Its presence in baked goods is equally prolific. On the sweet side, zucchini breads and muffins are suitable for breakfast, and the squash also pairs well with chocolate, resulting in top-tier cakes for dessert. Its friendly flavor can accompany carrots in a carrot cake and is equally at home in cookies. (If you’re baking for picky eaters, just peel away the green.)

We all have our favorite ways to enjoy this summer mainstay. But just as there’s always more zucchini, there are always more recipes to try. A new crop of cookbooks takes us through Ireland, Italy, Greece and around the Mediterranean, giving us a savory zucchini bread, zucchini cacio e pepe, fritters and spiced wild rice stuffing.

They also give us the excuse to call zucchinis courgettes, which sounds a lot fancier when you’re leaving them on a neighbor’s doorstep.

On the Versilia coast in Tuscany, bakers are known for scarpaccia, a simple round zucchini bread. (The word roughly translates to “old shoe.”) Unlike the zucchini cakes we typically have in the United States, this bread is savory, not sweet. The zucchini is sliced instead of grated and Parmigiano Reggiano adds a nice cheesy note. Make sure to save some zucchini slices for a decorative topping on the recipe.

As for that pasta-inspired braise, “cacio e pepe is probably my favorite pasta dish of all time,” writes Theo Kirwan, author of “Saladology.” “Heavy on the black pepper and pecorino, it’s so beautifully simple. I’ve drawn on that classic Italian concept to create this special vegetable recipe. I’m not about to tell you that zucchini pasta is better than spaghetti, because it’s not! But something magical happens when you braise zucchini in their own juices. This could be thrown through pasta, as the zucchini become quite jammy and soft, but it’s stunning as a side dish.” (It’s easily doubled or tripled, too.)

There are all sorts of stuffed zucchini recipes out there, but this version by cookbook author Ben Tish is “a vibrant, summer plate inspired by a lovely lunch I once enjoyed in Izmir. I love slowly cooking zucchini in the oven to intensify their natural sweetness and, as here, they make a great vessel or ‘boat’ for a nutty, spiced rice filling.

“A fresh tomato sauce always works well with roasted courgettes and I’ve added a warm note of cinnamon. You can add grilled halloumi to this if you fancy, but in all honesty, it’s deliciously fresh and vibrant just as it is. Although I suggest serving this dish hot, both the zucchini and sauce are equally good served at room temperature with a salad alongside.”

Here are all the how-tos.

Savory Zucchini Bread

Makes 1 (9-inch) cake; serves 8

INGREDIENTS

½ cup (100 grams) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling

2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

3 large eggs, beaten

2/3 cup (150 grams) whole milk

1 cup (142 grams) toasted pine nuts

2 small zucchini (10 to 12 ounces total), sliced very thinly crosswise into rounds on a mandoline (about 3½ cups)

6 or 7 basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with oil, line with parchment paper and brush the parchment and sides of the pan with oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ½ cup Parmigiano, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the eggs, milk and ½ cup oil. Whisk the wet ingredients to combine, then, using a rubber spatula, fold them into the dry ingredients. Fold in the pine nuts, followed by all but about 20 slices of the zucchini. Stir in the basil.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer. Arrange the reserved zucchini on top in a circular pattern.

Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup Parmigiano on top of the zucchini. Drizzle a few tablespoons of oil on top.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, and the cake is firm to the touch. The cheese and zucchini slices will be golden brown. Set on a wire rack to cool completely. Run an offset spatula around the edges of the zucchini bread to loosen before removing the sides of the pan, slicing and serving.

— “Italian Snacking” by Anna Francese Gass (Union Square & Co., 2024)