Each year, my vegetable garden becomes a haven for these edible gems. Despite growing them many times before, the rapid growth of zucchinis never fails to astonish me. Year after year, these plants defy my expectations.
Outpacing our consumption, I've sought diverse ways to use them, keeping meals interesting. While zucchinis are wonderful barbecued or pan-fried with olive oil, butter, garlic, and herbs, I've sought to elevate their status by making them the star of the show in entire meals and dedicated recipes.
With a mild flavour and high water content, zucchinis seamlessly adapt to savoury dishes with spices, garlic, or herbs. Equally versatile in sweet treats like cakes, muffins, or loaves, they embrace sweet spices or decadent chocolate richness.
Another solution to the zucchini surplus is grating and freezing them in convenient portions. Retrieving these frozen treasures in colder months adds variety to stews, soups, mince dishes, or baking, and their value in the market is bound to skyrocket in the upcoming months.
Having a selection of trusty spices or spice blends will make zucchini dishes that much more delicious.
I like to use these individually or blend a few of the following; cumin, coriander, oregano, smoked paprika, or curry powder. Or find a trusty spice blend, like two of my favourites; Za’atar or Ras el Hanout, to take the guesswork out of how much each spice can add to create a great flavour. I toast and grind fresh batches of Za’atar which I sell on my website.
Chocolate espresso and zucchini cake
Suitable for: GF, DF
1¼ cups golden castor sugar
¾ cup olive oil
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp espresso powder
3 cups grated zucchini
⅓ cup coconut yoghurt or plain yoghurt
1 cup gluten-free flour
½ cup ground almond
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
Pinch of sea salt
150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 165°C fan bake.
Line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin with grease-proof paper.
Sieve gluten-free flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add ground almonds and mix with a whisk.
Mix sugar, olive oil, eggs, vanilla bean paste and espresso powder in another medium-sized bowl using a whisk and beat until well combined.
Add grated zucchini and coconut yoghurt and mix to combine.
Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Fold through chopped dark chocolate.
Pour the cake mixture into the pre-prepared baking tin and bake for 40-50 minutes, depending on your oven or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Set aside to cool for 30 minutes before serving with cream or yoghurt and berries. Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Caramelised zucchini, lentil and olive salad with herby yoghurt
Serves 4-6
Suitable for: GF
3 zucchini, cut into 1cm rounds
2 tsp cumin seeds
olive oil for cooking
1 can of lentils, rinsed and drained
¼ cup pitted olives, sliced in half
¼ cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
2 handfuls of mixed herbs: parsley, dill, mint, fennel, roughly chopped
2 handfuls of salad greens
Herby yoghurt
¾ cup thick greek style yoghurt
1 tsp za'atar
3 Tbsp finely chopped soft herbs: parsley, mint, chives, coriander
1 clove garlic, crushed
a good pinch of sea salt
Dressing:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp grainy mustard
good pinch of sea salt + pepper
Method
Heat a large pan over medium-high temperature.
Add a good drizzle of olive oil, and once hot, add a third of the zucchini, spacing them evenly in the pan so they aren’t touching. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes, until the zucchini is golden brown on the bottom.
Lower the heat to medium, flip the zucchini, and season with ¾ tsp of cumin seeds and salt and pepper again. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes until the bottom is charred.
Transfer charred zucchini to a large plate to cool and repeat with the remaining zucchini in two more batches.
Mix all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Mix all herby yoghurt ingredients in a small bowl.
Combine drained lentils, olives, almonds, herbs and salad dressing in a mixing bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss zucchini and salad greens through the lentil salad with your hands.
Assemble salad on a medium-sized plate or shallow bowl, layering half of the salad and dollops of herby yoghurt. Repeat layers again
Garnish with extra herbs and almonds.
Zucchini, parmesan and za’atar fritters
Makes 10 fritters
Suitable for: GF
500g zucchini, grated
1 large egg
a handful of chives, finely chopped
40g Parmesan, finely grated
⅓ cup rice flour
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp za’atar spice or œ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp sea salt
Olive oil for frying
Method
Place zucchini in a colander in the sink, and squeeze out as much liquid from the zucchini as you can for 1 minute.
Transfer zucchini to a medium bowl. Using a fork, whisk in the egg before adding the remaining ingredients and mixing to combine.
Heat a large pan on medium heat, add a good drizzle of olive oil, and cook fritters in two to three batches.
Dollop a heaped tablespoon of mixture for each fritter and slightly spread it with the back of the spoon.
Fry it for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden in colour.
Transfer fritters to a plate and serve while warm.
