Together with fresh fava beans, zucchinis are the most prolific vegetables in our garden; their giant leaves, dotted with nasty and hairy thorns, take up half our garden space, pinching the peppers into a corner. Fortunately, although frail-looking, the peppers manage to survive and bloom.
June is zucchini season for us in Kea, but I know that for most of you who live in the north it comes later in the summer. The pale green kolokythakia --"little zucchini" in Greek, as opposed to the larger kolokytha (squash or pumpkin)--are very tender if harvested early. If they are left on the plant, however, they soon grow large, their skin toughens, and their color changes to dark green.
This can happen unbelievably quickly, within a couple of days from the time they take shape, with their blossoms still open at the tip. The zucchini one buys at farmer's markets all over Greece are small and tender; people love simply to boil or steam them, finishing them with a garlicky vinaigrette.
As with all seasonal produce, frugal Greek cooks have invented myriad dishes to put the plentiful zucchini from our gardens to good use. They are cooked either by themselves or together with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, often with staples like ground meat, bulgur, rice, or pasta. Stuffed zucchini, with or without meat, is often combined with dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), which adds an interesting tanginess to an otherwise sweet dish. These days in farmer's markets and supermarkets alike one can get round zucchini, once only available in Provence, which are ideal for stuffing.
I have chosen to give you recipes for some of my favorite, fast and easy zucchini dishes, in which I use every bit of our crop. I cannot even let the larger ones, those that have started to form seeds, go to waste. I peel their tough skin and then grate the flesh to make a crust-less pie or keftedes (meatballs). I often add some grated zucchini to the chicken pilaf I cook for the dogs (but I haven't given that recipe...).
Needless to say, batter-fried is the most delicious way to serve zucchini blossoms, which I stuff with a piece of feta cheese and a mint leaf. Throughout Greece and especially on the islands, zucchini blossoms are often filled with bulgur, rice, nuts, ground meat, and a variety of other ingredients. I prefer a simpler filling of feta and mint, which takes on a complex flavor when the blossoms are dipped in ouzo-scented batter and fried.
I first tasted the dish in Mytilini, the capital of Lesbos, at Hermes--a historic coffee and ouzo bar in the old market. As with all vegetable meze , batter-fried zucchini and the blossoms are brought to the table first in Greece. More substantial fish and seafood mezedes (plural for meze) follow.
One small tip if you decide to grow zucchini in your own garden: it's best to pick the blossoms early in the day, since the flowers close at night, which makes stuffing both more difficult and perhaps even dangerous. If they are closed, make sure no bees have camped out inside...
There are many ways to enjoy zucchini. Try these recipes, which offer instructions for how to fry it, add it to a pie, or put it in meatballs.
Aglaia Kremezi explores
with recipes that use the vegetable in pie, meatballs, and fritters.
| Battering and frying zucchini is a simple and popular way to eat the vegetable. View recipe here . |
Aglaia Kremezi explores
with recipes that use the vegetable in pie, meatballs, and fritters.
Another fried option, this dish adds the classic Greek ingredients of feta and mint to the batter's ouzo flavor. View recipe here .
Aglaia Kremezi explores
with recipes that use the vegetable in pie, meatballs, and fritters.
This recipe uses zucchini as the base of a savory pie that also features onions, feta cheese, and tomatoes. View recipe here .
Aglaia Kremezi explores
with recipes that use the vegetable in pie, meatballs, and fritters.