Did you know?
Italian immigrants are credited with introducing this now-familiar summer squash to the U.S., writes Aliza Green in “Field Guide to Produce.” Zucca is the Italian word for squash.
And abbondanza is the Italian word for abundance.
A Dave Barry quote we found online describes the zuke’s growing prowess: “Minutes after you plant a single seed, hundreds of zucchini will barge out of the ground and sprawl around the garden, menacing the other vegetables.”
Menacing? Or just putting them to shame?
A member of the Cucurbita family, the gregarious zucchini (like all members of the summer squash clan) has soft, edible flesh and seeds. Its edible yellow blossoms have become a gourmet item (they’re often deep-fried), though the fragile flowers are typically available only to home gardeners and at some farmers markets.
Buying tips
Locally grown zukes will be at farmers markets for just a few more weeks, but zucchini from elsewhere is sold year-round. Buy those with “shiny, taut skin and solid flesh,” Green writes, adding that a few bruises are OK.
Even though gargantuan zucchini snag all the headlines, the younger and smaller vegetables (from baby zucchini to those up to 8 inches long) yield the best flavor.
Storing hints
Zucchini’s thin skin is easily nicked, write Christopher Hirsheimer and Peggy Knickerbocker in “The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market Cookbook,” so handle it gently. They recommend storing it in a perforated bag up to five days in the refrigerator’s vegetable crisper.
Preparation tips
Just wash and dry, then trim the ends. One medium zucchini yields about 1 cup sliced.
Cooking suggestions
Zucchini is as versatile as it is prolific. It can be eaten raw or cooked, in savory dishes and sweet. (Cakes and breads, capitalizing on the moistness and mild-sweet flavor of grated zucchini, may be as ubiquitous as the vegetables themselves during growing season.)
Zucchini pairs well with eggs in omelets and frittatas, and finds a wonderful partner with tomatoes in pastas, soups, on pizzas and in vegetable sautes. Sliced into thin strips, zucchini also can be prepared like fettuccine — a recipe that Good Eating staffer Joe Gray will share next week in “Dinner Tonight.”
———-
renna@tribune.com
