Zucchini tastes great grilled, stuffed, steamed, and sweet. This versatile vegetable is not only an all-rounder in the kitchen but also contains valuable ingredients.
Zucchini: cucumber outside, pumpkin inside
The popularity of zucchini certainly does not come from the fact that they are “flavor bombs” – quite the opposite. Their gentle, mild, nutty aroma ensures that zucchini tastes great with other foods. This makes the vegetable a valued guest in the kitchen. It shines as a main course as well as a side dish, or even as a dessert. Externally, the classic, long zucchini, which we most often eat, resembles a cucumber. In fact, however, they are descended from pumpkins. Their name comes from Italian and is a diminutive of zucca, which means pumpkin in German. Zucchini, therefore, means “small pumpkins.”
In fact, zucchini come in many shapes and colors: long, round or in the shape of little stars, in green, striped green, white or yellow. They are all unobtrusively delicious. The appreciation of our Italian neighbors for zucchini is also shown by the fact that they have their own holiday dedicated to them, the “Giorno dello Zucchetto”. On this day, May 7th, the sowing traditionally begins.
How to prepare zucchini properly
Before preparing, wash the zucchini under warm water. The skin should not be removed – it contains valuable fiber and ensures that the zucchini does not become mushy when cooked. The versatile zucchini can then be prepared in a variety of ways. They can be boiled, fried or cooked in the oven, and can be served warm or cold. The zucchini can also be eaten raw, for example as an ingredient in a Mediterranean salad. Since zucchini has little flavor of its own, it definitely needs the right seasoning. They go particularly well with basil, thyme, lovage and garlic. Finely pureed and seasoned with salt, pepper and a few dashes of lemon juice, zucchini can also be quickly made into a delicious soup. In the classic ratatouille, they are an indispensable ingredient anyway.
Little effort, lots of taste: three quick, hearty zucchini dishes
The great thing about zucchini is that it is so easy to prepare. It doesn’t matter whether you cut it into slices or strips, cut it into sticks, dice it, or grate it – the skin stays on, the seeds stay inside, and nothing gets mushy or sticky. Hardly any other vegetable can be used in as many different ways as summer squash. Let our recipes inspire you!
Crispy zucchini with basil curd
Sometimes things just have to be quick. The crispy zucchini with basil curd only needs a few ingredients and is easy to prepare. They are ideal as finger food and are also popular with children.
Ingredients
- 1kgzucchini
- 1kgpotatoes
- 1prizeSalt
- 1prizepepper
- 100GBreadcrumbs
- 100Gsesame
- 150mlRapeseed oil
- 1Federalbasil
- 500GLow-fat curd
- 200mlSparkling
preparation
- Wash and boil the potatoes. Then rinse, peel, and cut into slices about 1.5 centimeters thick.
- Wash the zucchini, remove the ends and cut into slices about one centimeter thick. Brush the baking tray with oil and preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- In the meantime, wash the basil and puree it with the remaining oil, including the stems. Add the quark and stir until creamy with sparkling water, salt and pepper. Finally, serve the crispy zucchini with the basil quark.