The zucchini is a popularly cultivated summer squash. Zucchini can be dark or light green and generally have a similar shape to a ridged cucumber. A related hybrid, the golden zucchini, is a deep yellow or orange color.
In a culinary context, zucchini is treated as a vegetable, which means it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment. Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit. When used for food, zucchini are usually picked when under 8 inches in length, when the seeds are still soft and immature. Mature zucchini can be as much as three feet long, but the larger ones are often fibrous and not appetizing to eat. Zucchini with the flowers attached are a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit and are especially sought by many people.
Unlike cucumber, zucchini is usually served cooked. It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried or incorporated into other recipes such as soufflés. It also can be baked into a bread or incorporated into a cake mix. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy when deep fried.
In a culinary context, zucchini is treated as a vegetable, which means it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment. Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit. When used for food, zucchini are usually picked when under 8 inches in length, when the seeds are still soft and immature. Mature zucchini can be as much as three feet long, but the larger ones are often fibrous and not appetizing to eat. Zucchini with the flowers attached are a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit and are especially sought by many people.
Unlike cucumber, zucchini is usually served cooked. It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried or incorporated into other recipes such as soufflés. It also can be baked into a bread or incorporated into a cake mix. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy when deep fried.
The zucchini has a delicate flavor and requires little more than quick cooking with butter or olive oil, with or without fresh herbs. The skin is left in place. Quick cooking of barely wet zucchini in oil or butter allows the fruit to partially boil and steam, with the juices concentrated in the final moments of frying when the water has gone, prior to serving. Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced or shredded into a cold salad.
Zucchini is one of the easiest fruits to cultivate. As such, it has a reputation among home gardeners for overwhelming production. While easy to grow, zucchini, like all squash, requires plent of bees for pollination. So this spring get your garden ready and plant some zucchini.
~ Chef Wilkinson ~
