More on Zucchini because there's always more zucchini

Here are four more worldly-wise and ridiculously recipes to make ten, number of perfection. 
Also to show that zucchini is everywhere. Lots of cooks know how to make it tasty.

Korean Cod and Zucchini Fritters

These are separate fritters served in the same bowl.



1 1/2 lbs firm white fish fillets (cod, snapper, sole), skinned and boned
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, cut into thick rounds
1 c plain flour or for a crunchier taste chickpea flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Corn, canola or peanut oil, to fry
Sea salt and ground white pepper
For the dipping sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1½ tsp rice wine vinegar
½ tsp toasted sesame seeds

Slice the fish into ½cm-thick slices, about 6cm long. Spread them out on a plate and season. On a separate plate, do the same with the sliced courgette.
Put the flour and beaten egg into two separate bowls and position beside the stove top.

Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil to a large pan warm over a medium heat. In batches, coat the fish and zucchini slices in flour, then dip into the egg mixture, and transfer to the hot oiled pan. Fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, remove to a heatproof dish and keep warm while you fry the rest. Add more oil as you go, if needed. (Keep the heat at medium: if it is too high it will burn the outside before the inside is cooked; if the heat is too low you will end up with soggy fritters.)
In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce and serve immediately with the fritters.
 
Italian Verdure al Forno (roasted young vegetables)
Absolutely farm fresh vegetables are a must for this, and the reason for it.. Baking slowly causes them to release their natural sugars, making the dish heavenly. Trust Italians to perfect simplicity.
Serves 4

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ lb baby carrots (about 8), peeled, trimmed slightly, leaving on a bit of their stem

¾ lb fingerling potatoes (about 4) or new Yukon Gold potatoes about the size of a golf ball, halved

1 lb small red onions (3-4, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

1 lb young zucchini (about 5), split in half lengthwise

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 tbsp dired

Pinch of saffron crumbled in a mortar with ½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

¾ lb ripe tomatoes, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350º.

Lightly oil a 9 x 12" or similarly sized baking casserole. Arrange the carrots, potatoes, onions, and zucchini in the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and the garlic, basil, oregano, saffron, salt, and sugar. Stuff the rosemary sprigs in between the vegetables. Lay the tomatoes on top and season again with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining olive oil over the vegetables or oil to taste.

Bake about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hour until the tomatoes look melted and the potato and carrot can be pierced easily by a skewer but are not breaking apart. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve with a roasted chicken, grilled butterflied leg of lamb or a rich rice pilaf.

Nepali Mixed Vegetable Curry 
serves 4-6

6 small (new) or 3 medium potatoes (not bakers)

1/3 cauliflower or 1 stalk broccoli with florets

2 onions, peeled

½ lg. carrot or daikon, peeled

1 japanese or small italian eggplant

 1 zucchini

2 green chilies or ½ lg. pastilla chili pepper

3 roma tomatoes

1 cup peas or corn (frozen is okay)

1 bay leaf

3 cloves garlic and

1” ginger

½ tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. coriander seeds

2 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. cracked black pepper

3 tbsp. cooking oil or ghee

¼ bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only

1 cup water

 

Coarsely chop the onion and tomatoes separately. Finely chop the chilies, leaving seeds in. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized cubes. Slice the carrot or daikon and eggplant or squash into thin disks. Cut the cauliflower into small florets or if using broccoli, slice the stalk into thin disks and cut the florets apart. Mince the garlic and ginger.

In a medium saucepan or casserole, heat the oil or ghee. Fry the onion until it’s soft and golden. Add the cumin and coriander seeds, chilies, garlic, ginger and turmeric, stirring to combine. Add potatoes and stir fry until they are slightly brown.  Add all remaining ingredients except the cilantro leaves. Cover and simmer on low until all vegetables are tender—10-12 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.  Chop the cilantro leaves and put on top to serve.

French Ratatouille with Variations

This is arguably the quintessential Provencal summer dish, an olive oil stew of onions, peppers, zucchini and eggplant seasoned with basil, parsley and oregano. Here's the basic recipe, followed by my southwestern variation that uses smoky poblano and bright red bell peppers instead of green ones, red onion instead of yellow, adds tomatilloes and uses peppery cilantro instead of basil.

Classic recipe from Julia Child

1 pound eggplant
1 pound zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
2 (about 1 cup) sliced green bell peppers
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, if necessary
2 cloves mashed garlic
1 pound firm, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled and seeded (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper to tastePeel the eggplant and cut into lengthwise slices 3/8 inch thick, about 3 inches long, and 1 inch wide. Scrub the zucchini, slice off the two ends, and cut the zucchini into slices about the same size as the eggplant slices. Place the vegetables in a bowl and toss with the salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain. Dry each slice in a towel.
One layer at a time, saute the eggplant and then the zucchini in the hot olive oil for about a minute on each side to brown very lightly. Remove to a side dish.
In the same skillet, cook the onions and peppers slowly in olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Stir in the garlic and season to taste.
Slice the tomato into 3/8-inch strips. Lay them over the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes have begun to render their juice. Uncover, baste the tomatoes with the juices, raise heat and boil for several minutes, until juice has almost entirely evaporated.
Place a third of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a casserole and sprinkle over it 1 tablespoon of parsley. Arrange half of the eggplant and zucchini on top, then half the remaining tomatoes and parsley. Put in the rest of the eggplant and zucchini, and finish with the remaining tomatoes and parsley.
Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover, tip casserole and baste with the rendered juices. Correct seasoning, if necessary. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes more, basting several times, until juices have evaporated leaving a spoonful or two of flavored olive oil. Be careful of your heat; do not let the vegetables scorch in the bottom of the casserole.
Set aside uncovered. Reheat slowly at serving time, or serve cold.

Variation: Serves 6-8
1 lb firm eggplant (any kind will work except the small Thai egg-like eggplant)
1 lg Poblano pepper, roasted and skinned 
3 lg tomatilloes, roasted 
½ cup olive oil 
1 tsp cracked or freshly ground black pepper 
1 tsp dried oregano 
1 bay leaf 
Optional: pinch ground chipotle pepper (for smoky flavor) 
1 lg red onion peeled and cut into thin disks 
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips 
1 tsp salt 
¼ tsp ground coriander 
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 
¾ lb zucchini (2-3 sm/med), cut into ¼” thick disks 
1¼ cup chopped tomatoes with juices (boxed is ok
(Roasting here means in a toaster or regular oven at 450 degrees for 5-8 minutes (less time in the smaller toaster oven) until the skin cracks and starts to char.)

Wash the eggplant. Slice it into thin disks and if the disks are much larger in diameter than 1”,cut the disks in half. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with ¼ tsp salt and 2 tbsp olive oil. Cover and roast 10 minutes at 425º. Seed the peppers and cut into thin strips, nothing longer than 2".

In a medium heavy gauge casserole or large saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat.  Add black pepper, ½ tsp oregano, optional ground chipotle and bay leaf. Sauté 30 seconds. Add onion disks in a layer and top with garlic, poblano and red peppers. Do not stir. Continue to sauté 3-5 minutes until onions are soft. Sprinkle 1 tbsp chopped cilantro on top.

Lower heat to simmer. Add eggplant as a layer. (Pieces might be two deep if the pot is not wide.) Sprinkle on ½ tsp oregano, ground coriander and ¼ tsp salt. Add 2 tbsp chopped cilantro. Cover pot and simmer 2-3 minutes. Add a layer of zucchini and half the remaining chopped cilantro. Pour tomatoes into the pot. Sprinkle ¼ tsp salt over the top layer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until zucchini starts to soften.

Slice roasted tomatilloes into thin disks or any small pieces you can manage. Add to the pot as the top layer. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes until zucchini is soft (not mushy) and the juices are bubbling. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf. Add remaining salt if desired.

Serve hot, at room temperature or cold, garnished with the remaining chopped cilantro leaves. To make this into a full meal, serve over squares of fried polenta.